 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
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
This 1932 masterpiece is a picture of life as it once was in Norway. Ola is a young boy who travels from one end of Norway to another. He meets new friends, attends a traditional bridal feast, gets caught in a tree, and learns folklore from fishermen before he returns home. Charming stone lithographs illustrate the fantastic Northern landscape. mjw
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
