Nissa's Place
Young Readers

Nissa’s Place

By
A. LaFaye
“Honeyed and colorful.” —BOOKLIST
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Since her father remarried, Nissa feels like a stranger in her own home. When her new stepmother moves in and rearranges everything, it’s almost as if her free-spirited mother never even lived there. Hoping to restore the life she knew, Nissa accepts an invitation from her mother and moves to Chicago.

But life in the big city is overwhelming, and Nissa misses her home and her father. She’s thrilled to help her mother sew costumes and plant a rooftop flower garden, but how can she fit in when people talk so fast and don’t even care to wish her a good day? After a revelation in the Chicago library, the willful Nissa discovers a way to stake her independence and find her place in her family and life in Louisiana.

Told with the lyricism that marked The Year of the Sawdust Man, Nissa’s Place is a beautiful continuation of Nissa’s story. Once you meet Nissa Bergen, you’ll never forget her.

ISBN
9781571316974
Publish Date
Pages
248
Dimensions
5.25 × 8 × 0.69 in
Weight
10.2 oz
Cover Art

Praise and Prizes

  • “A. LaFaye surpasses the lyricism and emotional depth of her sparkling debut, The Year of the Sawdust Man, in this sequel. Readers will be moved as Nissa comes to view Heirah Rae’s flight as an act of courage and a spur for Nissa to make her own dream of a library in Harper come true.”

    Publishers Weekly

  • “A. LaFaye works lyrically with folk expressions and wisdom, conveying them in a delightful way. She also succeeds in picturing the racial attitudes of the era and allows the rural characters to be true to themselves in the city environment.”

    School Library Journal

  • “In the honeyed and colorful language of the deep South, Nissa sorts through her feelings for her mama, her steady dad, the pregnant Lara, and her racially divided town. Inspired to turn Lara’s old home into a local library, Nissa wrestles with segregation, and hope. A fine, upstanding sequel to The Year of the Sawdust Man.”

    Booklist

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