Becoming Naomi León
Book - 2007 | This edition first printing, June 2007
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Opinion
From Library Staff
From Library Staff
MemoP
Feb 23, 2021
When Naomi's absent mother resurfaces to claim her, Naomi runs away to Mexico with her great-grandmother and younger brother in search of her father.
multcolib_recommends3
May 16, 2014
Naomi Soledad Leon Outlaw has had a lot to contend with in her young life, her name for one. Then there are her clothes (sewn in polyester by Gram), her difficulty speaking up, and her status at school as "nobody special."
Naomi and her brother are left to live with their 90 year great grandma when they are very young. All of a sudden, several years later, Naomi's young carefree mom shows up with her not so nice boyfriend. If Naomi and her grandma don't find a way, Naomi's mom could take her far away from the f... Read More »
When Naomi's absent mother resurfaces to claim her, Naomi runs away to Mexico with her great-grandmother and younger brother in search of her father.
When Naomi's absent mother resurfaces to claim her, Naomi runs away to Mexico with her great-grandmother and younger brother in search of her father.
From the critics
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Add a CommentThis book really touches your heart from the start. Naomi is a child who doesn't have many friends and an "imperfect" brother. Read this book so you can follow Naomi and Owen's adventure.
What can I say? This is a good book, but like much fiction for children, the safety net is always firmly in place. The lines of "good" and "bad" characters are pretty starkly drawn - not much nuance here. But there is a lot of heart in this book, a lot of emotional truth to Naomi's struggle to come into her own in the face of her mother's unexpected reappearance. Great choice for younger middle-grade readers.
It's good that this book is written in the first person -- by shy, perceptive 5th grader Neomi León. It's so sad that Neomi's dreams of her mother coming through for her cannot come true. It's great that her loving Gram sees her through the crisis, and that Naomi pulls through, strengthened and happy.
There are many kids in circumstances similar to Neomi's-- with the deep pain of missing their mothers --who would benefit from reading this book.
But I would NOT read this book to my young granddaughter, who has no such issues to deal with. It would only make her sad.
I prefer books that help her learn to respect and empathize with kids in situations and cultures different from hers (eg Return to Sender, or Each Kindness), help her not discount people with disabilities (Paperboy), let her read about a kid learning to make good moral decisions (Shiloh quartet) ...
This book made my 10 year old very sad, dont think it is appropriate for that young an age.
Best book I have ever read!!!!!!