NINTH WARD by Jewell Parker Rhodes

A.R. Book Level: 3.3
A.R. Points: 4.0
Pages: 217


I LOVED this book!  The setting is New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and the flooding that followed, but it’s more than just a disaster book of the “I Survived” series variety.  Twelve-year-old Lanesha, who was born with the ability to see ghosts, lives with her adoptive grandmother in the Ninth Ward in New Orleans.  As catastrophe overtakes her neighborhood, Lanesha has to find the strength to survive while also making peace with her mother’s ghost, her grandmother’s failing health, and her need for friendship.  One especially great element of this book is the suspense in the chapters leading up to the hurricane’s arrival.