Boomi's Boombox

Boomi's Boombox

by Shanthi Sekaran

Narrated by Sohm Kapila

Unabridged — 7 hours, 48 minutes

Boomi's Boombox

Boomi's Boombox

by Shanthi Sekaran

Narrated by Sohm Kapila

Unabridged — 7 hours, 48 minutes

Audiobook (Digital)

$24.99
FREE With a B&N Audiobooks Subscription | Cancel Anytime
$0.00

Free with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription | Cancel Anytime

START FREE TRIAL

Already Subscribed? 

Sign in to Your BN.com Account


Listen on the free Barnes & Noble NOOK app


Related collections and offers

FREE

with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription

Or Pay $24.99

Overview

Acclaimed author Shanthi Sekaran delivers a powerful story about grief, family, dance, and friendship that follows a young girl who accidentally travels back in time to meet her dad as a child that will change her life forever. Perfect for fans of The Thing About Jellyfish and The Ethan I Was Before. A Junior Library Guild Selection!

When Boomi's dad dies of Covid, the rest of her life topples like a row of dominoes. First her best friend, Bebe, stops talking to her. Then she gets kicked out of her ballet academy. Her mom becomes hyper focused on her weight. Her grandmother sinks further into the shadows of her mind.

Then Boomi is given one last gift from her dad: his old boombox. Inside it, she finds a mix tape and a note: You can change your life. When she presses play on the boombox, her life really does change: she's magically transported to Thumpton-on-Soar, England, 1986. And her dad's there!

But he doesn't know he's her dad-he's twelve, just like Boomi. Boomi starts to see what being twelve was like for her dad, growing up Indian in a town that wanted to silence people like him. She starts to understand why he never went back. But why is Boomi sent back to Thumpton? Is she supposed to save her dad? Or change her life?


Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Boomi’s strong, distinctive narrative voice will sweep readers into her world, and her nuanced relations with a truly colorful supporting cast enhances her tale’s humor and emotional resonance." — Booklist (starred review)

"Sensitively captures the isolation of COVID-19 and loss of a parent. Boomi is a relatable, self-aware character readers will be rooting for as she navigates myriad social, familial and personal issues in both time periods. Highly recommended." — School Library Journal (starred review)

"A warm and empowering story."
Kirkus Reviews

"Sekaran’s well-crafted prose, sharp sense of humor, and knack for building ­suspense will keep readers interested until the surprising, time-bending conclusion." — Horn Book Magazine

Praise for The Samosa Rebellion: “Sekaran explains systemic racism and the dangers of demagoguery in clear and age-appropriate ways with evocative prose. Breathtakingly memorable.”  — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Sekaran’s world-building is compelling and distinctive, never overtaken by the story’s clear message about intolerance. The character names (the president answers to ‘Bambi’; Tinley’s dad is ‘Doggy’) bring a touch of the ridiculous to the book’s otherwise sober exploration of prejudice and authoritarianism; and Muki’s vivid enthusiasm makes him a compelling protagonist.”  — Horn Book Magazine

“An effective novel-length parable that tracks how microaggressions mask, and then escalate into, political policy and how the fortunes of legal residents can turn on a dime... A useful reading prompt for classroom discussion.”  — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

The Samosa Rebellion is a fascinating journey which seamlessly makes inventive parallels to our current issues of immigration, racism, classism, and xenophobia. A thought-provoking, fast-paced, and heartfelt adventure!”  — Veera Hiranandani, Newbery Honor–winning author of The Night Diary

"Sharp, incisive, and layered, The Samosa Rebellion is a deftly written, lovingly realized novel that is at once a page-turner and a call to action. Sekaran’s characters are warm and passionate and impossible not to root for, and their story is urgent and nuanced and relentlessly readable.”  — Corey Ann Haydu, acclaimed author of One Jar of Magic

The Samosa Rebellion is an extraordinary, thoroughly engrossing read. Warm and charming in its exploration of family and friendship, it’s also sharp and clear-eyed in its depiction of a country’s frightening slide toward an anti-immigrant nationalism.”  — Trenton Lee Stewart, New York Times bestselling author of the Mysterious Benedict Society series 

“A strong commentary on the anti-immigrant sentiment prevalent in our own country.” — Booklist (starred review)

Booklist (starred review)

Boomi’s strong, distinctive narrative voice will sweep readers into her world, and her nuanced relations with a truly colorful supporting cast enhances her tale’s humor and emotional resonance.”

Kirkus Reviews

2023-03-14
A grieving Indian American girl finds healing through time travel.

Boomi Gopalan has had a terrible year. The 12-year-old ballet dancer lives in San Francisco with her mother and Paati, her paternal grandmother who has dementia. Boomi’s doctor father died of Covid-19 last year, and it’s thrown her off balance. When his friend gives Boomi her dad’s old boombox that contains a mixtape, insisting that he wanted her to have it, she finds a note he wrote tucked inside reading, “you can change your life.” By playing the cassette, Boomi travels back in time to 1986 and her father’s North of England hometown of Thumpton-on-Soar, where she meets him as a boy her own age. When an accident in the past threatens to change the future, Boomi must reach across the timelines to find a solution. Along the way, she tries to understand her loss and find her true self. The book tackles complex issues, including body image, as both Boomi’s mother and ballet teacher make negative comments about her weight; complicated friendships; and racism and xenophobia, explored in 1980s England in ways that parallel Boomi’s present-day awakening. Sekaran keeps all the plates spinning at a fast pace. The characters are vividly portrayed, including Boomi’s father, his rebellious older sister, and vibrant and wise Paati. Bharatanatyam, an Indian classical dance that is rich in beauty and symbolism, becomes a link between grandmother and granddaughter and a way for Boomi to honor herself.

A warm and empowering story. (Fiction. 8-12)

Product Details

BN ID: 2940175093613
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: 05/23/2023
Edition description: Unabridged
Age Range: 8 - 11 Years
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews