A Song for Bijou in Multiculturalism in YA,Fantasy, Sci FI,Paranormal and fun books ;p

Jun 14, 2014 The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-that-are-keepers, settings-new-york, books-on-nook, heroines-who-rock, best-damn-book-ever, omg-read-this-book-now, poc-on-the-covers, heroes-who-rock, genre-ya-fiction, sub-genre-bw-wm-romance

This looks soooo AWESOME!!!

NO, this book was AWESOME! It hit all The Fountain Pen Diva's happy buttons. I realize this is middle grade, but it's not dumbed-down in the least. Not to mention a New York that is realistically diverse.

One of the surest ways to end up in The Fountain Pen Diva's crosshairs? Write about a cosmopolitan city like New York and whitewash the entire cast.

Once again I have to thank the awesome Libertad for knowing just what The Fountain Pen Diva needed after so much recent a This looks soooo AWESOME!!!

NO, this book was AWESOME! It hit all The Fountain Pen Diva's happy buttons. I realize this is middle grade, but it's not dumbed-down in the least. Not to mention a New York that is realistically diverse.

One of the surest ways to end up in The Fountain Pen Diva's crosshairs? Write about a cosmopolitan city like New York and whitewash the entire cast.

Once again I have to thank the awesome Libertad for knowing just what The Fountain Pen Diva needed after so much recent and depressing IR fail. Firstly, this book was all kinds of sweet and cute. Alex, Bijou and their diverse friends are people I wish I'd known back in junior high school. And yes, while Alex is total jailbait lol, he's become another of my favourite fictional boyfriends. I loved how adork-able he was; trying to be smooth and sometimes making a mess of it. I adored how he saw Bijou and that was all they wrote. No hand-wringing, no angst (save how to get to know the object of his affections better).

I've been to Haiti. A long time ago when it was still on the cruise ship itinerary. Yes, there were poor people (name me somewhere on this planet that doesn't have poverty of some sort). There were also beautiful homes, and everyone I met was gracious. The island was stunning and the ocean a blue that seemed endless.

I enjoyed how the earthquake was not front and center, but a part of Bijou's life. She wasn't this tragic young girl heroine, but just a girl struggling to understand what it is to be fully American. To honor tradition but to also make one's own way in a new land. Wow, I never realized just how scarily strict some Haitian families are. I felt bad for Bijou just wanting to hang out with friends of the same gender; no wonder Alex's attentions just turned everything upside down.

And Bijou had BRAIDS with BEADS. After a slew of "long, silky locks" it was rather nice to read about a heroine with a natural style.

I hated that this book came to an end. I loved the vivid descriptions of a New York seldom seen. I want to find my own Rara Grand Bwa and learn to play drums. Even the food descriptions made my mouth water. ...more

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Sep 11, 2014 LadyO rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow! Never thought I could enjoy a romance between seventh graders. I mean, look at them (so young)! And look at me (so old)! LOL I'm not used to having kids this young as the subject of my romance book but I must say that this book brought back old memories, it's cute. I couldn't count how many times I giggled while reading this book, I felt silly. This is a well-written book with loveable characters (the main ones and their friends as well). I think kids around this age would enjoy this book a ...more

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