 Fourteen-year-old, mixed-race, Mira Levinson, who lives in London, travels to Kolkata to visit her cousin Priya, after the death of her Granddad Bimal. She is overwhelmed by the sights, sounds, and people she encounters. The sweltering heat, crowded streets, hard-hitting and heart-breaking poverty, and mouth-watering descriptions of food are really brought to life. Mira is compassionate, funny, and inquisitive. She is quiet, loves to paint, and is comfortable in a sari. Priya is an underground DJ and a gifted classical dancer, who is full of spunk and ambition. She dyes her hair red and wears skinny jeans and t-shirts instead of traditional Indian dress. The two are opposites, but they quickly become best friends. Added to this perception-changing story are the mystery of why Mira’s mother and Aunt Anjali had a falling out years ago and a love affair with the sweet boy, Janu. Many issues remain unresolved in this thought-provoking book. It is a sequel to Artichoke Hearts (a.k.a. Mira in the Present Tense). Watch for Brahmachari’s next book. mjw |
| Title: Jasmine Skies Author: Sita Brahmachari Publisher: Albert Whitman and Company, Chicago Copyright: 2014 Original Language: English Original Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books, UK Original Copyright: 2012 ISBN: 978-0-8075-3782-4 Paperback pages: 332 Age range: 8-12 Genre: Fiction Book setting: Kolkata, India Author’s ethnicity: Indian Author’s residence: UK Awards: Longlisted for the 2013 Carnegie Medal Subjects: Culture, Dance, India, Kolkata |
Jasmine Skies
Leave a reply
Kioni is busy rounding up her mischievous goats who have roamed away from home and broken into the garden of a Kenyan schoolhouse on soup day. Meanwhile, her friends are gathering ingredients for soup. Just as the goats begin wreaking havoc on the garden, Kioni and her friends problem solve and find a way to make the soup even more delicious. They add goat milk. Striking 3D artwork combining paper sculpture and mixed-media collage illustrate the Kenyan community. A recipe for pumpkin vegetable soup that can be made by children and adults accompanies the story. cc
When Papa Rabbit doesn’t return home as expected after many seasons of working in the great carrot and lettuce fields of El Norte, Pancho sets out on a dangerous journey to find him. He packs up Papa’s favorite meal: mole, rice and beans, warm tortillas and a jug of aguamiel. A cunning coyote offers to guide Pancho on his journey in exchange for some of the sustenance he brought along. The pair travel until all the food is gone and the coyote decides he’s still hungry…for rabbit. In this allegorical tale, Tonatiuh sheds light on the hardships faced by thousands of families who seek out opportunities at better lives for their children and cross the Mexican border into the U.S. illegally. cc
Ten-year-old Yannick leaves Paris to stay with his aunt and uncle at their inn in Provence. He is excited to go because Provence is where Cezanne, “the greatest painter in the world,” painted his picture. He works in the inn, setting tables, clearing tables, filling carafes of water, and cutting bread. Uncle Bruno teaches him to cook and make chocolate mousse and creme brulee. When a famous painter visits the inn and Yannick accidentally throws the drawing the painter scribbled on the paper tablecloth into the fireplace, he follows him back to his chateau to ask for another drawing. Yannick thinks the artist is Cezanne, but the artist signs another name, Picasso. Soft watercolor illustrations decorate the charming description of the culture of 1960s Provence. mjw
Anna, the youngest child in her large Jamaican family, wants to fetch water and carry it on her head like her brothers and sisters do. But, she cannot even balance an empty coffee can on her head. Anna is determined and she finally does succeed when the cows in Mister Johnson’s field frighten her and she runs home with her full coffee can on her head. She doesn’t spill a drop. The Jamaican landscape, a Jamaican flag, dasheen leaves, and Anna’s family are presented in interesting, bold acrylic paintings in tropical colors. mjw
OmniLibros 