A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Locations
Call Number: Teen Fiction / Smith, Betty, Teen Book / Fiction / Classic / Smith, Betty
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Pittsfield Branch, Traverwood Branch, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Fiction / Smith, Betty	4-week checkout	Canceled Transit
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Fiction / Smith, Betty	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Fiction / Smith, Betty	4-week checkout	Due 05-15-2024
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Fiction / Smith, Betty	4-week checkout	Due 05-05-2024
Malletts Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Fiction / Classic / Smith, Betty	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Fiction / Classic / Smith, Betty	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Fiction / Classic / Smith, Betty	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Fiction / Classic / Smith, Betty	4-week checkout	Due 05-12-2024
Traverwood Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Fiction / Classic / Smith, Betty	4-week checkout	Due 05-22-2024
Westgate Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Fiction / Classic / Smith, Betty	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Fiction / Classic / Smith, Betty	4-week checkout	Due 05-13-2024

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Booklist Review
Summary / Annotation
Fiction Profile
Excerpt
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Modern Classic submitted by ljq on July 16, 2011, 11:22am Probably one of the best books I have ever read, Betty Smith's detailed story of life in Brooklyn is amazing

great reviews submitted by fairytale on August 19, 2012, 10:21am My mom has raved about this book for years, so I had to finally check it out!

An all time favorite submitted by Zekicmom on June 16, 2013, 8:35pm Got this book in sixth grade and have read it so many times my copy is barely holding together with tape. Every time I read it again I understand something deeper in the story. Wonderful.

Reread submitted by sarai koster-mockeridge on June 28, 2013, 11:04am I reread this book at least once every few years. It was a favorite of mine as a young teen, and I have found more to love about it as I get older and my experience and world view matures. This book is great for all ages from pre-teen through adult.

Excellent submitted by kmaforester on July 25, 2013, 8:04am This is the book that made me become a reader. It was on the list of summer reading we could do for school before 7th grade. I was absorbed in it. I try to reread every few years. It just keeps getting better.

exciting book submitted by Helen Brush on June 15, 2014, 5:44pm Great book. My mom recommended me this book because she loved it when she was a kid as will love kids it for generations to come.

Lovely! submitted by kzheng on June 17, 2016, 12:35pm This is probably one of my favorite books ever. It is realistic and also magical. Growing up in a immigrant family is difficult and special. The main character is francie, but the book also mentions many other people

Really good submitted by willow on August 24, 2016, 12:56pm I have a vague memory of reading this when I was younger, but I remembered nearly nothing about it, so I decided to read it again. It's a fascinating story. I also read and recommend the sequel that's not actually a sequel, set in Ann Arbor, called Joy in the Morning.

G0od submitted by Zaneeba on June 23, 2018, 5:29pm this was good

transports you back in time submitted by shannonwait on July 22, 2018, 10:05pm This novel tells the story of a sensitive girl whose observations of early 20th century Brooklyn are totally unforgettable.

Amazing submitted by Pooh3238 on August 9, 2018, 9:21am The book was amazing. I read it in high school and again as an adult. Such a well-written story that transports you to the location and the time.

Moving submitted by kferguson on July 21, 2019, 6:04pm A moving story of growing up in poverty in Brooklyn

Good book submitted by jasonc1177 on July 31, 2019, 7:52pm this book is great
&……%#@￥

if you loved this, read Joy in the Morning submitted by laurat on June 20, 2022, 11:59am My copy from middle school is falling apart, just borrowed this book for my daughter to read.

Excellent! submitted by audreyhalversen on July 13, 2022, 12:25pm Transportive, beautifully written, layered, moving, vibey

My favorite book since childhood submitted by srygl1sl on July 22, 2022, 10:28am I highly recommend this book to everyone, but especially to young, bright girls who feel like they don't quite fit.

Must read - even if you already read it! submitted by cornicj on August 9, 2022, 10:10am I read this book in high school, but I was incentivized to read it again based on the reviews. I'm glad I did. The book is about nothing, and it's about everything. This semi-autobiographical novel by Betty Smith really draws you into the life of Francie Nolan and her family. You can really feel their existential struggles and their determination to overcome them. It's about a young girl's coming of age when life has handed her so many hurdles. Don't deny yourself the opportunity to read this and reflect on your own life as determined by where, when and to whom you were born.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn submitted by leighsprauer on January 14, 2023, 5:59pm In this loosely-autobiographical work, Betty Smith allows her protagonist, Francie, to narrate the events of her child- and young-adulthood in a rundown tenement in Brooklyn in the early 1900s. Francie’s mother is a hard-working, no-nonsense woman, who almost single-handedly supports their family as a cleaning lady. Francie’s father is loving, attentive, and joyful, but his alcoholism makes him unable to provide. Their poverty is all-encompassing and inescapable; but the overriding message is one of joy and resilience.
Smith’s characters, perhaps because they’re based on people she really knows, are honest and relatable. None are perfect, and even the villains are sympathetic. Francie seems to understand this from a young age: her father is considered a failure by many, but is nonetheless deeply loved and loving; her aunt is “loose” and flighty, but is deeply generous. As she grows, she is more aware of her admiration for people who live loudly, joyfully, and unabashedly, even when those same attributes cause them and others pain and hardship.
Smith’s writing is engaging and thoughtful, and her descriptions of the poor of Brooklyn are impactful. All in all, a very nice book.

So good! submitted by geoff maturen on July 16, 2023, 9:47pm I felt totally transported into Francie's world! Very good book.