[Book] Blue Jasmine

How about a first-generation immigrant experience for a change. Meet twelve-year-old Seema Trivedi. Born and brought up in small town, India. Living with her grandparents and cousins in their ancestral home. Looking forward to a fun-filled, post-fifth-grade summer vacation with cousin and best friend, Raju. And then a bombshell in the form of a letter, when Dr. Davis from Iowa City, USA, invites her father to join him for research.

Busy with preparations for the imminent departure, Seema receives an unexpected parting gift from an underpriviledged, oft picked-on classmate, Mukta. A chance encounter between the two serves as an eye-opener for Seema. As Seema struggles to establish her identity in the strange, sometimes scary, surroundings, she begins to empathize with Mukta. The circle completes when the "hunter becomes the hunted".

People come in different shapes, sizes, and, colors, but the qualities that matter most are within ourselves. The relationships that we build, whether or not it be with people who share our blood or skin color or language, are ultimately what make this journey of ours worth cherishing. Blue Jasmine by Kashmira Sheth, winner of the inaugural Paul Zindel First Book award, does a wonderful job of driving home this point.

Rating: * * * * (out of 5)
Age: 8+

[Event] Wachusett Mountain Kidsfest

September 23 and 24 promises to be an interesting weekend at the 16th annual Wachusetts Mountain Kidfest. Events include music, food, jugglers, magicians, balloon artists, clowns, pony rides, stunt teams, kid's games, moon bounces.

Tickets are slightly cheaper if bought online in advance. For an additional charge, you can ride up slopes in the "skyride". Hopefully, the fall foliage will be near or at its peak!

Also, for an additional charge, float into the air on a tethered Hot Air Balloon! Wish it was untethered, though.

More information can be obtained here.

[Event] Pawtucket Art Festival

A couple more days for the Pawtucket Art Festival to begin. The festival will be inaugurated on the 24th with Bob Dylan and his band performing at McCoy Stadium and will culminate on September 30th. Days in between are peppered with excellent performances, many of which are free to the public. A couple of kid-friendly events would be the "Dragonboat Races" on Saturday, September 9th and the "Slater Mill Family Fun Fest" on Sunday, September 10th. The All-Childrens-Theater performance on sunday is a definite must-see. More details of this and the other events are avaliable at the festival web-site.

[Book] The Sunita Experiment

Another genre of books that has caught my fascination is the description of immigrant experiences, especially from India. Big surprise! There are a bunch of books that I have read in the last couple of months (which I shall write about subsequently). Today, though, I would like to focus on a book that is way to close to home. The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen, by Mitali Perkins, (originally released as The Sunita Experiment) describes the coming of age of the thirteen year old protagonist. Growing up in a suburb of San Francisco; older siblings, Geetie and AJ, at Berkeley and Stanford, respectively; Liz, a friend to kill for; and a crush on Michael, the most handsome boy in school. Nary a cloud across her eight-grade horizon. Or so it seemed.

Teenage years are seldom easy. What with a fierce battle being waged between the frenetically firing neurons and the stubbornly coercive hormones, the last thing a teenager needs is the slightest indication that she may not conform to the "standards" of her peers. In Sunita's case, the other shoe drops when, post summer vacation, her grandparents from India come on a year-long visit. All of a sudden, a spanner is bunged in her carefree American lifestyle. Much to her consternation, her mother, on a year-long sabbatical from her teaching job (coincidence ?!), trades her western accoutrements for a saree and a bindi. Everyday is a ritual of cooking and cleaning and serving her Dadu and Didu. Boys are banned from the house, causing a misunderstanding between Michael and herself. And good ol' Sunni (of the sunny disposition) transforms into a terrible teenager. The "Indian-ness" of her family becomes a source of embarassment for her, and she starts distancing herself, from the world and from her own self. But, on her road of life, she discovers unexpected allies who enable her to realise the strength in her uniqueness, and to use that strength to overcome her insecurities.

The flow of this wonderful narrative sweeps the reader along for the topsy-turvy, twisty-turny ride, to vicariously (re)live the joys and pains of the teenage years. I can hardly wait for the time when I can place this book in the capable hands of my eight-year-old and hope she can take as much away from it as I did.

Rating: * * * * * * (out of 5) - No mistake here
Age: 12+