A quick and lovely read about an Indian girl called Geetha who moves to America and finds community around an East Coast beach and the wildlife there. I have a soft spot for middle grade novels-in-verse. The format makes authors choose their words carefully, and communicate succinctly about often complex and difficult topics. Most of the MG novels-in-verse I've read packed a punch that was disproportional to the number of words they contained and this slender volume is no different, tackling topics like immigration, bullying and pollution with nuance and without losing its hopeful tone. I would definitely recommend this to middle graders, especially those interested in marine life.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 Stars (Excellent)
Setting: Rhode Island
Genre: Verse novel, coming-of-age, immigrant narrative

Padma Venkatraman’s Safe Harbor is a beautifully written novel in verse that will resonate with middle-grade readers, particularly those who enjoy stories of resilience, friendship, and environmental activism. The short chapters and poetic style make it accessible and engaging, while the themes of acceptance and restoration add depth and meaning.

Geetha’s journey from India to Rhode Island is filled with challenges—bullying at school, culture shock, and the ache of missing home—but her love of nature, music, and poetry offers her an anchor. Her friendship with Miguel and their efforts to rescue an injured harp seal create a moving parallel between Geetha’s struggles and the seal’s own fight for survival. The book’s message about environmental responsibility is woven naturally into the narrative, making it an excellent choice for classrooms and book discussions.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its honest portrayal of complicated emotions. Geetha’s anger, sadness, and hope all feel deeply authentic, and her gradual realization that safe harbors exist in both people and places is uplifting. Readers will find themselves rooting for her as she learns to navigate new waters—both literally and figuratively.

While the novel’s verse format might take some adjustment for those unfamiliar with it, the poetic language ultimately enhances the emotional impact of the story. Safe Harbor is a heartfelt and inspiring read, perfect for young readers looking for a story that is both meaningful and hopeful. #netgalley #safeharbor #booked_this_weekend

It's hard not to love a story with a sweet young girl having a bit of a crisis having moved from her native India with her mom (who has depression) after her parents divorce and her befriending a seal because it's struggling with an illness that she feels she can help with.

The verse novel is a lovely format for this emotional story. Geetha isn't fitting in at school since her clothes are secondhand and she's not comfortable with herself or the language. Plus, her mom told her the neighbors don't like her playing her flute so early in the morning because it's loud and obnoxious. So she goes to the shore. There she befriends a boy named Miguel whose experiences mirror hers. There they meet the injured seal and are able to continue to see it at the rehab facility while also recognizing they can contribute meaningfully to it's habitat by creating a beach cleanup.

Geetha doesn't become more helpless, she finds ways to channel her feelings of loneliness into the newfound friendship, her flute, the seal, and contributing her part.

It's inspirational and sentimental and a perfect readalike to books like [book:Odder|59251239] and [book:Saving Sunshine|56937775].

We are always looking for captivating novels-in-verse, and this one really delivers. Solid storyline, heartfelt immigration story, and an endearing animal character.

Review 8/10🩵 This book caught my eye when I saw it was a middle grade novel in verse about saving a baby seal🥺 But ultimately it ended up being about much more than that.

Our MC, Geetha, is a little girl who recently immigrated from India to the United States. She misses her home and struggles to find a place in her new surroundings. This is a story about the strength and perseverance of immigrants, community, and environmental protection. Geetha makes friends and finds inspiration in helping her baby seal. It was a short story, but very sweet and worth the read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Nancy Paulson Books for a copy of this lovely middle grade!

A really nice middle grade novel in verse covering immigration, marine mammal rescue, pollution, mental health, bullying, music, and community.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the ARC!

This was so cute. I have wanted to read this author for awhile, and this was my first one.

I'll be sure to recommend it for my kids, because I know they'll love it.

Thanks NetGalley for my free copy.

A beautiful middle grade verse novel following a girl and her mother as they find a new place of belonging in a new country. As Geetha searches for belonging, a shared love of music with Miguel, and the plight of a nearly strangled seal pup from the harbor give her new purpose and belonging. I loved the way it showed the loss of former familiar loved places and the gradual opening up to, and loving of new spaces.

When Geetha and her mother move from India to Rhode Island, they leave behind everything Geetha loves-- friends, loving grandparents, her dog... all she's ever known and valued And adjusting to American life proves to be challenging. If all this change wasn't enough, Geetha must also face being made fun of. It just seems so overwhelming. Until she meets Miguel, and the two of them help rescue a harp seal. It's her friendship with Miguel that helps Geetha make sense of this new life and her place in it. As they get to know each other, Geetha begins to develop a deeper sense of who she is and how she's meant to fit in the world.

This middle-grade read, written in verse, addresses several topics of interest: pollution, immigration, family structure, and more. The writer's style really allows readers to "see" into Geetha's mind and better understand how she's feeling. The characters were very well-written and easily relatable. However, the conservation issues felt a little clunky and out of place. They felt like they had been simply dropped into a book that was trying hard to address several themes. The story mostly centered on Geetha and her family and was interesting enough without this added element.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

"Safe Harbor" is a beautiful novel-in-verse that is, at its core, about belonging. This story follows Geetha, who has just immigrated to the United States from India after her parents' divorce. Geetha is angry that her mom has brought her to the US, forcing her to leave behind everything she loves in India. Geetha has to learn to make new friends at a new school, which is always difficult.

Padma Venkatraman's writing is stunning. She so perfectly captures Geetha's feelings about and struggles with her new home. I love how music was central to this story of belonging. Music can be so incredibly healing, and it shows in this story. Despite being a short book (about 175 pages), Venkatraman manages to discuss so many difficult topics — divorce, immigrating, bullying, and mental health — without any of them feeling like they were skimmed over.

This story hit me in my feels, and I actually happy cried at the end, which I didn't expect.

This was such a lovely MG novel in verse, and one that I'm looking forward to introducing this one to my students. From a curricular standpoint, I think this book had so many easy-to-understand themes: identity, belonging, friendship, environmental activism. Additionally, the characters are lovable, the writing is simple but emotionally resonant, and the overall tone is hopeful. I genuinely enjoyed this one and would love to read more from Padma Venkatraman. Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy.

Written in verse, Safe Harbor, is a moving novel about adjusting to life in the United States.

At the center of the story is Geetha, a girl who didn’t want to come to America. She was happy in India, surrounded by friends and family. School is hard. The kids are mean. It’s not until she meets Miguel that life becomes easier.

Author Padma Venkatraman says a lot with spare words. Through her well-focused lens, Geetha grows personally and socially. And she does it against a setting that explores the environment and pollution, bullying, divorce, family dynamics and mental illness. Combining all those elements into a cohesive whole is not easy, but in the case of Safe Harbor, everything comes together seamlessly.

At less than 200 pages and written in verse, Safe Harbor is a fast read — I read it in one sitting — making it a good choice for reluctant readers. It would also make a wonderful classroom read, with plenty of jumping off points for further science, writing or musical exploration.

Venkatraman’s middle grade books in verse are typically engaging reads that explore a specific social issue, and Safe Harbor is no different. At the core of this book is a reflection on the environmental harm caused by pollution and especially by water pollution. Using an injured seal as the catalyst, Geetha, our main character, soon learns about the dangers to animals on both land and sea caused by massive amounts of trash ending up on beaches and in oceans. Geetha is also a recent immigrant to the US and the injured seal also becomes an avenue by which she makes friends, deals with bullying, and finds a bit of her voice. Venkatraman’s use of the seal to bring together two seemingly separate story lines is well done and highlights the connections between community and environment. While Safe Harbor does not have the emotional weight Venkatraman’s other books have had, it is a lovely story and a good way to introduce younger readers to environmental issues and the struggles of the new kid in school.

Geetha and her mom are moving from India to start a new life in America. Geetha isn't a big fan of the idea of moving away from family, friends, and everything that's familiar. The girls at her new school bully her but Geetha finds a friend in her neighborhood who shares her love of the ocean and the environment. Together, they find an injured baby seal. They make sure the seal is sent to a wildlife rehab center and wait anxiously to see if the baby will survive. In the meantime, they work together and gather other kids to try to clean up the beach so that other animals will not suffer. This is a lovely story with themes of family and found family, making your own way and finding your voice, things that are worth speaking up about and things that you keep to yourself. I thought this was terrific and I think the kids will too.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced look at this book in exchange for an honest review.

It is a truth universally known on my Goodreads that I am a fan of free verse books. There is something about how I truly get into the mind of the characters (in this case a girl named Geetha) and I get to walk a mile in their shows. Here Geetha and her mom have moved from India to the States. Not only is THAT an adjustment but Mom also has some mental illness. The ups and downs make life difficult on Geetha. All of it is hard. She misses home.

But it takes meeting Miguel and helping rescuing a young sea lion to connect Geetha to her new home. To find something that gives purpose, a cause bigger than herself. And how, through helping and conservation, she meets friends. It's a sweet easy read that is poignant and encouraging. With books like this, there is hope for humanity and our planet.

Safe Harbor is a wonderful middle-grade novel in verse. Geetha and her mom have just moved to Rhode Island from India so that her mother can pursue her next degree. She misses her family and her dog and she's being made fun of by a group of mean girls at her school. When Geetha meets a kind neighborhood boy named Miguel, things start looking up. The two have a lot in common and get along great. When they rescue an injured seal pup at the beach, their friendship is cemented. Visiting the pup at a marine rehabilitation center helps Geetha deal with her emotions over her big move and issues in her family. This story gently touches on divorce, domestic violence, and mental illness in ways that are appropriate for middle-grade readers. This was a quick and charming read. 5 stars!

Big thanks to Penguin Young Readers Group, Nancy Paulsen Books, and NetGalley for a review copy of Safe Harbor.

In Padma Venkatraman’s SAFE HARBOR, Geetha has just moved to the United States from India with her mother. Finding her place in her new home is challenging as Geetha deals with missing her beloved family, adjusting to cultural differences, and facing bullies at school. With the help of a new friend Miguel, she rescues an injured baby harp seal. Her determination to save the seal helps Geetha to find her way in her new home, using her love of music and her concern for the environment that comes from finding the seal to forge new connections. With its beautiful language and relatable messages about empathy, the environment, and finding your voice, this emotional lovely novel in verse will find a place in the hearts of many middle grade readers.

Geetha and her mom move to the US after her parents get divorced. She had to leave everything familiar to come to the US. She gets bullied at school for just about everything about her. She gets angry at her situation and at her mother for putting her in the situation. She eventually makes a new friend and they work to rescue a seal and follow its rehab process. She also starts a big beach clean-up venture with her friend, she learns that not everyone is a bully and that many kids are actually nice and want to get to know her and be friends. A story full of real emotions, common issues facing kids, and hope that things do get better if you give it a chance.

After her parents’ divorce, Geetha moves to America with her mother, and everything is different from the life they left behind in India. Even though they have extended family nearby, their small apartment lacks the comforts of home, and the food and scenery are all different, too. School is a difficult adjustment for Geetha, but her neighbor Miguel quickly becomes a friend as they work together to help nurse an ailing harp seal back to health. This middle grade novel in verse delicately balances the difficulties of moving across the world with the protection of the Earth’s ocean habitat. Because the narrative is written in verse, there are a limited number of words used in the novel, but these words nevertheless work together to paint a clear picture of Geetha’s life. Food and expressions from her Indian upbringing pepper Geetha’s first person narrative, and readers will find themselves empathizing with Geetha’s experiences as the story continues. At once a depiction of life as an immigrant from India and a book about the importance of wildlife conservation, this novel speaks to middle grade readers at a variety of different levels. It is accessible for readers from a wide range of backgrounds, and it serves as a positive book for classroom discussion, as well. This is a positive addition to library collections for middle grade readers.

Thank you to netgalley for the free arc!

This novel was written in verse about a girl (Geetha) who has immigrated with her mom from India to the United States. The themes that the author explores around being an immigrant, bullying, and adjusting to a new culture are interesting. I enjoyed the story line about Geetha and her new friend, Miguel finding an injured seal on the beach. With the help of Miguel’s mom, they find a safe place for the seal to recuperate. The kids visit the seal often and volunteer to clean up the beach for all of the animals. Geetha uses her flute playing skills to play music for the seal to help calm it.

While this book is geared towards ages 10-13, I would hesitate in recommending it to the younger end if this range for several reasons. The pace of the book is on the slower side. Also, it is unclear how old the main character actually is. At times, the book reads as if it is written by an older adult writing about a young her person’s experience.