The Noh Family by Grace K. Shim

 

All Chloe Chang, 18, knows about her father is that he died in a car accident before she was born, and her mother refuses to talk about him, and she just assumed there were no relatives on the Noh side of her family. So when her two best friends, Seb and Hazel, give her a DNA kit as a joke because of her resemblance to their local TV weatherman, Ted Takahashi, no one was surprised when the results showed Chloe to be 95% Korean. After all, both of her parents are from Korea.

Chloe, Seb and Hazel have just graduated from high school, and while Seb and Hazel are having elaborate family parties to celebrate, Chloe is home alone. Her mother is a nurse and often works double shifts. Money is tight in the Chang household and though Chloe's dream is to study at Manhattan's Fashion Institute of Technology, where she has been accepted,  she will be going to the local community college instead in her Oklahoma hometown. 

But when Chloe gets a message from Noh Jin Young through 23andme.com, everything changes. Jin Young claims they are first cousins. At first skeptical, Chloe realizes that DNA doesn't make mistakes and she must indeed be related to him. Not only that, but there is a large extended family in Korea and Chloe is related to them all AND they are the wealthy owners of a successful high end department store. 

Naturally, when the Noh family offers Chloe a trip to Korea to meet her, she jumps at the chance, but doesn't mention any of this to her mother until the last minute. Her mom isn't happy about all this, but can't stop Chloe and after all, it's only for a week. 

But what a week it is, beginning with a first class flight to Seoul, South Korea, Chloe is soon thrust into what feels like a fairytale life when she meets her Halmonie, and a bunch of cousins, she is even settled into a guest house with a personal chef. But as the week progresses, and despite the access to family, meeting Miso Dan, who turns out to be a good friend, having access to all kinds of lovely clothing she could only dream about before, and the promise of paid tuition to FIT, something dark begins to creep into Chloe's consciousness. She is not simply there to meet her long lost family, they want something from her which required taking a DNA test to find a match. Now, all she wants is to go home to her mom and get away from her controlling Halmonie and the rest of her newly found family.

The Noh Family is Grace Shim's debut novel and based on the Korea dramas (K-dramas) that she used to watch. I know that the long lost family trope is pretty much overdone, but the fact that Chloe is Korean and the story plays out in Seoul makes all the difference. Although the fashion part of the story didn't do much for me, I did love the descriptions of Korea, its people, culture and food. I gave the book to my Kiddo to read because she has been to Seoul and loves it. She is also into K-dramas, so I know that she enjoyed that aspect of the book a lot, especially the description of the Dramatic Pause. 

I did find the story a little slow in places, but not enough for me to put the book down. Chloe is a nice, but headstrong character, and I wondered how she could simply take off on an international adventure so quickly and with little thought that there could be danger ahead. On the other hand, having watched her friends enjoy some of life's luxuries that she has been deprived of, including family and having a more accessible mother, makes Chloe's impulsiveness feel appropriate for her age. 

This is a fun, if predictable coming-of-age story and one I had a particular interest in - I, too, had a surprise in my DNA.

Thank you, Layne Mandros at Books Forward for providing me with a copy of this book for review purposes. 

How Do You Live? by Genzaburō Yoshino, translated from the Japanese by Bruno Navasky

How Do You Live? by Genzaburō Yoshino,

translated by Bruno Navasky

Algonquin Young Readers, 1937, 2021, 288 pages

How Do You Live? may be the most unusual coming-of-age story I've ever read. It was originally written in Japan in 1937, which, you may remember, was the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War. This war is never mentioned, and yet, the book very philosophically explores the question: how do you live your life in order to make it your best life?

Readers are introduced to 15-year-old Honda Jun'ichi, nicknamed Copper. His father has passed away and he lives with his mother in Tokyo, not far from an uncle who has taken Copper under his wing. Copper often visits his uncle in the evenings to play chess and indulge in some very philosophical discussions, which are then followed up with some thoughts written by his uncle about what they had talked about on a particular evening. The story, then, unfolds in alternating voices - on the one hand, the events and experiences in Copper's home and school life are told in the third person, on the other, there are the thoughts his uncles writes down for Copper on the first person.

Copper got his nickname after a long discussion with his uncle about Copernicus and this theory that the earth revolves around the sun which is at the center of the universe rather than the previously long help belief that the sun moves around the earth and that earth was the center of the universe. It doesn't take a philosophy degree to see that Uncle is telling Copper that he is one human among many. 

At school, Copper has two friends in his class, Mizutani, whom he has known since elementary school, and Kitami whom he has met in junior high school. There is also another boy in their class, Uragawa, a poorer student who, because his grades are low and he always smells like the fried tofu his parents sell, is nicknamed Fried Tofu and subject to many cruel pranks. 

When Uragawa is absent from school for a number of days, Copper takes it upon himself to visit him and see what's wrong and when he will return to school. Seeing what his family life is like, and Uragawa cleverness at making the fried tofu causes Copper to see him in a different light. He begins to help him with his homework and Uragawa's grades really improve. Pretty soon, Mizutani and Kitami come around and begin to include Uragawa in their group.

When some seniors at school set their sights on Katami, Copper, Mizutani, and Uragawa promise to stand with him if they threaten to beat him up. But when the time comes for this courageous act to happen, Copper finds that he can't move and join his friends in defending Katami. Crestfallen by his lack of action and loyalty, Copper becomes ill. Can he ever face his friends again? Or will he be shunned by them for his cowardice? 

In the end of Copper's ordeal, he has learned much about himself and about human nature, including how he wishes to live his life, while at the same time, realizing there is still much more to learn.

How Do You Live? in a very interesting school story and I would love to know what motivated the author to write it. I have to admit that, even though I was a philosophy major, I found myself more interested in Copper's story than in his uncle's treatises on life. And yet, the two parts make a very complex whole, supporting each other to make it all understandable for their teenage audience. Copper's story, written in 1937, is still relevant in 2021 because he goes through the same growing pains most younger teenagers experience. 

I believe the translation is faithful to the original Japanese and I felt author and translator had captured the themes of friendship, loyalty, betrayal, and shame in such a way that readers will ask themselves the same questions the Copper was forced to ask himself. There is a forward by Neil Gaiman, who was interested in it because he knew it was a favorite book of filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) and whose next film will be based on this book. 

How Do You Live? may not be a book for everyone, but for those who do read it, it is a very satisfying coming-of-age story from another era. 

This book is recommended for readers age 13+

This book was gratefully received from Amanda Dissinger at Algonquin Books

Blog Tour and Giveaway: You Were Made For Me by Jenna Guillaume

 

Welcome to the You Were Made for Me Blog Tour!

 

You Were Made For Me by Jenna Guillaume

Peachtree Publishing, 2021, 320 pages

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Author Q&A | Discussion Guide

YA author Jenna Guillaume is back with a fun and modern feminist twist on the 1985 pop cult film Weird Science.

Sixteen-year-old Katie Camilleri can’t believe she’s accidentally created a teenage boy. A boy six-feet tall with floppy hair and eyes like the sky on a clear summer’s day. A boy whose lips taste like cookie dough and whose skin smells like springtime. A boy completely devoted to Katie. But silly musings and kitchen antics with her best friend, Libby, have definitely taken a whimsical twist into something bigger than Katie could have ever daydreamed. Turns out the consequences of fumbling a human being into existence are rather complicated. More importantly, does Guy, the golden Adonis Katie’s created, like her because he wants to, or because he has to? And will he be Katie’s very first kiss?

From the author of What I Like About Me comes a hilarious feminist twist on a classic narrative, loaded with laughs, mishaps, and plenty of 80s and 90s pop-culture callbacks. Jenna Guillaume’s entertaining romantic comedy novel features a humorous and relatable voice and will appeal to fans of Jenny Han.

Praise for You Were Made For Me

“Plenty of early 2000s rom-com vibes and lighthearted mishaps… Guillaume’s cinematic story weaves together beloved romantic comedy tropes touched with magic—or is it science?—and drops them into a fresh, contemporary setting. Despite the playful tone, this isn’t without nuance, taking on serious topics such as male body image, friendship, and asexuality.” —Booklist

To celebrate the release of You Were Made for Me by Jenna Guillaume on April 1st, blogs across the web are featuring original content from Jenna, as well as 10 chances to win the hardcover!

You Were Made for Me Deleted Scene

by Jenna Guillaume

This is a deleted scene from the first draft of You Were Made for Me. If you read the book, you may notice that there is a similar scene in the final version of the book. It serves the same purpose—introduces Theo, reinforces Katie’s desperation to have her first kiss, and establishes her and Libby’s boredom which leads to their experimentation and the creation of the “perfect” boy.

There are a bunch of reasons why this scene evolved from what it is below to what you see in the finished book—one of them was that I wanted to take out the reference to Never Been Kissed, because it felt like one too many old school pop culture nods for a modern book. Theo changed slightly as a character from what you see here, too. But I did really like some of the banter between him, Libby, and Katie, so I’m glad to be able to share it now!

 *** 

“We could…watch a movie?” I said.

“Hooooow?” Libby whined. “The internet’s down.”

“My mum has a bunch of DVDs.”

“What is this, 2007?”

After a good ten minutes of staring at my mum’s dust-covered DVD collection, we ended up picking this old rom-com starring Drew Barrymore called Never Been Kissed. Libby and I stretched out on the lounge with the plate of warm cookies between us. Max snuggled at my feet and cast longing looks at the cookies. 

We hadn’t got far into the movie when I heard the back door slide open. Theo sauntered in, the shoulders of his hoodie darkened from the rain, his shaggy hair dripping wet. I mumbled a “hey” and turned back to the screen. Libby didn’t even look up. She was used to Theo waltzing in like he owned the place. He was in the year above us at school, and he lived in this little granny flat behind his dad’s house next door. Well, it was just a bedroom with an en suite really, there was no kitchen or anything, but still. He was so lucky to have his own space. Even though he was at mine half the time anyway. He liked to jump the back fence rather than walk all the way around to the front door, and he always seemed to show up when Dad had cooked something good, or I’d baked. Completely coincidentally, I’m sure.

 Without a word, he flopped down on the lounge next to me. I tutted and looked pointedly at his wet clothes before sliding over to make more room for him, moving the cookies onto my lap. He pulled off his hoodie and used the inside of it to dry off his hair. Then he grabbed a cookie and settled back into the lounge. Max jumped up and tried to cram his huge body onto Theo’s legs. He’s a total traitor to me whenever Theo’s around. Theo laughed and shuffled closer to me to make room for Max on the other side of him. He was rewarded with a few big sloppy licks to his face. From Max, I mean—not from me, obviously. 

By the time the movie was over, the cookies were gone and my foot was asleep.  

“That’s going to be me in the future,” I said with a moan, getting up and shaking my leg around to get feeling back into it.

“What, making out with your teacher on a baseball field?” Libby said. “Super gross, by the way. I don’t care if she was secretly an adult, he thought she was a student. Why do teachers always hook up with teenagers in these things? It’s all kinds of wrong.”

“I dunno, if I had a teacher who looked like that…”

“Ewwwww, Katie!”

“What, you wouldn’t make out with Mr O’Malley?” Theo said, making kissing noises. O’Malley was an English teacher at our school who was at least 105 years old.

“At this rate, I’ll probably have to. I’m going to be 25 and never been kissed. Just call me Josie Grossie.”

“We would never do that,” Theo said. I almost smiled in gratitude, but then he said, “It’s not your name. You’re more like… Katie Latey.”

“Hey, that’s not fair,” Libby chimed in. “Don’t you know, she’s Kate now. So it’d be…Kate the Late.”

“Oh you’re both just hilarious aren’t you,” I said as the two of them cracked up. “It’s alright for you! You’re kissing a new girl every week,” I gestured to Theo and then turned to Libby, “and you’ve been with Michael since you were practically in nappies.” Libby’s boyfriend went to the selective school in town. They only saw each other on occasional weekends, but they’d been going out since Year 6. 

Libby rolled her eyes. “Should we order pizza?”

“I’m 15 years old,” I said, not done with the subject yet. “It’s beyond ridiculous at this point.”

“You’re the one being ridiculous,” Libby said.

” am not.”

“You are too! There are plenty of people our age who’ve never kissed anyone.” 

“Name one,” I said.

Libby’s lips tightened and she looked away.

“See! You can’t.”

No response.

“Face it, I’m a freak.” 

Libby’s head snapped my way, and there was anger in her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but Theo broke in before she got the chance.

“God, if it bothers you that much, I’ll do it,” he said. 

“What?”

“I’ll kiss you.” He could not have sounded less enthused if he tried.

“Gee, thanks!”

“What? It’s a bona fide offer.”

“I’m not a charity case.”

“Well stop whinging, then.”

“You don’t get it. My first kiss can’t be just anyone. It’s got to be someone special. Someone perfect.”

Theo shook his head. “Huh. Good luck with that. Forget 25, you’ll be the only person in the retirement village who’s never been kissed.” He stood up and flung his hoodie over his shoulder. 

“What are you on about?”

“Nobody’s perfect, KC.” He gave Max a pat on the head. “Well, except maybe Maxie. Hey, he gives you kisses all the time! There you go, problem sorted.”

Theo’s back was already to me as he headed for the door, so he didn’t see the middle finger I was sticking up at him. He wouldn’t have cared even if he did. 

*****

Blog Tour Schedule:

3/29 - BookhoundsYA
3/30 - Book Briefs
3/31 - Novel Novice
4/1 - The Fandom
4/2 - YA Book Nerd

 4/5 - Randomly Reading
4/6 - Crossroad Reviews
4/7 - The Young Folks
4/8 - A Dream Within a Dream
4/9 - I'm All Booked Up

Follow Jenna: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

About the Author: Jenna Guillaume was the editor-at-large for BuzzFeed Australia, where she wrote about very important things like pop culture, identity, feminism, social media, and Chris Hemsworth's biceps. Previously, she spent more than half a decade in the features department of Girlfriend magazine, editing the sealed section (yes, all those questions are real), and writing about everything from bullying and body image to bad kisses and boy bands. She was also a contributor to Girlfriend Life Hacks, an essential guide to navigating a girl's completely-awkward-but-totally-awesome teen years.

 GIVEAWAY

• 1 winner will receive a finished copy of You Were Made for Me
• Check out the other tour stops for more chances to win!
• US/Canada only
• Ends 11:59pm ET on 4/18

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour, Guest Post, and Giveaway: Rosie Loves Jack by Mel Darbon

Welcome to the Rosie Loves Jack Blog Tour!

To celebrate the release of Rosie Loves Jack by Mel Darbon on March 1st, blogs across the web are featuring original content from Mel, as well as 10 chances to win the hardcover!

My YA Shelfie
by Mel Darbon

I always think that you can tell a lot about a person by the books on their shelves, so here is one of my YA bookshelves. I have very recently moved to a new house, so a lot of my books are still packed away, but these are some of my favourite books and authors. 

I think that from the selection of books lined up on this shelf you can see that I like books that deal with big issues and provide social commentary. A lot of the novels here are emotionally punchy and deeply moving, books that can make you feel uncomfortable, but make you think—and above all else encourage empathy. 

Brian Conaghan is particularly brilliant at producing such books and he always finds humour in the most inconceivable circumstances. The Weight of a Thousand Feathers is a fantastic exploration of the lengths we’ll go to for the people we love. The Bombs That Brought Us Together is a story about friendship that takes a topical and challenging look at communities in conflict, beautifully balancing entertainment with insightful commentary on issues in society.

A lot of the books here deal with child abuse, racism, immigration, arranged marriage, and bullying, and are quite often emotional roller coasters: Orangeboy by Patrice Lawrence, Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill, and The Middle of Nowhere by Geraldine McCaughrean. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is a brilliant and fantastically told exploration of race in America—and of growing up, too. It is one of the most important books teenagers can read. It's a profound, deeply compelling modern-day classic. 

My book shelf also shows that I love books that are inclusive and have characters who struggle to find a voice: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner, The Good Hawk by Joseph Elliot, and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. This isn’t surprising considering my aim with my own books is to never assume that someone who has difficulty communicating has nothing to say. 

Hopefully my YA shelfie can give some inspiration for more books to add to your TBR pile!

*****

Blog Tour Schedule:

3/1 - BookhoundsYA

3/2 - Book Briefs

3/3 - Frantic Mommy

3/4 - Randomly Reading

3/5 - A Dream Within a Dream

3/8 - I'm All Booked Up

3/9 - Multicultural Children's Book Day Blog

3/10 - Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

3/11 - Christy's Cozy Corners

3/12 - Feed Your Fiction Addiction

“The author stays out of Rosie's way, successfully depicting her protagonist as a person, not a puppet or a platform. The other characters populating the book are realistic, with a striking range of personality traits. The plot is so engrossing that the book is almost impossible to put down. Yes, Rosie loves Jack, and readers are going to love Rosie.” —Booklist, STARRED REVIEW 

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Excerpt | Discussion Guide

Fall in love with sixteen-year old Rosie, a girl with Down syndrome who’s fighting for little freedoms, tolerance, and love. A stunning, beautifully insightful debut YA novel from Mel Darbon.

“An enthralling story of resolve and grit... a moving and uplifting novel.” –The Guardian

"They can't send you away. What will we do? We need us. I stop your angry, Jack. And you make me strong. You make me Rosie."

Rosie Loves Jack by Mel Darbon

Peachtree Publishing, 2021, 352 pages

Rosie loves Jack. Jack loves Rosie. So when they're separated, Rosie will do anything to find the boy who makes the sun shine in her head. Even defy her parents’ orders and run away from home. Even struggle across London and travel to Brighton on her own, though the trains are cancelled and the snow is falling. Even though people might think a girl like Rosie, who has Down syndrome, could never survive on her own.

Introducing a strong and determined protagonist with Down syndrome, debut author Mel Darbon gives readers an underrepresented but much-needed point of view with a voice-driven, heartfelt story of finding your place an often big and intimidating world.

About the Author: Mel Darbon spent a large part of her childhood inventing stories to keep her autistic brother happy on car journeys. She won’t mention the time spent with him standing by level crossings waiting for the InterCity 125 to go past, as she wouldn’t want to be labelled a train spotter. Life took her in many different directions working as a theatre designer and freelance artist, as well as teaching young adults with learning disabilities and running creative workshops for teenage mums. She moved to Bath in 2014 with her husband and their dog, Alfie. Rosie Loves Jack is her debut book.

Follow Mel: Twitter | Instagram

GIVEAWAY 

• 1 winner will receive a finished copy of Rosie Loves Jack
• Check out the other tour stops for more chances to win!
• US/Canada only
• Ends 11:59pm ET on 3/21

a Rafflecopter Giveaway

Three Things I Know Are True by Betty Culley

 

            ***Spoiler Alert***

Jonah Carrier, 17, had always been a daredevil, unlike his best friend Clay LeBlanc. It was Jonah who climbed the cell tower barefoot just because it was there to do, while Clay refused. So when Jonah found a gun belonging to Clay's dad in the LaBlanc attic, he couldn't resist putting it to his head and pulling the trigger, despite Clay's warning that it might be loaded.

It was.

One daredevil act and the lives of two families are suddenly changed in ways that they never could have imagined. For 15-year-old Liv Carrier, her brother's act means a heartbreaking journey from denial to acceptance. At first, and understandably, Liv might seen rather immature, losing interest in and acting out at school, trivializing Jonah's life support machines by giving them silly names - even referring to his gunshot would as his boo-boo. These defense mechanisms help Liv keep her anger and disappointment at bay and protect her from the pain caused by Jonah's act. 

But Liv, who knows her brother better than anyone, is asked to help with Jonah on a particularly difficult day. Liv is convinced that he is still there inside and begins to care for him more and even begins to advocate for him. She constantly touches and talks to him, finding ways to entertain him that elicit responses from him. But even as Liv finds purpose in caring for Jonah, she finds herself shouldering some of the responsibilities that should have been taken up by their mother. Nikki Carrier refuses to get involved with Jonah, focusing on the machines keeping him alive and escaping by going to work everyday. But as word of the shooting gets out, so do gun rights advocates, who go after the Carriers, blaming them for Jonah's behavior, and Liv finds herself feeling the need to protect her mother from them.

Meanwhile, Clay is no longer welcomed at the Carrier home because his family is being sued by Jonah's mother in the hope of getting a settlement to help pay for his medical costs. But Liv and Clay begin meeting at the Kennebec River where all used to play a game they called Three Things I Know Are Truth with one rule only - the answers have to be truthful.

Fortunately, Liv has a lot of support. The nurses who care for Jonah, Clay, and even Jonah's fight for life helps her. Gradually, though, as Jonah's condition worsens, and after he dies of pneumonia, Liv plays a final game of Three Things I Know Are True with herself, finally facing her pain and anger at Jonah for what he did. This allows her to let go of feeling responsible for her mother forcing her to become responsible for herself.

This book doesn't really have a neat ending, instead Liv comes to realize that life doesn't run smoothly, but is like the eddies in the nearby Kennebec River that go in all directions, but that even if you can't control it, you can at least take responsibility for your own life. 

Three Things I Know Are True is a heartbreaking coming of age story about a side of a tragic gun accident we don't often see - the impact it has on family members, and how it extends to friends and neighbors. And while they may feel distant or not developed, it's because they are indeed fading out of Liv's life, with only two exceptions. But this is Liv's story and it is told entirely in the first person by her, in carefully arranged lyrically expressive free verse poems. One of the things that I really liked was the way she ran the Kennebec River through the story and the big role it played in Liv's life.

Three Things I Know Are True is an emotional story about a problem that is all too common in our society today and Betty Culley has put a face on it you won't soon forget.

This book is recommended for readers age 13+

This book was borrowed from a friend.

Summer and July by Paul Mosier

It's July 1st and Goth girl Julliet, 12, is on a plane with her mother traveling from Michigan to Ocean Park, California, where her mom, a doctor, will be working in an ER. Julliet's parents are divorced, and her dad is in Switzerland with his new younger girlfriend. Julliet is also a girl who is fraught with fears, all shared with her best friend Fern, whom she is forbidden to hang out with after a misunderstanding. 

On her first morning, Julliet finds a note from her mom listing possible goals for her, including exercise, fresh air and work on her fears. Later, she meets Summer, an energetic surfer girl who wants to be friends. At first reluctant, Julliet, whom Summer insists on calling "Betty," slowly begins to warm up to Summer, and Summer for her part, patiently puts up with Julliet fears, while slowly, and even more patiently helping her deal with them. 

At first, they simply walk around town, checking out stores and just hanging out. Summer, who lives year round in Ocean Park knows everyone. Like Julliet, she's mostly on her own because her parents both work. Eventually, Summer gets Julliet to go to the beach and into the water, introducing her to surfing culture. Always at her side when Julliet confronts a fear, the two begin with skateboarding at the beach, then graduate to boogie boarding, all the while continuing to pal around, visiting to Santa Monica pier, and just having fun. But once in a while, Summer isn't available and Julliet wonders why. It seems Summer has a secret and isn't ready to share it with Julliet, at least not until Julliet is ready to finally try surfing. 

I don't think I've read a good surfing book since I found my sister's old copy of Gidget in the late 70s. So surfing culture isn't exactly something I'm up on. But I am a girl who spent summers on the Jersey shore, and I do love the ocean, and enjoyed reading a book that is set in an ocean community. In fact, the setting in Summer and July is so realistic, I could practically feel the sand and smell the salty ocean breeze.

I loved reading Julliet's transformation as she became more of a Betty, as her "fears" dropped away and she seemed to feel a much less antagonistic towards her mother. Her summer with Summer gives her a confidence that she lacked before arriving in Ocean Park, even allowing her to explore her sexuality. To his credit, Mosier never lets the reader think that Julliet's fears and her Goth look are anything more than an affectation she's picked up from Fern and defense mechanism which suits her anger at her parents for divorcing and the way they dealt with the aftermath of that divorce. Right from the start, it's clear there is someone else under the heavy black eye make up and clothing.

Summer, on the other hand, is such charming, natural, and kind character without any of the shallowness you might associate with pretty blond surfer girls. Summer has an inner strength that enables her to face everyday with a smile and a positive attitude, despite what has happened in her family. And it's this inner strength that she uncovers in Julliet. I also think that by always calling her Betty, she gives Julliet the freedom she needs to find herself away from her everyday life.

Summer and July is an textured, multilayered coming of age story that turned out to be one of the most satisfying books I've read this summer.     

This book is recommended for readers age 10+

This book was an EARC gratefully received from Edelweiss+

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

Nishat Ahsan is a 16-year-old Bangladeshi girl living with her family - her Ammu (mom) and Abbu (dad), and younger sister Priti - in Dublin, Ireland. Nishat has known for a long time that she is a lesbian, but now she's tired of hiding it. To spare her parents the future disappointment that they will never have a big Bengali wedding for her, on the day of Sunny Apu's engagement party, Nishat decides it is time to come out to her parents. It does not go well. As Sunny Apu later tells Nishat "Muslims aren't gay."

Nishat also has an interest in henna, a family tradition, and has been practicing on herself and Priti, and she getting pretty good at it. When Sunny Apu's wedding rolls around, Nishat does the henna on herself and Priti. At the wedding, she meets and is attracted to Flavia, a biracial Brazilian Irish girl, who admires Nishat's henna designs and later turns out to be a classmate. But Flavia is also Chyna Quinn's cousin, and Chyna is Nishat's former friend, now mortal enemy and a bully.

At school, Nishat, Flavia and Chyna are in the same Business class and when it is announced that the students will be required to develop a business, and to make it interesting, it will be a competition with a prize of 1,000 Euros. Nishat decides to set up a henna business with friends Jess and Chaewon, but when Flavia and Chyna show up at school with a henna design on their hands, she is more than a little upset. Flavia is a talented artist, and has copied Nishat wedding design perfectly. The two cousins decide their class project will also be a henna business.  

To complicate matters for Nishat, Jess and Chaewon decide they feel left out of the henna business and decide to strike out on their own, her parents are barely acknowledging her, convinced that she has chosen to be a lesbian, and her crush on Flavia is in a constant state of flux. Sometimes it's on, sometimes it's off, sometimes Nishat thinks Flavia feels the same way, sometimes she thinks maybe not, but Chyna's presence always overshadows things. Luckily for Nishat, Priti always has her back - or does she?

The Henna Wars is a very engaging novel, the kind of story that hooks you from page one. I found that when I had to stop to do other things, I couldn't wait to get back to Nishat's story. Since she and her family are Bangladeshi, the author has included lots of Bengali culture and tradition, including the art of henna. This always gives a novel so much character and depth, and a real sense of authenticity. For me, it was another one of those books that was a sliding glass door into Nishat's world, to paraphrase Rudine Sims Bishop. And I was happy to be invited in. 

But Jaigirdar has also explored a number of important themes. Her main theme is family and Nishat's relationship with her parents and her sister. Up until she came out, the family seemed to be close knit and very loving. Her parents believe Nishat chose to be gay and can't understand why she doesn't just change her mind. Nishat and Priti are sisters and best friends. They share a bond that is enviable, with few secrets that aren't shared. And while Nishat can be a little impulsive, Priti is often the voice of reason for her.  

The other relationship in Nishat's life is her friendship with Jess and Chaewon. Interestingly, they are friends in school, but never socialize away from school. And perhaps the most important relationship that is looked at is Nishat's obsession with Flavia and what it does to her relationships with Priti, Jess and Chaewon. And of course, at the center of everything is Nishat's Bangladeshi heritage, her Muslim religion, and always feeling different.

The Henna Wars is a debut novel for Adiba Jaigirdar and she has really hit it out of the ballpark with Nishat's story. It is one of the most satisfying novels I've read in a long time and had just the ending I needed it to have. Don't miss it!

This book is recommended for readers age 14+

This book was borrowed from the Brooklyn Public Library

The Border by Steve Schafer

As usual, Pato, 16, his mother and father always seem to arrive late for get togethers, and cousin Carmen's quinceañera is no different. On their way into the house to join the happy, noisy celebration, Pato notices a suspicious car parked nearby, noticeable because it is completely painted black, even the bumpers. He briefly debates with himself about saying something, after all, there are two men in the car carefully watching the house, but in the end, he decides it is probably nothing. Soon after arriving, Carmen's older brother, Arbo, Pato's cousin and best friend, head out to their favorite spot in the desert behind the house with Marcos, 17, a ace soccer player, and his sister Gladys, 15. But the celebratory noise is suddenly interrupted - not by fireworks, but by the sound of gunshots - lots of them.

Back at Arbo's house, they discover that everyone has been shot dead execution style. To make matters worse, Marcos kills one of the shooters, whose brother recognizes him and threatens to kill all four of them. Realizing they have to get away, even before they can process what has just happened, Pato remembers an older man that he and Arbo had helped once as part of a school project. Pato, Arbo, Marcos, and Gladys head out to Señor Ortiz's house on the outskirts of town.

Señor Ortiz agrees to let them stay for a while and even goes into town to see if he can hear any news about the shooting. Returning, he tells them that the shooting was done as a warning by members of a drug cartel called La Frontera who control every aspect of life in their Mexican town. The school photos of all four teens have been posted everywhere, offering a very big reward for them. The teens decide that the only thing they can do is try to cross the desert and slip over the border into the United States. But this is a trip that proves easier said than done.

The Border, though timely, is a difficult book to read. It isn't enough that these teens have just lost their families to gun violence, but they are also trying to survive on a hot, unrelenting desert which is a struggle for anyone, but even worse if you are completely unprepared the way Pato, Arbo, Marcos, and Gladys are.

The story is told completely from Pato's point of view, and I think this is a story that would have lent  itself better to multiple viewpoints. I would have like to know what is going on for the other three teens. But despite that, each person's personality comes across distinctly, and there is even some humor to be found, as well as an attraction between Pato and Gladys, giving the unbelievable horror of their stories more of a human face. 

With everything that has been going on in this country regarding the border and immigrants from Mexico, and Central America, this is a very relevant story. While this country builds walls to keep desperate people out, or puts them into cages, and deprives them of any shred of human dignity, it is easy to see why people are willing to risk everything to escape local violence and abuse. 

The Border is a book for older, mature teens, even though Pato, Arbo, and Gladys are only 15-years-old. It is a very realistic novel and there is, as I've said, violence and some mild sex, as well as profanity. But it is really an eye-opening experience for those who do decide to read it.

This book is recommended for readers age 14+

This book was an EARC received from NetGalley 

Mini Review: The Color of the Sun by David Almond

The Color of the Sun by David Almond

Candlewick Press, 2019, 224 pages

I’ve always liked David Almond’s writing because of his unique way of looking at things. But as I read The Color of the Sun I felt like I was re-reading a story I already knew but didn’t remember clearly. Then it came to me - this is similar, perhaps too similar, to Joe Quinn’s Poltergeist. So it’s not that The Color of the Sun isn’t good, it’s absolutely David Almond excellent.

Almond sets young Davie off an an odyssey through his hometown of Tyneside on a hot summer day. As he wanders, Davie thinks about his father, who has recently passed away. While walking, he is told that a boy has been murdered, and Davie heads to the place the body was found. It turns out to be a boy Davie knows, who was also the town bully, part of a gang. Davie decides he knows who probably killed the boy, and heads to a nearby hill, believing the murderer also headed
 that way. As he goes, he meets a variety of different townspeople, a dog, the girl he may grow up to love, and the spirit of his father. As Davie explore questions about life and what it means, and if love can help you though hard times and heartbreak. Needless to say, by the time he returns home at the end of the day, Davie is a changed person.

Davie’s odyssey is a metaphor for trying to find his place in the world now that his dad is gone, making this a true coming of age tale as Davie tries to find his way back home.

This book is recommended for readers age 13+
This book was a eARC gratefully received from NetGalley

Joe Quinn's Poltergeist by David Almond, illustrated by Dave McKean

**Contains Spoilers**

Joe Quinn's Poltergeist by David Almond,

illustrated by Dave McKean

Candlewick Press, 2019, 80 pages

While watching his crush, Josephine Minto, playing tennis, his friend Joe Quinn comes along and tells Davie and another friend Geordie that his house in haunted by a poltergeist. Naturally, both boys are skeptical but curious. After all, Joe and his mother are known for making up stories. But Joe insists that the poltergeist is real and invites Davie and Geordie to come over for tea and see for themselves.

Sure enough, when they get to Joe's house, they see a broken window and bits of broken cups and plates all over the kitchen. While they are eating the chips that Mrs. Quinn serves them, a slice of bread with butter flies across the room, followed by more crockery. Geordie is convinced that Joe and his mother are making things sail across the room, and refuses to believe that there is a ghost. Davie, on the other hand, isn't so sure, and Mrs. Quinn is certain that he can also feel strange forces in the house.

Davie may be susceptible to her suggestions. His younger sister Barbara, with whom he was close, had died a few years ago and he's never really come to terms it that and, additionally, with his faith. And lately, he has been dreaming about Barbara and wondering whether her spirit could ever come back.

Later, Joe returns to the Quinn's house, bringing Father Kelly, an Irish priest who has already lost his religion, with him. Ironically, after spending time at the home of Mrs. Quinn, and despite his inebriated state and lack of faith, Father Kelly, manages to give to help Davie find some peace of mind when he tells him "There is not Heaven to go to. And no Hell...There's only us, and this...But what an usness and a thisness." Ultimately, Davie concludes that there is no poltergeist, but that "...the poltergeist is all of us, raging and wanting to scream and to fight and to start flinging stuff; to smash and to break. It is all of us wanting to be still, to be quiet, to be in love, to be at peace." Usness and thisness?

What do I think?

I first read Joe Quinn's Poltergeist in a book of short autobiographical stories by David Almond called Half a Creature from the Sea. I found it interesting, but now as a graphic novel, I find it even more so. It is a story about the existential angst of a teenager asking for answers to questions about life and afterlife, and Almond captures his inner turmoil so well. And leaves it to the reader to decide if Davie's conclusions are right, or maybe we each have our own conclusions about these questions.

Click to Enlarge

I think, however, what really removes this book from being an exception short story in prose and puts it into the realm of wonderfully dark graphic novels are the illustrations. As you can see, Dave McKean's angular mix-media illustrations are as haunting and emotional throughout the book as is the illustration on the cover.

David Almond has always been a favorite of mine and this story, that borders on horror, has not failed my expectations one bit. The short story is worth reading (and re-reading as I recently did) and so is the graphic novel. The different formats almost make each one feel like a different story.

This book is recommended for readers age 13+
This book was an EARC received from Candlewick Press through NetGalley

Love from A to Z by S. K. Ali

Zayneb Malik, 18, is a Muslim American high school senior living in Indiana. She is part Pakistani, part Guyanese and Trinidadian, wears a hijab and has a teacher, Mr. Fencer, who delights in spinning his lessons to fit his Islamophobia.

Adam Chen, 18, is a Muslim convert from Doha, Qatar, born in Canada, he's part Chinese and part Finish. He's also university student in London. I should say, was a university student. He hasn't been attending classes for months now, instead staying in his dorm and making things, including a display box for his younger sister Hanna's rock collection.

The thing that these two strangers have in common, besides being devout Muslims, is that they both keep a Marvels and Oddities journal for recording the marvels and oddities in their lives.

Now, Zayneb is on her way to Doha for two weeks after being suspended from school for writing a "threatening note" about Mr. Fencer. And Adam is on his way home to Doha to explain to his father why he hasn't been attending classes. Naturally, they run into each other at the London airport and on the plane, but it's Adam who notices the name of Zayneb's journal. Still, all his plans to try to talk to her on the plane are to no avail.

So imagine Adam's surprise when he sees his fourth grade teacher (and his deceased mother's best friend) Ms. Raymond at the airport and discovers that she is Zayneb's Auntie Nandy. It's a small world, and Zayneb and Adam have one more thing in common, they are both keeping secrets - she hasn't told Auntie Nandy why she is in Doha, Adam hasn't told his family about his multiple sclerosis diagnosis, the same disease that his mother died from when he was a boy.

Attracted to each other from that first meeting in the London airport, their relationship is on a rocky road, but it is also a road filled with marvels and oddities.

In Saints and Misfits, S.K. Ali gave readers a look into the life of a young hijab-wearing Muslim woman, whose religion is very important to her, but who finds herself in a difficult position caused by one of the rising stars of her mosque. I had never read a book before Saints and Misfits that was so focused on the different aspects of being Muslim - not just within the family and mosque, but what life is like in the world at large. Needless to say, I learned a lot, and it is a great book to boot.

So I was really looking forward to reading S.K. Ali's second novel, Love from A to Z, and I was not disappointed. Readers get to know the two main characters through written alternating journal entries as they record the marvels and oddities they experience. And once again, Ali has given readers a strong, independently thinking Muslim character in Zayneb, but she's also a nicely flawed character, having some justifiable anger issues towards Islamophobes but needing to find a more productive way to deal with them. And Ali gives us some really disturbing examples of what a Muslim female who wears a hijab like Zayneb faces on a regular basis.

Adam has his own anger issues, but while the fact that he spends his time building things seems productive, it is also a way of not dealing with his illness. Adam is also a kind, gentle, religious man, and wonderful to his little sister. He isn't exposed to the kind of vitriolic attacks that Zayneb faces, only because his being Muslim isn't as obvious. Both Zayneb and Adam have loving, supportive, understanding families, which is a welcome change from the usual angsty families in YA, though Zayneb's mother would like her to be a little more low profile.

I particularly like that Ali takes her characters (and her readers) to Doha, a place where being Muslim isn't unusual but then shows readers that it, too, is not without prejudice. For example, when Zayneb goes swimming in the pool where her aunt lives wearing a burkini, she is forced out when a resident objects.

And once again, Ali has written a YA novel, a real love story, that has sent me to Google a number of times, not the least of which was to find the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha and the manuscript called The Wonders of Creation and the Oddities of Existence that had inspired their journals and which Adam takes Zayneb to see. It's there and if you ever visit Doha, you can see it, too.

Reading Love from A to Z is a true learning experience wrapped up in a eminently readable, richly textured love story and I can't recommend this book highly enough.

This book is recommended for readers age 13+
This book was an EARC received from NetGalley

You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins

You Bring the Distant Near is a family story told in three parts, each covering a different time in the lives of five women.

Part One begins with a move. After living in Ghana and then London for a number of years, Rajeev Das gets a job in New York and moves his family, wife Ranee, daughters Tara and Sonia, into an apartment in Flushing, Queens. Though her daughters adjust to life in Flushing, Ranee is distrustful of the black kids who live in the neighborhood and wants to move. After a year in Queens, they move into a house in Ridgeford, New Jersey. 

Renee tries to hold on the some customary Bengali traditions, but her daughters quickly assimilate to life as Americans. Tara, the eldest daughter, wants to study theater, while Sonia’s interests lie more towards feminism and politics, aware of their parents desire for them to keep at least some of their Bengali cultural. 

Part Two begins after the tragic death of Rajeev. The Das family suddenly finds themselves at odds with each other, yet each painfully missing Rajeev. In high school, Sonia wins an all expenses paid trip to Paris, happy to get away from home. Fellow African American student Lou Johnson, handsome and friendly, has also won a spot on the trip, and although the two have always been at odds with each other in New Jersey, they quickly become friends in Paris. After college, Sonia and Lou marry, causing Ranee to completely stop speaking to Sonia.

Meanwhile, Tara pursues an acting career, while also being pursued by Amit Sen, a successful Bengali man. After refusing several marriage proposals because Amit had been picked for her by her parents, Tara finally says yes on a trip to India to spread her fathers ashes in the Ganges, and a visit to his childhood home. Tara continues with her acting career, becoming a famous actress/singer in India.

Part Three belongs to the daughters of Sonia and Tara. Chantel, or Shanti, has been raised in New York, living in Harlem with her parents, Lou and Sonia, and attending an exclusive private school on full scholarship. Anna, or Anu, has been living in Mumbai, and going school there. Now, though, she is in New York and in the same school as Shanti. Anu is not happy about the move. She is proud to be Bangali to the core, and considers Mumbai her real home. She has also inherited her grandmother's talent for sewing, even making and wearing her own salwar kameezes. 

You Bring the Distant Near is a compelling intergenerational story that is actually told more in a series of vignettes that sometimes skips over years, and yet, nothing is lost. Perkins has created five women, all seemingly so very different from each other and yet held together by their Bengali heritage, whether they embrace it or not. And it is a mark of Perkins talent as a writer that shows us the changes in each of these women over time and the events, both personal and public, that impact their lives. It is a slow, gentle novel, that more than once brought tears to my eyes.

The five female characters that Perkins has created are very well developed, truly finely tuned, but my personal favorite was Ranee. In Ranee, I saw my own father’s struggle to assimilate into American life while retaining his cultural identity. Ranee, like my dad, eventually finds the balance that works for her. And in that respect, Perkins has really captured the complexities of what being an immigrants means, as she explores the high cost and ways in which the Das family loses their cultural connections to their past and the ways in which they find redemption.

This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was an EARC received at NetGalley

FYI: The title of this book comes from a poem which is printed at the beginning of the book. It was written by Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), an Indian poet who also figures into the story of the Das family frequently. Tagore won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, the first Asian to do so. You can find more of his beautiful poetry at the Poetry Foundation HERE

Saints and MIsfits, a novel written by S. K. Ali

For Janna Yusuf, 15, life just got a little more complicated. Janna is a hijab wearing Muslim whose parents, a Egyptian Muslim mom and secular Indian dad, are divorced; her older brother Muhammad has just moved back home from college after changing his major yet again, and is in the process of arranging a marriage with a girl Janna sarcastically refers to as Saint Sarah. 

Janna has also just been sexually assaulted by Farooq, the pious golden boy of the mosque, who everyone is in awe of because he claimed to have memorized the Qur’an and is even allowed to lead prayers. Added to all this is Janna’s crush on a white Christian boy named Jeremy, a friend of her brother and Farooq, and a boy she knows she can never date.

Janna spends her time trying to avoid Farooq, not knowing what to do about the assault. She does manage to go about her regular daily life at home and school. She continues to “elder-sit” Mr. Ram, an elderly Hindu man she takes to the community center once a week, and to participate in events at school, where she is the only other girl in an enriched math class; and at the mosque, she edits a newsletter Q&A for her uncle, the Imam, and photographs the mosque’s annual Open House. She is also part of the mosque’s team that goes a state-wide Islamic Quiz Bowl tournament. 

Janna’s two best friends are Tats, who is not Muslim and continues to promote a relationship between Janna and Jeremy, not really understanding that Janna can’t date him,  and Fizz, who is Farooq’s cousin, and who is a little too judgmental. But it is radical Sausun who really impacts Janna’s life. Ironically, Sausun is the most empowered girl in the book, a character who looks at everything with distain, including Janna, but who is a candy guzzler, Doc Martens- wearing, Youtuber, running a show called “Niqabi Ninjas” (unlike hijab, niqab covers the entire face, except the eyes).

As you might have surmised, Saints and Misfits is definitely a character-driven novel and Janna is its most complex character - a person for whom religion plays an important part in her life, a photographer, a graphic artist (she began a pictorial seerah life of the Prophet Muhammad book at age 9) and a lover of Flannery O’Connor stories. But Janna is also a questioner, who is just starting to discover and explore who she really is. 

Beside Janna, Ali has created a cast of interesting, mainly Muslim characters. Through them, she explores Muslim culture and some of the difficulties faced by girls who are, on the one hand, not so very different from other girls their age, but who are also bound by the strictures of their religion, a situation Farooq cruelly takes advantage of when Janna refuses to forgive and forget what he did to her. In reality, those of us who are not Muslim see girls and women wearing hijab all the time, but never really think or know what is means to decide to wear it. Through Janna and Farooq, Ali makes it clear what the underlying meaning of this decision is - more than just a symbol of modesty, it is supposed to protect Muslim women from being harassed and/or molested by men. Understanding that, Farooq’s behavior goes against everything that he is supposed to stand for.  

Janna's  story is a compelling, engrossing tale of self-discovery, and her lively narration will keep readers interested all the way through, and curious to see how she ultimately deals with Farooq’s assault and it is totally worth reading to the end to find out. 

Saints and Misfits is author S. K. Ali's debut novel and I am looking forward to reading more of her excellent work, hopefully in the near future. 

This book is recommended for readers age 14+
This book was purchased for my personal library