New Crayons/Read This Week #10

As the only books I received this week were PoC/multicultural, I'm skipping the usual IMM to participate in New Crayons, hosted by Color Online (currently on hiatus).  All of these were very graciously passed on to me from Lyn Miller-Lachmann - thank you so much, Lyn!

Jazz in Love by Neesha Meminger

Jasbir, otherwise known as Jazz, has always been a stellar student and obedient, albeit wise-cracking, daughter. Everything has gone along just fine--she has good friends in the "genius" program she's been in since kindergarten, her teachers and principal adore her, and her parents dote on her. But now, in her junior year of high school, her mother hears that Jazz was seen hugging a boy on the street, and goes ballistic. Mom immediately implements the Guided Dating Plan, which includes setting up blind dates with "suitable," pre-screened Indian candidates. There's only one problem: the new boy at school, the very UNsuitable hottie, is the one who gets Jazz's blood boiling. When Jazz makes a few out-of-the-ordinary decisions, everything explodes, and she realizes she'll need a lot more than her genius education to get out of the huge mess she's created. Can Jazz find a way to follow her own heart, and still stay in the good graces of her parents?

I have heard only good things about Shine, Coconut Moon, so I have high expectations for this novel by the same author.  Love the cover, too!

Red Glass by Laura Resau

ONE NIGHT SOPHIE and her parents are called to a hospital where Pedro, 6-year-old Mexican boy, is recovering from dehydration. Crossing the border into Arizona with a group of Mexicans and a coyote, or guide, Pedro and his parents faced such harsh conditions that the boy is the only survivor. Pedro comes to live with Sophie, her parents, and Sophie's Aunt Dika, a refugee of the war in Bosnia. Sophie loves Pedro - her Principito, or Little Prince. But after a year, Pedro's surviving family in Mexico makes contact, and Sophie, Dika, Dika's new boyfriend, and his son must travel with Pedro to his hometown so that he can make a heartwrenching decision.

Talk about cover love, this one's even prettier.  Sounds like a really heart-wrenching and relevant storyline, too.

The Indigo Notebook by Laura Resau

 Zeeta's life with her free-spirited mother, Layla, is anything but normal. Every year Layla picks another country she wants to live in. This summer they’re in Ecuador, and Zeeta is determined to convince her mother to settle down. Zeeta makes friends with vendors at the town market and begs them to think of upstanding, “normal” men to set up with Layla. There, Zeeta meets Wendell. She learns that he was born nearby, but adopted by an American family. His one wish is to find his birth parents, and Zeeta agrees to help him. But when Wendell’s biological father turns out to be involved in something very dangerous, Zeeta wonders whether she’ll ever get the chance to tell her mom how she really feels—or to enjoy her deepening feelings for Wendell.

I'm a sucker for artsy-moms-that-put-their-kids-through-hell stories.  Looks like this one fits the bill perfectly.  Also, Ecuador!

What books did you receive this week, multicultural or otherwise?  Please leave the titles in the comments, I'm always looking for recommendations!

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Read This Week

Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet by Kashmira Sheth

The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman