The Year I Flew Away

It’s 1985 and ten-year-old Gabrielle is excited to be moving from Haiti to America. Unfortunately, her parents won’t be able to join her yet and she’ll be living in a place called Brooklyn, New York, with relatives she has never met.

She promises her parents that she will behave, but life proves to be difficult in the United States, from learning the language to always feeling like she doesn’t fit in to being bullied. So when a witch offers her a chance to speak English perfectly and be “American,” she makes the deal.

But soon she realizes how much she has given up by trying to fit in and, along with her two new friends (one of them a talking rat), takes on the witch in an epic battle to try to reverse the spell.

Gabrielle is a funny and engaging heroine you won’t soon forget in this sweet and lyrical novel that’s perfect for fans of Hurricane Child and Front Desk.

One magical deal. A price higher than she could ever imagine.

• An Unforgettable Immigrant Story: Follow ten-year-old Gabrielle as she moves from her beloved Haiti to the strange, cold world of 1980s Brooklyn.
• A Deal with a Witch: To stop the bullying and finally fit in, Gabrielle makes a deal with a clever witch to become the "perfect American." But every magical wish has a price.
• Finding Your Voice: When the witch’s spell steals more than just her accent, Gabrielle must discover the true strength in her Haitian heritage to reclaim her identity.
• Friendship and Talking Animals: With the help of her new friend Carmen and a sassy talking rat named Rocky, Gabrielle finds the courage to fight back.