A powerful collection of poetry, Wings to Soar is from the perspective of Viva, a young refugee girl. Her family separated and her life uprooted, through verse you experience the trials and emotional journey Viva goes through.

I thought that this was particularly enjoyable because although dealing with hard, complicated issues, having it be the perspective of a child helps you see the hope in the situation. There can be joy, even when there is sorrow. Belonging while displaced.

A displaced girl’s hope takes wing in this verse novel. Set in 1972, after the president of Uganda exiles people of Indian descent, many of whom take refuge at Royal Air Force Greenham camp in England.

The mother-daughter relationship brings forth teary-eyes and a raw connection. Viva's narration reminded me of my own childhood diary entries that were filled with personality. Side characters aren't as influential but serve their purpose. Cliché and predictable plot but has an impactful execution. Prose takes a while to get used to and the flow is at times awkward. The cohesive message is important yet shy in its approach. Rushed pacing and characters lack development. Viva's inner thoughts are relatable and full of emotion. Induces a break-neck accumulation of youth, longing, and hope. Recommended for those searching for a quick story that reminds you of the courage of living. Overall, an average read. "You get courage by doing small things, one at a time."

While looking through new releases of children’s books recently, I saw this one come up. I was immediately intrigued—it isn’t often that you come across books about refugees, and also uncommon to come across books set in the 1970s! I was also intrigued once I got into the story—I’ve read very few books written in verse, but this one was surprisingly easy to read and it flowed well.

There was a lot to love in the story—I enjoyed Viva’s Indian heritage; the foods she described sounded delicious! I was also able to identify with her longing to have a home for her family—and to have her family united again. I loved the way she enjoyed new words, and kept a word book. That was sweet.

In some ways, this is a difficult story; the racism her family experienced was hard to read about, as well as their struggles to reunite their family.

But overall, I really enjoyed this read and would like to share it with my siblings sometime. It’s an interesting picture of England in the 1970s, and it would also give children a good picture of some of the struggles refugees face as they try to build new lives for themselves in a new country.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.

Wings to Soar tells the story of Viva and her family who have been displaced from their home in Uganda to a resettlement camp in England. Her father is forced to stay in Uganda while Viva, her mother, and her sister make the trip, but he promises he is not far behind. While Viva, her mom, and her sister wait for him, they settle in the camp. Soon it becomes clear that something is keeping him from being with his family. As Viva’s family waits for answers, her mom tries her best to settle their family in a town whose residents make it clear they are not wanted.

Vivia loves The Supremes and Diana Ross and shares a passion for words with her father. She has a spunky personality but fiercely loves her family and the friends she makes along the way. She is strong and passionate, and as I was reading, it was very easy to sympathize with Viva and her family.

My only criticism is that while it takes a while to build the plot, setting, and motivations in the first chunk of the book, the second half seems to move very quickly. The resolution feels rushed and there isn’t as much character growth as I was hoping for.

Overall I did enjoy this book. It shed light on a moment in history that I did not know much about in a way that is accessible but not overwhelming. It does read a bit young for a lot of my students, but it has themes that are relevant in today’s day so I can overlook that in order to add it to my classroom library. I would recommend this book to my students who like to read about history and family as it is a beautiful blend of the two.

The first thing I thought when reading the plot of this book was: a poetry book for kids about immigration, cool! Once I started, I realized I had a truly well-constructed text in my hands, where the stylistic choice to use poetic verses to tell a story filled with pain exceeded any expectations I could have had. Poetry helps convey both the drama of the theme and makes the characters human and tangible.

Viva is a protagonist who enters the reader’s heart and soul, making them want to help her in every possible way. Through her, one can understand the reality of what happens when a migrant is welcomed into a country and neighborhood that barely tolerates and doesn't want them.

Viva's quest to find her father, who disappeared while trying to reach England from Uganda, is dramatic and frantic, showing how connections and friendships formed in a moment of crisis and loneliness can prove invaluable.

I deeply loved the author’s ability to create a tangible narrative that is perfect both for the young audience the book is aimed at and for adult readers who want a poetry collection capable of telling dramatic and recent events from an unusual, original, and deeply emotional perspective.

A book I highly recommend to everyone. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! Soon a review on my blog https://medium.com/inabookhole

A novel-in-verse about a young Indian girl whose family is expelled from Uganda in 1972. They are sent to a resettlement camp in England while they await for her father to arrive. I knew nothing about the South Asian population of Uganda being expelled by Idi Amin and very little about the National Front in the United Kingdom but that isn't necessary to feel the heartbreak of what it means to be a refugee without a country.

An important subject of history, but not sure the verse is as powerfully executed as it could be. Dialogue is unnecessarily confusing in how it’s delineated. Why no quotation marks? I did enjoy Viva as a protagonist. A very timely book. Nothing is new under the sun, including anti-immigration hate.

Thank you NetGalley, Charlesbridge Moves, and Tina Athaide for the early access copy of Wings to Soar.

Wings to Soar is a story of ten-year-old Viva and her family who are forced to relocate to a resettlement camp in England after being sent away from Uganda. The end goal is to move to Canada. That is until her father doesn't make the trip from Uganda and goes missing. Viva must learn to live in this new reality of uncertainty if her family will reunite.

Wings to Soar is a novel-in-verse, middle grade story of resilience, friendship, family bonds, and the racism and hatred faced by refugees in 1972. This will be a great tool for middle grade readers to learn and understand the racism faced by refugees, the impact of the displacement, and the strength of the families. This is a beautiful novel-in-verse with significant emotion.

This is different from what I normally read but I’m glad NetGalley provided me an ARC. The story is told in prose by a young girl Viva who is living in a resettlement camp with her mom and sister. They are waiting for her dad to join them. They are then moved and she must deal with how brown skinned people treated as she searches for her missing father. It was easy to read and very heartwarming!
It’s about family and friendships. It’s amazing what Viva does as a child to cope with her situation.
A great middle school read that I highly recommend!

This book did exactly what I hoped, and took me through a period of history I wasn't familiar with in a way that left me thinking about it after I was done reading. The format was a perfect way to cover such a heavy topic (novels in verse are quickly becoming a favorite of mine). It does read on the younger side of Middle Grade in my opinion, but I think kids and adults alike can learn a lot from Viva and her story. Beautifully written and I hope the author does more like this.

Wings to Soar
by Tina Athaide
Pub DateJul 23 2024
Charlesbridge |Charlesbridge Moves
Children's Fiction| Historical Fiction| Middle Grade



Netgalley and Charlesbridge have provided me with a copy of Wings to Soar for review:



It's 1972, and Viva's Indian family has been expelled from Uganda and sent to a resettlement camp in England, but not all of them made it. They are supposed to meet her father in London, but he never shows up. As they wait for him, Viva, her mother, and her sister get settled in camp and try to make the best of their life there.Viva, her mother, and her sister settle into camp while they wait for him.


When Viva and her family begin to feel at home with new friends, they are forced to leave the camp and move to an area of London where they are not welcome. While Viva grapples with the hatred for brown-skinned people in their new community, she is determined to find her missing father so they can move to Canada. He has been sponsored to move to the United States, so they have to save money to join him.


I give Wings to Soar five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

"Wings to Soar" by Tina Athaide tells the poignant tale of Viva, a young girl navigating the refugee crisis of 1972. 🕊️ President Idi Amin's expulsion of Ugandan Asians forced Viva's family to flee to the UK, where they end up in a resettlement camp. 🇬🇧 Despite the challenges, Viva finds solace in her love for music and new friendships. 💕 But when her father doesn't arrive as expected, Viva's world is turned upside down. 😔 Determined to reunite her family, she embarks on a journey filled with hope and resilience. 🌟

Athaide's novel-in-verse beautifully captures Viva's story, weaving it into the larger narrative of political unrest in 1970s England. 📚 Each poem resonates with emotion, drawing readers into Viva's struggles and triumphs. 🎶 "Wings to Soar" is a heartwarming and thought-provoking read that highlights the power of friendship and perseverance in the face of adversity. 💪🏽📖

What a moving novel in verse based on the refugee crisis of 1972 in Uganda. I loved this middle grade book, and i would love to read more by Tina Athaide.

4.5 Stars rounded up!

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review.

This novel-in-verse is set in the UK during the rise of the United Front. I knew very little about the history of this movement before reading this book. It's from the perspective of a Indian heritage girl from Uganda in the UK as a refugee. During this time, there were laws in place in the UK that limited classrooms from accepting more than 2-3 brown children. And there was an intense push back against refugees and resettlement. The story does a beautiful job giving the main character agency is a situation that is so far beyond her control. When Viva's father disappears after a trip back to Uganda to complete unfinished work, and the family is settled in a new-to-them part of London with a family whose son is none to pleased to have Viva in his class, Viva's desperate to do something to let her dad know where she is. She's certain he will return, even as others give up hope. This was a beautiful read about a historical period I knew little about.

Wings to Soar is a verse novel set in UK in 1972. President Idi Amin of Uganda ordered the Ugandan Asian to be expelled from the country. More than 27,00o ended up in resettlement camps in the UK. These camps were run by the Red Cross, Women’s Royal Voluntary Service and the US Air Force. Viva, her sister and mother arrive at one of the refugee camps. They are waiting for their father to arrive, so they can move to Canada. However, their father doesn’t arrive and seems to have gone missing. Viva makes friends with twins, Maggie & Mark and Leroy, an American service man. A lot happens throughout the book, but eventually the family does end up together, in the US.

I really enjoyed reading this novel in verse. I couldn’t put it down. This was an event I had no knowledge of and found it quite interesting. It is a story of family, bravery, hatred, and overcoming adversity.

It's 1972 and Idi Amin has expelled all Ugandan Asians from Uganda. Viva, her sister Anna and their mum have landed in England, in a resettlement camp on the RAF base at Greenham Common. Viva's father is set to join the family but when his flights arrives, he isn't on it and the family struggle to find out why and where he is. Viva and her father share a love of words and in looking for a dictionary one day, Viva meets Mark and his twin sister, Maggie. This friendship, along with several others, makes the situation a little more bearable until Viva, Anna and their mother are moved out of the camp to Southall, West London. Southall is a red zone, an area where residents have been protesting against refugees and demanding that the government sends them back.

I read this book, initially, because the Year 6 children I work with are really into verse novels at the moment and I am always keen to have new suggestions for them. I found the story really interesting, particularly as this period of history is one I know little about. I loved the characters, in particular Leroy and Maggie and Mark and I also enjoyed watching Viva's relationship with her sister, Anna, develop as they both seemed to learn that the other is more than just someone to be irritated by. I would have liked to understand the character of Sanjeev Gupta and his mother, especially as they both seemed so different from Sanjeev's father.
Overall, I thought this was a great book. The story was pacy and engaging and I enjoyed learning about this period of history. Books like this are the closest some people may get to experiencing the level of hate and persecution many refugees face and it sadly goes without saying, that there are many parallels that can be drawn between the period of this novel and the present day. I think that it is important for children now to learn about the blatant racism and shocking treatment of refugees not so long ago, in order to see why things need to be different.

Told in free verse from the viewpoint of young Viva, this book begins with a lot of promise. In short, dramatic chapters, we are introduced to Viva, a young mixed race girl who has had to flee Uganda with her mother and older sister in 1972, and is now in a refugee camp in England.
Her father is missing, and the family fears for his safety, even as their own future seems uncertain. Her one comfort, besides words, is song - specifically, the songs of Diana Ross, that she belts out with gusto whenever the mood strikes

Viva, especially close to her father, uses the words games they played together to make sense of their circumstances, while she negotiates new relationships with the children and adults she encounters at the camp. As the mystery around her father's disappearance deepens, she also begins to question the racism she encounters, and her place in her family.

The first half of the book had me hooked. The verses , and Viva's unique voice had me engrossed, and rooting for this feisty protagonist. second half of the book, however, falters. I found the cadence of the verses in the first half missing. The mystery around her father's disappearance feels hastily resolved and Viva (and, indeed, the book's plot) never seems to have the character development the first half promises . We never get a sense of Uganda, the country she has fled either, and all her memories of her former life merely revolve around a friend called Ella. We never even get a clear picture of Ella and the bond she has with Viva, or why she has been so special to her friend. Viva's is a unique voice, and this event in history has barely any mention in children's literature, so I would recommend Wings to Soar to young readers for its message of hope and fortitude. .

Thank you to NetGalley, Charlesbridge, Charlesbridge Moves, and Tina Athaide for the opportunity to read Wings to Soar in exchange for an honest review.

The novel-in-verse style is perfect to tell the refugee experience from the middle grade perspective. I don't quite remember, but I believe the main character, Viva, is only 11 or 12 years old as she shares her experience as a Uganda Asian refugee in England.

In 1972, Viva's family was forced from Uganda to a resettlement camp in England. It's Viva, her sister Anna, and her mother, though they try patiently to awat the arrival of their father as well, so that they may then relocate to find a home in Canada.

When Viva's father doesn't show up when she is supposed to, she goes out of her way to try to contact him or get any information she can regarding his wharabouts. In the meantime, Viva's family has to move to Southall, where the news is riddles with refugee hatred. Viva, once an innocent child, learns about the world through the experience of a refugee not wanted in England. She likes to stand up for herself, but her mother deters her from speaking out, because that will only bring more trouble.

The hate crimes become more serious, Viva's father is still missing, and she must learn how to accept the reality of the world she is living in.

This novel is a powerful historical fiction that shares one view of a young refugee and what her experience was like. This novel is very eye-opening, and I would not only recommend it to a middle grade audience, but any reder who wants to learn and see a perspective that is likely different than their own experiences.

What an important middle grade novel.

The book opens in 1972 when Viva's Indian family has been removed from Uganda and placed in a resettlement camp in England. But, they are without Viva's father, who is to meet them in London.

This historically important novel-in-verse shares themes of resiliency and hatred toward refugees. It's a wonderful story of family, relationships, and overcoming challenges during a turbulent political time.