Girl of the Southern Sea

Synopsis: 

“From the time she was a little girl, Nia has dreamed up adventures about the Javanese mythical princess, Dewi Kadita. Now fourteen, Nia would love nothing more than to continue her education and become a writer. But high school costs money her family doesn’t have; everything her father earns selling banana fritters at the train station goes to their meager existence in the Jakarta slums―assuming he doesn’t drink it all away first.

But Nia―forced to grow up too soon to take care of her baby brother following their mother’s death during childbirth―is determined to find a way to earn her school fees. After she survives a minibus accident unharmed and the locals say she is blessed with ‘good luck magic,’ Nia exploits the notion for all its worth by charging double for her fried bananas. Selling superstitions can be dangerous, and when the tide turns and she discovers her father’s secret plan to marry her off to a much older admirer, It becomes clear that Nia’s future is being mapped without her consent.

If Nia is to write a new story for herself, she must overcome more obstacles than she could ever have conceived of for her mythical princess, and summon courage she isn’t sure she has.”

Review:

Nia is the type of character that won’t soon leave my heart. She left her mark as many characters do after opening up a world that I knew next to nothing about. I don’t know that I’ve read anything set in Indonesia and yet Michelle’s writing transported me there immediately.

What I really enjoyed most of Girl of the Southern Sea was Nia’s search to reach her goal of going to high school. She’s not a perfect character and she shouldn’t be. When she’s given the opportunity to make a little extra money for her family, she jumps at the chance only taking the time to consider the consequences when it’s too late. She’s 14, ambitious, anxious, and running out of patience to secure the funding needed for school.

As Nia continues to make up stories of Dewi Kadita, the Princess of the Southern Sea, she realizes just how important it is to follow her own dreams and take her future into her own hands. This book would pair beautifully with Everlasting Nora by Marie Miranda Cruz and The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman for a series of titles about children living in poverty around the world. Nia’s strength in spite of her past will not soon leave me heart and mind.

Need to Know:

Title: Girl of the Southern Sea
Author: Michelle Kadarusman
Publisher: Pajama Press
Publication Date: May 2, 2019
Page Number: 224 pgs.