Rosa, Sola

Rosa Sola is a beautiful story about an Italian immigrant family in the 1960’s. Rosa is in the fourth grade and wants nothing more than a baby brother. She decides to pray for a brother until God blesses her family. Amazingly, her prayers are answered! All seems perfect when she finds out her mother is expecting a baby, she will no longer be the odd girl at school with no siblings. But when tragedy strikes her family, she has many hard lessons to learn.
This novel, for older elementary and middle school students, is a lovely story from a young girl’s perspective about the difficulties of life, understanding other people’s problems, and the importance of faith. My heart ached for this young girl who was forced to grow up quickly and face many tough lessons by herself when her parents were unable to be there for her. But during this difficult time, young Rosa learned much about her family, her faith, as well as her own strength and determination.

Tender, beautifully-written story of love, longing, and loss. Carmela Martino expertly captures the the dreams and hopes of childhood along with the joys and grief that are an inevitable part of family life. I especially enjoyed the coziness of this Italian-American family and its setting - both in time and place.

Highly recommended for children and young teens but also enjoyable for adults. My fourth grader will be reading this next. I'll give her a tissue warning, but a few shed tears are well worth the honest portrayal of faith and family life that Rosa, Sola exhibits.