Review of Sheba's Song

[Abi McCoy]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Sheba's Song" by Magaly Heriveaux.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Sheba’s Song by Magaly Heriveaux is a heartwarming tale that follows two young girls who are part of the foster care system. The opening chapter shows Sheba and Zoey, adoptive sisters, visiting their Aunt Abigail and Uncle Zack during New Year’s Eve where they have a happy celebration full of jokes and hot chocolate. Zoey and Sheba return home to Philadelphia where they live with Aunt Millie and Uncle Rupert. Sheba flips through some old photo albums and Uncle Rupert joins her, providing her with some family history relating to her parents. The rest of the book follows Sheba’s and Zoey’s journey through the foster system before finding a happy home.

They meet each other while in the system and become fast friends. Despite having to switch dorms and make new friends, they always have each other. It doesn’t take long for them to settle into their new dorm, though it’s not without its complications. There are many encounters with bullies, both children and adults, and Sheba learns valuable lessons in standing up for herself and knowing when to let things go. Despite the tension and stress that come from the encounters with these bullies, Sheba stays true to herself and eventually uncovers some information that leads to Uncle Rupert and Aunt Millie.

The topic of foster care and the hardships of the system can be difficult to write about in a way that is approachable for young adults, but the author did it perfectly in this book. There was an array of diverse and realistic characters ranging from children with unique backgrounds to adults with varying motivations for helping or hindering the children. The author also did a good job at including the personal backgrounds of characters without slowing down the story. An example of this is when Sheba presents a speech for class. The topic was supposed to be about someone they admired, and her presentation was on an older woman who fostered her for nine months. It provided insight into Sheba’s history and why she acted in certain ways; this was a creative way to include that information.

There were quite a few errors in the book but they were mostly related to punctuation and didn’t affect the readability of the story. The work was written in a way that was accessible for younger audiences while still being interesting enough for adult readers to enjoy. There were places where the dialogue and exposition felt a little flat, but overall, it was well-written. There were also many valuable lessons woven throughout the story that would be beneficial for young readers (and many adults!).

I’m giving Sheba’s Song a 3 out of 4 stars rating. This was a touching story that provides insight into a topic that can be difficult to discuss with younger readers. The diverse array of characters added depth to the story, and despite the errors, it was still enjoyable to read. I think this book would be perfect for young adult readers or even for parents to read to their children. It broaches difficult subjects but has a happy ending, which makes it a great family read.

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Sheba's Song
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[Ekezie1998]

This seems like quite an intriguing plot. Would definitely love to have this book on my shelf. Great review.

[kirthana_shivakumar]

This looks very interesting. It's also one of my favourite genres so I'll definitely give it a try. Thanks for the review!

[Rm21]

these can be difficult topics for kids to understand or be exposed to, so this is probably a good read for children to get some important insights and information. thank you for the recommendation.