SAFE HARBOR, by Padma Venkatraman, Nancy Paulsen Books, Jan. 21, 2025, Hardcover, $17.99 (ages 10 and up)
An immigrant girl defines her life in the US through her love of nature, music and poetry in Safe Harbor, by Padma Venkatraman.
When Geetha and her mom move from India to Rhode Island after her parents’ divorce, they leave everything Geetha loves behind — her family, her friends, her dog, and all that’s familiar.
As if that’s not hard enough, Geetha is bullied at her new school for her clothes, her food, and her English (who knew so many English words could be spelled or pronounced differently in the US — or just be altogether different!). She finds some solace in playing her flute and writing poetry, and even more when she meets Miguel, a kid with whom she has a lot in common, and the two of them help rescue an injured harp seal stranded on the beach.
But Geetha can feel her anger building over lots of things — careless people who pollute the sea and hurt animals, and her mom for making her move. She’s never been so sad and angry. She can see a lot of her fears mirrored in the injured seal when she visits it at the Marine Mammal Rehabilitation Center, and this broadens her understanding of survival skills. And when she and Miguel start a beach-clean-up venture, she’s surprised to find how many kind kids are out there.
Geetha is torn as the time comes to let the seal go, knowing she’ll miss him, but wanting the best for him. She’s learning to live with mixed feelings and accept that while there will always be rough waters, there are plenty of safe harbors too. —Synopsis provided by Nancy Paulsen Books
Written in verse, Safe Harbor, is a moving novel about adjusting to life in the United States.
At the center of the story is Geetha, a girl who didn’t want to come to America. She was happy in India, surrounded by friends and family. School is hard. The kids are mean. It’s not until she meets Miguel that life becomes easier.
Author Padma Venkatraman says a lot with spare words. Through her well-focused lens, Geetha grows personally and socially. And she does it against a setting that explores the environment and pollution, bullying, divorce, family dynamics and mental illness. Combining all those elements into a cohesive whole is not easy, but in the case of Safe Harbor, everything comes together seamlessly.
At less than 200 pages and written in verse, Safe Harbor is a fast read — I read it in one sitting — making it a good choice for reluctant readers. It would also make a wonderful classroom read, with plenty of jumping off points for further science, writing or musical exploration.
Copyright © 2025 Cracking the Cover. Unless otherwise noted, all books — digital and physical — have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews. All thoughts and opinions are those of the reviewer.
