Sajni Patel gives readers a fast-paced behind-the-scenes experience of a highly ritualized, richly flavored, visually stimulating, and overly hectic Indian wedding week as Zurika Damani’s older sister ties the knot in an Atlanta, Georgia suburb. Zuri is a gifted violinist who wants nothing more than to please her parents while this week unfolds. The problem is that she has the opportunity of a lifetime — to compete for entry to a prestigious music school the same weekend as the wedding. And as the families converge, Zuri meets Naveen, the groom’s South African cousin, who also will compete for a spot. Competition will turn to flirting as the two navigate the well-scheduled week. Zuri’s own cousins will work behind the scenes to have her sneakily escape to the competition. But of course she’ll get caught and its the resolution that ties a nice, big bow to this story of family love. Much like Crying in H Mart but without the heartache of a death, My Sister’s Big Fat Indian Wedding will be a fun romp around the foods, the feels, and the flaunting of the families who have enough money to throw a lavish affair. I highly recommend this book for upper elementary through high school young adults.
Pig Makes Art
Written by Laura Gehl Illustrated by Fred Blunt
This book is an “emerging reader” book about a pig who creates art but leaves out the cat from the picture. The cat gets bored and takes a nap so the pig makes art on the cat while it’s sleeping. This makes the cat angry. In the end, pig and cat both make art together as friends. This book contains a list of word families, sight words and bonus words. It also has questions about the book on the last page.
Astrid the Astronaut: The Astronomically Grand Plan
Astrid, a lover of all things outer space, is excited to start the new year with a new after school club at school, The Shooting Stars. Being in the group is step one to her goal of becoming the first astronaut that uses hearing aids. She is a determined young lady with a great deal of grit although because of her focus on becoming an astronaut she ignores her best friends desire to be an artist assuming she wants to go to space camp as well. This short book is a wonderful starter into reading chapter books. It not only discusses goal setting, working as a team and being kind, but also being a good listener and friend. I would recommend this book for emerging readers.
It’s Diwali! By Kabir Sehgal and Surishtha Sehgal
This counting book teaches you about the Indian holiday of Diwali through simple text and vibrant illustrations. Archaea Sreenivasan’s illustrations really pull you in and show you the joy of this holiday, which is about light triumphing over dark.
Each page counts up two and then adds an event, food, or tradition that has to do with celebrating Diwali. This is a perfect book to read to preschoolers and kindergarteners who will enjoy counting to ten forwards and back, but it also includes sidebars defining each tradition, food, or event which could appeal to older kids as well.
This book is a beautiful addition to any library – full of light, representing the holiday so well.
If Your Babysitter is a Bruja by Ana Siqueira
I received this book in English and in Spanish – I am not fluent in Spanish, but with the background I do have and the English book next to me, I read through the text.
This is an adorable bedtime story to read around Halloween. I loved how the English version of the story includes Spanish words, and lets the reader translate through context.
If you like the type of books that follow a patterns, have repetition of syntax – then you’ll love this book. This book begins each new funny, witchy activity in the same style of the title, “If your babysitter is a bruja….” At first the little girl is seemingly running away from her babysitter, the bruja, trying to escape before she can cast a witchy spell. But, slowly, along with the little girl, you realize they’re both having a good time, going down slides, flying through the night, and being tossed in a vat of crocodiles, I mean a bath.
The illustrations by Irene Freitas are fantastic, colorful, fun and full of adventure. Each time I read the story, I found something new to look at and notice.
¡Ay, Caramba! You’ll enjoy this book!
Wednesday Wilson Fixes All Your Problems by Bree Galbraith
Wednesday Wilson’s morning is not off to a good start. Her mom made egg pizza for breakfast again, she spilled her brother’s orange juice all over his family tree project, her favorite marble hit the principal in the head and her brother locked himself in the bathroom at school. To get her brother to come out of the bathroom, Wednesday’s classmate, Emmett, says he needs a worry stone. And this leads Wednesday to her next business adventure: selling her marble collection to students to solve their problems. This short chapter book is book two in the Wednesday Wilson series, but you can read it without feeling like you are missing too much from the first book.
Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind
Written by Monica Silvie Illustrated by Elina Ellis
You Should Meet Yayoi Kusama
This leveled book is at the top of the Ready-to-Read difficulty level with longer, more complex sentences; wider, more challenging vocabulary; and up to a paragraph of text on a page. It includes a table of contents, two one-page bios of other famous women artists, a list of areas of study involving art, information about Japan, and a quiz about the text.
The text does a great job of conveying a straightforward summary of the life of Yayoi Kusama highlighting her struggles over the course of her long life, and how she eventually became regarded as a celebrity with her exhibitions selling out instantly. The theme focuses on how dedication and belief in yourself can lead to dreams coming true.
As Kusama is famous for her extensive use of polka dots in her art, the illustrations have polka dots on many pages. The bright palette of her artwork is reflected in the illustrations.
This book could be an inspiration to young girls who want to pursue an art career.
A Bird Will Soar
A Bird Will Soar by Alison Green Myers is a tender read about Axel, a bird-loving autistic boy who loves to figure things out. Between all the varieties of birds, the mysterious relationship between his parents, and the disappearance of his dad, Alex has a lot to figure out. I like how birds were symbolically and metaphorically part of the setting, the plot, and the characters. The author was clever to include Axel’s special quirks without making it a big deal. While Alex is a middle school student, some of the themes and symbolic overtones will appeal to high schoolers.
How Not to Fall in Love
How Not to Fall in Love by Jacqueline Firkins is a quick read and romance. Harper, the cynical protagonist, is healing from last summer’s heartbreak, and Harper frequently witnesses demanding bridezillas in her mother’s wedding bridal gown shop. Harper must confront her more recent romantic past, as well as issues with her mother and Harper’s early childhood. Harper’s childhood friend and neighbor, Theo, is there to support her and challenge her, but ultimately, Harper thinks she can teach Theo how not to fall in love. It was a bit predictable for the reader, but with just enough uncertainty to keep the pages turning. Overall, I like how Harper must reconcile her definition of love.
