Ninth Ward

Twelve-year-old Lanesha lives in a tight-knit community in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward. She doesn’t have a fancy house like her uptown family or lots of friends like the other kids on her street. But what she does have is Mama Ya-Ya, her fiercely loving caretaker, wise in the ways of the world and able to predict the future. So when Mama Ya-Ya’s visions show a powerful hurricane—Katrina—fast approaching, it’s up to Lanesha to call upon the hope and strength Mama Ya-Ya has given her to help them both survive the storm.

Ninth Ward is a celebration of resilience, love, family, and friendship, and a deeply emotional story of transformation.

Honors for Ninth Ward:

• 2011 Coretta Scott King Honor Author Award
• 2010 Parents Choice Foundation Gold Award
• 2010 Al Roker "Today Show" Book Club Selection Best Fiction of 2010, School Library Journal
• 2011 Jane Adams Honor Book Award for Older Children (Jane Adams Peace Association)
• 2011 International Reading Association Notable Books for a Global Society
• 2011-2012 The Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award, Master List Finalist, Best Fiction for Middle Grade Readers, Goodreads.com

The Real Ninth Ward:
The Ninth Ward or 9th Ward is a distinctive region of New Orleans, Louisiana that is located in the easternmost downriver portion of the city. It is geographically the largest of the 17 Wards of New Orleans. The 9th Ward neighborhood was thrust into the nation’s spotlight during Hurricane Katrina. Much of the 9th Ward on both sides of the Industrial Canal experienced catastrophic flooding in Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The majority of the damage was caused by storm surge. There were multiple severe levee breaks along both the MRGO and the Industrial Canal.

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