When Life Gives You Mangos is a wonderful story with great heart, mystery, and insight. What a treat to walk alongside Clara in her vibrant Jamaican home, through the peaks and valleys of the human experience—heartache and joy, alienation and deep friendship, regret and redemption. Clara is the girl we all wish was our best friend—honest, spirited, and real. Kereen Getten is a bright new voice. Her writing strikes the perfect balance of beauty, depth, and a touch of mango!”—Clare Vanderpool, author of Newbery Medal winner Moon Over Manifest and Printz Honor book Navigating Early Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It's a slow starter but it's a well written book about friendship with a bit of mystery mixed in. Clara is suffering from memory loss and has trouble recalling the events of last summer which have left her shaken. She once loved the water but now has a fear of it. Clara's whole neighborhood seems to be judging her until one day a new girl comes to visit from NY. The new girl Rudy doesn't judge her for her behavior or make her feel inferior.

When a quirky girl called Rudy arrives from England, everything starts to change. Gaynah stops acting like a best friend, while Rudy and Clara roam across the island and uncover an old family secret. As the summer reaches its peak and the island storms begin, Clara's memory starts to return and she must finally face the truth of what happened last year. About This Edition ISBN:

I really enjoyed this book! Both Contemporary and Middle Grade aren't my usual reads so it was definitely outside my comfort zone but I enjoyed reading about Clara's days spent exploring the island that is her home and games of make-believe. I really enjoyed the whole atmosphere for this story. Set on a tropical island, it's filled with descriptions of lush vegetation and heat waves which really added to the colourful vibes of the story. There's also a really strong sense of community scattered throughout which I loved. Everyone helps each other, they all see each other as an extended family (and a lot of the time they actually are family anyway) with the whole village turning up for everyone's life events. It feels safe and loving, making the reader feel safe and cared for too. I absolutely loved the setting of this book. I felt absolutely immersed and right there with Clara as the story went on. The writing was vivid but simple, without being choppy. I loved the middle-grade aspects of this book, specifically the imaginary/role-play adventures that Clara went on with her friends. While the plot may have lulled in some areas, the writing kept me invested in the story, and had me feeling something akin to nostalgia with the almost-childlike wonder and magic that was incorporated into the story so well. Clara lives on an island in a tight knit village with people who feel so familiar. It's small and seaside so no one ever visits and no one really leaves. There's the grouchy old woman whom seems to dislike everyone but everyone does what she needs without question. There's the pastor that's overly judgmental. Clara's cousin Gaynah who she gets along with one minute and is at odd's with the next. And there's her ostracized uncle who everyone calls a witch doctor.

Named to Oprah Magazine’sBest Caribbean Books for Your 2021 reading list, imagination and adventure run wild in themost talked about middle grade debut of the year! I am generally not a middle school book reader but when I read the blurb, saw the gorgeous cover and the title was enough to send me reading Kereen Getten’s debut novel. Clara lives on an island where everybody knows everybody, and the summer consists of eating mangoes in hideouts and hanging out with your friends. The only downside to Clara's life is that ever since the storm last summer she can't remember anything that happened, not even when prompted by her mother or best friend Gaynah. Can anything stir up her forgotten summer memories? Or are some memories best left in the dark?A wonderful story with great heart, mystery, and insight.Kereen Getten is a bright new voice.”—Clare Vanderpool,author of Newbery Medal winner Moon Over Manifestand Printz Honor book Navigating Early Clara lives on a small, island village, where she loves the people and the memories she's made there. Except, she can't remember anything of what happened last summer, and lately, her best friend, Gaynah, hasn't been treating her like a friend. This summer, however, fate has something different in store for Clara, starting with a new girl coming to the village. Nothing much happens in Sycamore, the small village where Clara lives - at least, that's how it seems. There are the themes of community, religion, friendship, grief, father-daughter relationship, family and trauma that I felt were aptly explored and explored in an authentic way.

I love that the book was told from Clara’s perspective, it brought to life her inner thinking and personality. I loved how perceptive Clara was in talking us on this journey. The story about a young girl who can't remember anything from her previous summer after a hurricane. I loved the plot twist and what themes it explored with it… I can’t say much more, but the ending of this book was incredibly satisfying and perfect for the book overall. This book was a warm hug. It’s about the different types of friendships. But it’s also about moving forward and letting go of your past and how toxic friends can sometimes ruin your life by making you stay in the past.Inspired by the author’s childhood experiences, When Life Give You Mangosis a celebration of island life as well as a rich, lyrical mystery. The plot is nice too. It meanders at the start, as we see Clara going about her daily summer life and seeing the trials and tribulations of a typical 12 year old girl. Her family has some problems, there's tension with the Pastor, but generally it seems a gentle life with a little undercurrent of mystery about last summer and Clara's uncle who lives a solitary outcast life in a big house on the hill. Then that twist comes out of left field and punches you in the gut. Honestly, did not see it coming. At all. It's very well written into the story, almost as though you should have expected it all along and weaves the explanation into the plot quite organically. I just wish it had been explored a bit more, and in great depth. The one thing that kept me from abandoning it, was the fact that I wanted to know what had happened last summer that made Clara lose all her memories. When the big reveal came, I was left speechless. The way the author unveiled the mystery was so well done, that I cannot believe that this is a MIDDLE GRADE contemporary!! Twelve-year-old Clara lives on an island that visitors call exotic. But there's nothing exotic about it to Clara. She loves eating ripe mangos off the ground, running outside in the rain with her Papa during rainy season, and going to her secret hideout with Gaynah--even though lately she's not acting like a best friend. Shortlisted for the UKLA Book Award 2022 ages 7-10 | October 2020 Debut of the Month | Shortlisted for the 2021 Branford Boase Award