Cardboard city

Set in Belgrade, Serbia circa 2006--2009, this slender novel by Jovanovic (The Blue Vase) highlights the displacement and oppression of Romani peoples as experienced by two teens living in an improvised Romani settlement of cardboard dwellings. Nikola, a gifted aspiring trumpeter, and his resourceful older sister Saida live with their fortune-teller grandmother Baba and the twin babies she cares for in Cardboard City, beneath the Gazela Bridge in the heart of Belgrade. After being abandoned early in their lives by their teenage parents, the siblings don't know their true ages, haven't learned to read or write, and spend their days struggling to survive by fetching water, picking pockets, and scrounging for food. Saida soon runs away seeking a more comfortable life, while Nikola's musical talent garners attention and, eventually, an invitation to a prestigious brass festival in Gucˆa. It's there that the siblings reunite in the home of a generous couple. Convenient plotting and thinly developed characters diminish illuminating messaging surrounding the history and hardships of Romani people in Serbia. Jovanovic nevertheless presents an admirable if ambitious tale about two teens yearning for more and journeying toward a hopeful future. Includes recipes and a historical note. Ages 12--up. (Aug.)

Gifts can be complicated things. Nikola and older sister Saida are both teens, although they do not know their exact ages. Raised by their grandmother, they have grown up in Cardboard City, an informal settlement formed by their Romani community in the Serbian capital of Belgrade. Life there is difficult; winters pass hungrily, with egg cartons used to insulate the flimsy huts and discrimination from those outside their community feeling as biting as the cold. When Nikola's talent for playing trumpet wins him the attention of a musician and an invitation to a famous festival, a path to a new life opens up. The young protagonists are faced with the impossible choice between a loving but impoverished community and a more comfortable future. It's not a choice that is treated lightly by Jovanovic: Even as the hardships of life in Cardboard City are enumerated, the bounteous spirit of the people and the impossible grief of leave-taking are honored. The book, which is based on the plight of Romani people in many Central and Eastern European countries, sketches a journey that blurs together past and present, reality and dreams. The experiences of the characters are stated simply and evocatively, without overtones of judgment or lamentation. Each character is allowed their own voice and story, the third-person perspective shifting effortlessly between individuals and driving home the dignity of each one. A cleareyed and artful view into the lives and dreams of two Romani teens. (recipes, historical note) (Fiction. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.