Mélie doesn’t know how to relate to her father, a political prisoner in another country whom she has never met, when he is released and immigrates to join her family in Montreal.
“Where I come from, you have to say the same things as everyone else or keep quiet,” Mélie’s mother tells her. “And your father is not someone who knows how to keep quiet. Or say the same thing as everyone else. So that got him in trouble.”
However, ever since he came into Mélie’s life, keeping quiet is the only thing her father has done. Partly because Sami doesn’t speak the same language as his daughter, and partly because he doesn’t know how to live as a free man anymore. Mélie has to tame him, like the kitten that she just found, and like Mr. Xavier and his partner seem to be doing with Mei-Li, the little girl they recently adopted. Things that are worthwhile aren’t always easy.
Key Text Features
chapters;dialogue
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6
Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone
Mélie doesn’t know how to relate to her father, a political prisoner in another country whom she has never met, when he is released and immigrates to join her family in Montreal.
“Where I come from, you have to say the same things as everyone else or keep quiet,” Mélie’s mother tells her. “And your father is not someone who knows how to keep quiet. Or say the same thing as everyone else. So that got him in trouble.”
However, ever since he came into Mélie’s life, keeping quiet is the only thing her father has done. Partly because Sami doesn’t speak the same language as his daughter, and partly because he doesn’t know how to live as a free man anymore. Mélie has to tame him, like the kitten that she just found, and like Mr. Xavier and his partner seem to be doing with Mei-Li, the little girl they recently adopted. Things that are worthwhile aren’t always easy.
Key Text Features
chapters;dialogue
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6
Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Mar 5, 2024 |
| Specifications | 160 pages | 5 in x 7.5 in |
| Keywords | PTSD; post-traumatic stress disorder; mental health; therapy; getting help; social phobia; queer characters; LGBTQ families; pets; animal companionship; new situations; child's perspective; |
|
Supporting Resources
(select item to download) |
Excerpt |
| Written By |
MYLÈNE GOUPIL lives in Blainville, Quebec, where she works as an editor, proofreader and translator of technical communications. She is the author of the French books Le détonateur, Mélie sous sa bonne étoile and Mélie quelque part au milieu, published in English as Taming Papa. Mylène fell into reading when she was little and hasn’t stopped since — so it was only natural that she would end up writing some books of her own! |
| Written By |
|
MYLÈNE GOUPIL lives in Blainville, Quebec, where she works as an editor, proofreader and translator of technical communications. She is the author of the French books Le détonateur, Mélie sous sa bonne étoile and Mélie quelque part au milieu, published in English as Taming Papa. Mylène fell into reading when she was little and hasn’t stopped since — so it was only natural that she would end up writing some books of her own! |
| Audience | ages 9 to 12 / grades 4 to 6 |
| Key Text Features | chapters; dialogue |
| Common Core |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.4 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3 |
Commended, New York Public Library Best Books for Kids, 2024
A poignant story of trauma, healing, and familial love. STARRED REVIEW
” —KirkusA quick and gentle read that lightly touches on family challenges.
” —BooklistThis compact novel excels in its portrayal of a young girl's complicated feelings toward her father, as best portrayed in a series of moving vignettes that expertly shows, rather than tells, the reader what trauma does to a family system.
” —Horn BookA stunning novel.
” —Globe and MailThis book helps young readers to accept that there are all different kinds of families.
” —Children's Literature Comprehensive DatabaseA satisfying and ultimately triumphant reminder that families come in all configurations.
” —CM: Canadian Review of MaterialsA thoughtful, realistic story ... Beautifully written.
” —Winnipeg Free Press