CCBC Booklists

CCBC Review:

Mélie and her mother, Sofia, came to Canada when Mélie was an infant. Mélie has always thought of the apartment the two of them share as safe, comforting, and familiar. But that changes when her Papa arrives after being released from prison in the country where she was born. He’d been locked up because he refused to be quiet in a country where speaking out was dangerous. Once he arrives, however, Papa is a silent stranger. He doesn’t speak Mélie’s language, and she does not speak his. He is afraid to leave their apartment. During the day, he just watches TV. At night, he has bad dreams. Frustrated and angry by Papa’s seeming disinterest in getting to know her and being her Papa, Mélie gets a summer job with her former teacher; he and his husband are overwhelmed with a new baby and family illness. At home, Mélie tries to connect with Papa by helping him learn to speak her language, but isn’t sure he cares. When Mélie finds a cat, it becomes a bridge for her and Papa. But their apartment doesn’t allow pets, and Sofia says they can’t keep it. Writing remarkable for its sensitivity to both Mélie and the adults around her grounds a story offering an accessible, hopeful look at a child living with an adult with PTSD. Once Mélie and Papa begin to communicate, it becomes clear to Mélie that he has been trying all along, and clearly loves her. ©2025 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Translated by Shelley Tanaka. Translated from French. Originally published in Canada.

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 8-11
Age Range: Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10) Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format: Novel
Subjects: Activism and Resistance Communication Fathers Fear Jail and Prison Pets Translated Books Trauma
Diversity subject: LGBTQ Character/Topic
On CCBC Booklist: Youth and Incarceration: Big Emotions, Personal Accounts, and Familial Experiences 

Publishers: Groundwood, House of Anansi
Publish Year: 2024
Pages: 154
ISBN: 9781773067230
CCBC Location: Fiction, Goupil

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