When I saw this was set in the Philippines I snatched it up. From the beginning I felt compelled to do outside research on the Philippines and the facts revealed in the story. (Do people really live in cemeteries?! Yes! They do). The author delves into some very serious and very real topics, including childhood homelessness and the destructive effects gambling addiction can have on a family.

I enjoyed the extensive Tagalog glossary and descriptions of traditional Filipino foods. I was surprised to learn that children who can’t afford a uniform and books can’t go to public school. Those are not obstacles for children where I live and I have always taken that for granite.

Caution: there are parts of the book might scare certain kids, or that they may not be emotionally ready to handle. Parents should read the book first to discuss and possibly prepare their child.

Watch my video review for the book at: https://youtu.be/kqusGADpR0w

I enjoyed reading this book and encourage others to read it as well. It provides awareness on the poverty situations that countries like the Philippines face. Moreover, the main character Nora is someone you want to root for, and the story is also very gripping. Overall, I think this is a very sweet story of hope and friendship that people of any age would enjoy.

I was excited to read Everlasting Nora for the book itself and because I'm Filipino American and have lived half my life in the Philippines. I hadn't expected to find the strength of my emotional reaction reading a middle grade novel set in Metro Manila and about the poverty and difficulty that Nora and her friends faced as they struggled to survive on so little.

There are plenty of poor people in the developing world, quite a lot of them are children. But to read about how they fill their days trying to pay for food and shelter, to find water and safety is quite different. Marie Miranda Cruz incorporates Filipino words and phrases in the dialogue and text of the book but it works well. It is great to read reviews and find that people who have no experience with the Philippines are drawn to the story. As a Filipino reader or Filipino American reader, it is particularly thrilling and heartwarming to read a story set in my hometown.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC I’d this book. All opinions are my own.

Wow.. I’ve read very few books set in the Philippines, so it was so interesting to learn about the way that some individuals live. Nora’s life is filled with challenges and obstacles that were overwhelming sad for me, even though there is hope and community in the story. This is a powerful and eye-opening story.

Charles Dickens wrote many of his novels to show what life was like for the downtrodden, for those kids that had slipped through the cracks, through no fault of their own. And like Olive Twist, Nora, in this story, has had bad luck, on top of bad luck, in her early life.

Written about the real life existence of shanty towns in the North Manila Cemetray of the Philippines, Nora has to live in a mosoleum of her father, who died in the fire that destroyed their home. Although school itself is free, in the Philippines, the books and uniforms are not, and so, she can’t even go to school now. She sells everlasting wreaths for the people that come to the cemetray to pay their respects.

The author says that when she, a Philapina, came to Manila, after living in the United States, she was not aware that all the people selling things in the cemetary were actually living there. She realized that she wanted a story that told about the children who lived there, all their lives.

Nora goes through a lot, but has good friends, that help her. So, while all seems lost, she does push through, despite the evil that is around her.

This is a good introduction to children of first world countries, to see how others live.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.