Review by Jydel -- Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas

[Jydel]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Kalayla" by Jeannie Nicholas.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Review: Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas

Kalayla is the story of a young girl who is raised by a single mother. Her mother is overwhelmed with doing two jobs cleaning houses and waiting tables in a restaurant. She barely has time to take care of her daughter, Kalayla. Without any friends her age, Kalayla has taken to roaming the streets. An old lady in her building notices her and takes a liking to her. She decides to look out for the girl and even sets her up in a work study program in her friend’s company. Dealing with Kalayla is not easy. She is opinionated and foul mouthed and dealing with her requires patience and deep understanding. Fortunately for her the old lady has all this.

Lena opens her door to both Kalayla and her mother. She is the rock that Maureen runs to when she does not know what to do. She offers valuable advice to both mother and daughter. When Kalayla falls out with her mother, she runs to the old lady and when she is hungry it is to her that she still runs to.

I really loved the story and could not help but laugh at Kalayla’s thoughts about the old lady. Her conversation with the old lady is even more hilarious. You would expect the old lady to reprimand her and be stricter with her, but she turns out to be more understanding. I also loved how Lena decided to look out for Kalayla when she realized her own mother could not do so.

Jeannie Nicholas really captures the challenges that different families experience in bringing up their children. Lena, for instance is forced into an abusive marriage to cement a business deal. Maureen on the hand is disowned for marrying a black man. Maureen herself is so green she has no idea what to do with her daughter and leaves her to do things on her own.

There is nothing I disliked about the book. It makes an excellent reading and teaches on forgiveness and that it is never too late to change. The book is well written and seems to have been professionally edited. I only encountered two errors. As a result, I give the book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars.

Adults, particularly parents can learn a lot from this book. I believe mature teenagers will find the book humorous. There is use of profanity in the book but it is more humorous than offensive.

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Kalayla
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[Bradley Shelvie]

Nice review! I found the bond that Lena and Layla striked between themselves to be unique.