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!

This is well written but slow moving. I feel like this will be relatable for so many kids and it has a lot of sweet messages about kindness, courage, and environmentalism. Good novel in verse.

Safe Harbor tells the story of Geetha and her move from India to the United States with her mom. With the move, she is leaving behind family and her beloved dog. In the US, she starts a new school where things are difficult for her. While she is used to excelling in India, she struggles with the new language and a few bullies in her class. One thing that she loves more than anything is playing her flute. One day, she sees a stranded harp seal. She aids in the rescue with Miguel, a boy whom she has a lot in common with. Both of them follow the seal's rehabilitation. During the process, Geetha learns more about herself and the power of music. Geetha is a strong protagonist. The plot is told beautifully through verse. It is a story of being brave and resilient.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a lovely novel in verse! Geetha is an interesting protagonist, smart, kind, conflicted, and unsure. I loved her.
Our middle school students will,too. The seal rescue thread was fascinating and timely.. A great addition to any middle school library.

A beautiful heartfelt story about a girl’s first few months in America after moving with her mother from India. I love that it is told in verse, as there are just so many different ways as a teacher I could use this in my reading, writing, and even science classes because there is so much marine biology discussed throughout the story. This is a moving story that teaches the importance of empathy, friendship, and creativity.

Enjoyed this middle grade gem about new to the US Geetha, who has moved with her mom from India to the US after her parents' divorce. It's hard for Geetha starting out at a new school in a new country, and she gets bullied pretty badly by some of the kids at her school. She befriends Miguel, who doesn't go to her school but has a lot in common with her, including not having a dad in his life. The two of them come upon a stranded seal and quickly get invested in the seal's rehabilitation, and environmental change in general. A great book about immigration, friendship, animals, environmentalism, and family. Recommended for ages 8+.

A touching story told in verse about a girl who recently immigrated to Rhode Island from India with her mother. This book realistically and sensitively handles mental health struggles as well as the saving grace a true friend can bring when we feel out-of-place and alone. Bonded by heartache and a love for marine life, the young girl and her new friend work together to make their sphere of influence a more beautiful place.

I've read a lot of middle grade novels in verse lately, and this was a wonderful addition to my list. Safe Harbor is about a girl named Geetha, who moves from Chennai, India to Rhode Island with her mother. Geetha misses her relatives back home and struggles to adjust to American cuisine, which uses a lot of ingredients she isn't used to. Geetha's mother feels the move was necessary; she suffers from depression and wanted a fresh start after her bitter divorce. Since Geetha isn't in contact with her father, she doesn't miss him the way she misses her aunts and uncles. Her biggest connection to him is music- he gave her the bamboo flute she cherishes.

Geetha doesn't have the easiest time in her new American school. There's a girl in her class who picks on her, but luckily, she befriends a kind boy named Miguel. Like Geetha, Miguel is a musician, and he's also the child of divorce. One day they find an injured seal pup on the shore and contact the Marine Animal Rehab Center. Geetha decides to name the seal Santo, after the Indian santoor. Miguel's mother, a marine biologist, regularly drives the kids to the center so they can visit him and check on his progress. Geetha finds comfort in this new friendship, but she's angry and disheartened by the amount of pollution on the beach. She wants to do something to help and plans a beach clean-up with Miguel and her classmates.

This is a fantastic book! The writing is beautiful and Geetha is such a sweet character. I was glad that she found a kindred spirit in Miguel, and that the adults in her life were so supportive. She remains in contact with her family back in India and gets to understand her mother a little better. The mental health struggles were depicted with realism and sensitivity. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

A very cute, poignant novel-in-verse. I feel like this will be relatable for so many kids and it has a lot of sweet messages about kindness, courage, and environmentalism. I appreciated how much the author put herself into the book, both in her knowledge of oceanography and in her lived experience as an immigrant. Geetha is a remarkable narrator, and the novel-in-verse format worked very well for this story.

Only thing that knocked this down a star is something that bothers me in a LOT of kids' books. Why were the supporting characters named Susan and Lisa when the story seemed to be set in the 2020s? Can we please name supporting characters names that children actually have?

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. I definitely want to push my head librarian to get this book.

I enjoyed Venkatraman’s book The Bridge Home so I was excited to get an advanced copy of her newest book Safe Harbor.
Safe Harbor is a beautifully written in verse story about the scariness of starting over somewhere new. How frustrating and intimidating it can be. How sometimes one needs to be brave to move forward.
I appreciated all of the themes involved but also feel like maybe it was one too many. There is change, bullying, mental illness, family, environmental issues, friendship. I would still highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Nancy Paulson Book and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. All thoughts and opinion are my own.

This is the story of a mother and her daughter, Geetha, who leave their home to come to America to find a new, and hopefully better life. But Geetha is not welcomed by any of the girls in her class, although she finds a friend in one boy, Miguel, who plays the violin.

When Geetha and Miguel are at the beach, they come across an injured seal pup, so while they are waiting for the rescue team to arrive, Geetha plays her flute in order to soothe the seal pup. Both Geetha and Miguel continue to check in on the seal’s progress, watching and waiting for it to recover. They also decide to clean up the beach, and soon there are others from their school who join in to help with the clean up.

A sweet story of friendship, as well as acceptance, even if it is slightly delayed.


Pub Date: 21 Jan 2025


Many thanks for the ARC provided by PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group / Nancy Paulsen Books

A sweet story in verse about a girl struggling with homesickness, a new friend, a rescued seal and the power of music.
4.5 stars rounded up.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC.

In this novel-in-verse, Geetha has a lot going on after moving to the states because her parents have separated and she’s being bullied at school. Music has always been important to her and when she makes a friend, Miguel, she finds he plays the violin. When they find an injured seal pup Geetha plays her flute to calm it while they wait for the rescue team to arrive. Geetha and Miguel continue to visit the seal and watch its recovery. While at the beach Miguel and Geetha see all the trash and decide to clean up the beach. They tell others at school, and they help clean. When it’s time for the seal to be released back, Geetha plays her flute knowing her love for music will always be there even in uncertain times.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.