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.

Strong novel in verse about Geetha and her and her mom's emigration to the US after her parents' divorce in India. Starting school in Rhode Island with no friends, thrift store clothing, and a completely different palate from her classmates makes for a challenging transition. Then Geetha meets Miguel and his mom while walking the beach and spotting a stranded seal...a chance meeting that eases her transition and gives her new focus and hope for her new home. Middle grade readers will enjoy this one and may gain some empathy for their peers as well!

This MG novel in verse by Padma Venkatraman is EXTRAORDINARY! Voice, metaphors, character development...spot on! Add this January release to your TBRs now!

nother powerful and poignant story from @venkatraman.padma is coming this January, and I’m so grateful to have experienced it early. Safe Harbor introduces us to Geetha, a young Indian girl who has just moved to the U.S. with her mom. Told in a beautiful novel-in-verse, the story explores the struggles of adjusting to a new life, as Geetha navigates the upheaval of leaving her family behind, starting at a new school, and grappling with the loneliness that comes with being in a foreign country. Her mom is juggling a demanding doctoral program while battling the depths of depression, making Geetha’s adjustment even more difficult.

Amid the uncertainty, Geetha finds hope when she rescues a stranded harp seal pup, setting in motion a journey of healing for both herself and her mom. Through her love for music, the environment, and the seal she’s determined to save, Geetha starts to weave a new life in this unfamiliar world, where moments of despair give way to connection and resilience. This heartfelt tale of second chances, the power of compassion, and finding your voice is perfect for read-alouds and book clubs. Ideal for readers in elementary and middle school who enjoy stories that tackle real-life challenges with grace and hope.

Safe Harbor by Padma Venkatraman felt just as the title suggested: a safe space for readers to land. This gorgeous novel-in-verse tells the story of two kids who help rescue a wounded seal and in doing so, learn it's okay to show their emotions and find their own safe harbors. This book has so many effortless layers to it: starting over, making friends, taking responsibility for our environment, women in STEM, children as change-makers and so much more. Padma whisks me away to the Rhode Island Ocean where Geetha now lives with her mother after leaving their family in India. Determined to support her mother, Geetha bravely traverses her new terrain with a small smile, stuffing down the many feelings she has and communicating them through her flute instead. When a new friend helps her find her way by saving a seal stranded on the shore, Geetha starts to open up and find a safe harbor of her own. This book has a place in my heart. In fact, it has a place on the shelf in my heart for ALL of Padma’s books. Pre-order this one, readers. Then, join me in February on the KidLit Love podcast to chat with Padma all about it.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC. This was a very sweet novel in verse about a young girl from India who is dealing with a lot of upheaval in her life (parents’ divorce, mother’s struggles with depression, immigrating to the US, bullying, etc.). While these are heavy topics, they are dealt with in a way that is very age-appropriate for middle grade readers. The reader will be able to understand Geetha’s struggles without it being overwhelming. The book is a quick read and is broken up into 1-2 page poems, which will be easily digestible for the younger side of the middle grade spectrum. In the midst of Geetha’s struggles, she helps to save a seal pup who is injured due to the trash dumped into the ocean; she channels her frustrations and sorrows into her flute playing and uses her music to help the pup. Overall, despite the tough topics, it’s a cute, hopeful, and poignant story. She finds her voice to stand up to her bullies, she works to make the world a better place, and she finds understanding and compassion for her mother. Overall, I’d recommend this read for upper elementary and early middle school.

Such a good book! Geetha's story is an important one for kids to read. I love that Geetha is able to find a positive outlet for her anger at her situation. I can't wait to share Geetha with my students.

This novel in verse about Geetha moving to America and trying to find where she fits in.
She discovers a lost seal and works with a new friend to get it back where it belongs.
A lovely novel in verse about family, friends and new changes.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

In Safe Harbor, Geetha and her Mom have left India to start their lives over in Rhode Island after her parents divorce. Geetha is learning different ways to deal with her mixed emotions with help from a new friend, his Mom and a rescued seal. This is a wonderful addition to novels in verse, and I look forward to sharing it with middle school readers.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very short but impactful middle grade novel in verse about a girl new to the country who stumbles upon a stranded seal. Very beautifully written and poignant.

A sweet and compelling story about a young girl who moves from India to Rhode Island so her mom can start a new life. It beautifully tackles Geeta's relatable challenges as she misses her old life and tries to find her place in an unfamiliar community. She bonds with a new friend, Miguel, over a shared love of music and animals after they work together to save an injured seal. This is an excellent book for fans of OTHER WORDS FOR HOME or THE BRIDGE HOME or similar books that help readers develop empathy, compassion, and perspective. It is a shorter book (around 200 pages) and written in verse, so it is a good choice for any reader - but particularly one looking to build reading stamina and feel successful in completing a whole book.

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!