4.5*
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I really loved that this audiobook was performed with accents that I imagine the characters would really have.
For a school pen pal project, Meena and River selected each other based on being able to connect by writing letters rather than email. They were both open to learning about the other's cultures, and being their true selves. River shares his concerns about mountaintop removal mining happening very near his town. Meena shares her sadness at leaving her grandma behind, and concerns about her family not being able to afford an apartment & the woman they stay with being harassed by the landlord. They both have fathers who are rarely home due to out-of-state job sites.
I think this story would be good for middle schoolers to learn about being open to other cultures. There were a few instances where I, as an adult, felt there was more explanations than would be normal, and I often felt that both young people were writing much lengthier letters than anyone would. But perhaps a younger reader would just accept that and go with the flow of the tale.
I'm thinking of saving this audiobook a couple more years until my grandkids will be closer to middle school age for listening to it. ( )

Recommended Ages: Gr. 5-6

Plot Summary:

Setting: 2008-9, NYC and Kentucky, the mountains and Meena's hometown in India

Characters:
Meena Joshi - 12 yo,
Daddy - works 2 hours away at a restaurant in New Jersey
Mum - a little cranky with her husband away
Kiku - Meena's older brother, 6 ft tall, supportive of her in so many ways
Mrs. Lau - rents a rent-controlled apartment in NYC's Chinatown to Meena and her family, has a dog named Cuba, is like a babysitter and friend to Meena, in ESL classes even though she's lived in the US twice as long as she lived in Hong Kong
Ana Maria - Kiku's secret girlfriend
Anjali - Meena's cousin in India, Dadi died in her lap
Dadi - Meena's precious grandmother
River Justice - 12 y/o, has a dog named Rufus
Mark Combs - plays video games and basketball with River but doesn't want to hear his deep inner thoughts.
Mom - has awful migraines, keeps herself in her room and doesn't perform any typical mom duties

Recurring Themes: friendship, racism, family, parents working away from home, New York City, mountaintop removal, advocating, environmentally conscious, connection, grandparents, Obama election

Controversial Issues:
pg 9 - "she named [her dog] after the country her best lover came from"
pg 26 - "he used to say the N-word all the time"
pg 37 - "A crazy man called us terrorists. Then Kiku called the man an _______ and the security guard made us leave the library. I've never heard Kiku say a bad word before."
pg 39 - "but now I walk fast, too, and I sometimes say 'what the hell'"
pg 39 - "Kiku says tourists who come here get drunk"
pg 49-50 - "Kiku says Christians think that everyone should change to be like them or go to hell."
pg 50 - "I had to ask him what 'the N-word' means. He told me, and then he said a white person who uses the N-word hates Indiana people, too."
pg 60 - "Yes, I am a Christian but I don't think you're going to hell."
pg 78 - "Kiku says that everyone in the South wants to hang us by our necks from trees."
pg 85 - "Valentina says the Broadway version [of A Chorus Line] is reallllly dirty, so the drama teacher cut a bunch of songs and changed the words to others.
pg 86 - "I don't want to kiss anyone (blech) but it is interesting to hear about."
pg 103 - "You bet your ass I did" enjoy pulling the lever to vote for Obama
pg 104 - "Last year in history we read about a student in China who stood in front of a tank when the government didn't want to listen to any young people's complaints."
pg 106 - references to Twilight and The Hunger Games
pg 133 - "called me a tree-hugging faggot
pg 134 - basketball coach said "that other team of faggots beat us."
pg 156 - stupid, gay, faggot - none are meant to hurt anyone on this page, just the characters learning the meaning
pg 207 - "he said the country was going to hell, and he called Obama the N-word.
pg 234 - "Hell, yes!"
pg 253 - references "To Kill a Mockingbird"
pg 293 - references "David Copperfield"

Personal Thoughts: I could barely finish this book because of the writing, but I thought the big themes were ok. I thought the many references to the culture in the 2000's outdated it too quickly (iPods), I didn't like the use of too many "swears," and I really didn't like the mention of too many things that were beyond the typical elementary kid, such as The Hunger Games, To Kill a Mockingbird, etc. I thought the kids acted younger than their 12 years in a way that felt inauthentic. I thought the writing was a bit didactic and I didn't get to know the characters well enough although I could definitely tell there were strong connections between the main characters and their grandmothers. Because it was written in pen pal letters with a lot of commenting on what their previous letter asked/said, there was too much repetition. I think Meena and Kiku had a possibly unrealistic sibling relationship because it was so perfect, even though Meena complained they argued. Kiku went above and beyond to talk to her about her stuff, he can read Meena's mind and help her with exactly what she needs. I also hate that this book perpetuates the single story of POC, even if River and his dad change their opinions. River sometimes talks about the only Indians as an "other," yet he also asks Meena questions to learn. He is open minded and willing to share his change of thought. I'm not sure that many other people in their small coal town of Kentucky were pro-Obama. Even though River and Mamaw faced criticism by some people in their town for being Obama supports, and called tree-huggers, it seemed like they one family of quite a few.

Genre: realistic fiction

Pacing: slow, no big problem or solution
Characters: medium-poor
Frame: iPod, music and books the readers are not familiar with
Storyline:

Activity: ( )

This story is so special. I loved every minute spent reading/ listening to this book. ( )

I entirely enjoyed this recorded book delightfully narrated by the authors, Vaswani with ringing South Asian-accented English and House with a thick, drawling Appalachian twang. The novel's alternating letters begin as a middle school class assignment. Meena, an Indian immigrant living illegally in a rent-controlled apartment in NYC's Chinatown, and River, who lives in a coal-mining region of Kentucky, write letters because neither has regular access to technology. As their correspondence continues, they share their commonalities (both fathers work away from home and both have strong relationships with a grandparent) and differences (Meena will describe both the decision to shave her legs and her work helping her elderly Chinese-American neighbor whose dog "Cuba"is named after her best lover, while River recounts the triumphs and tragedies of his basketball team and his mother's struggles with depression).

There are politics embedded in the characters' experiences--Meena's surrounding immigration, citizenship & affordable housing in New York, River's around the effects of mountaintop removal mining on the local economy & community. Neither are subtle, but they lend gravity to the friendship & an eventual means for them to meet. While all is not resolved at the end, the book ends on a hopeful note.

This would make a enagaging title for Seniors when we study immigration.

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