The Year I Flew Away

The Year I Flew Away
Marie Arnold
Versify, 2021
256 pages
Grades 3-6
Fantasy/Magical Realism

Gabrielle moves to Brooklyn, leaving behind her parents and friends in Haiti, to live with an aunt, uncle and cousins. She starts school and finds herself nearly immediately a target for bullies, unable to defend herself with her clumsy English. If only she could be more American? Despite having made one friend, as well as, incredibly, the acquaintance of a talking rat, who thinks he's a squirrel, Gabrielle longs to be popular. When a witch approaches her in school with the offer to speak perfect American English how can Gabrielle refuse? Of course the wish comes with strings, but it will be worth it, right? Gabrielle agrees to the deal and the witch is as good as her word, only now Gabrielle can no longer speak Haitian Creole and what's worse is that the kids still don't accept her as truly American. Another wish makes Gabrielle even more American with the right clothes and food, but this time the price is even higher. To what extent will Gabrielle go to fix the big problem she has created. Is she willing to trade her very essence? Is there a way to beat the witch at her own game? Gabrielle has the courage, but she will need help of she wants to conquer a witch and fix the mess in which she now find herself.

This book was very different than I thought it would be. I went into this story thinking it was another immigration story of a child coming to America and trying to adjust. It is that-but much more. The magical elements give the immigration trope a new dimension and woke me up as soon as the talking rat appeared. The witch feels very Haitian, complimenting Gabrielle's cultural background and also adds interest to the tale. Debut author, Arnold, draws from her own childhood, setting the story in the 1980's. The time period is not important to the plot and young readers will miss the cultural references given, making this unnecessary. The place is essential to the plot. Brooklyn is a widely diverse area and Arnold both highlights and celebrates this fruit salad of different cultures. Readers will sympathise with Gabrielle and understand her desire to fit-in. They will also chuckle at the antics of Rocky the Rat, who lightens the mood and adds comic relief to what could be a heavy story, much like a Disney animated sidekick. Arnold presents the immigration experience to a young audience in an entertaining, yet gently realistic way, showing readers the struggle, all while keeping them turning the pages.