Publishers Weekly
10/08/2018
Bowman (Starfish) writes about a mixed-race young woman finding her voice through the arts in an emotionally taut story that explores the nuances of sisterly love. After surviving a car accident that kills her younger sister, Lea, 17-year-old Rumi is sent to live with her aunt Ani in Kailua, Hawaii, while her mother stays behind in Washington State. At first, Rumi can barely function: she isn’t eating, she isn’t really speaking, and she has lost all interest in the music she once loved to write. Ani’s neighbors—prickly old Mr. Watanabe, who is grieving over the deaths of his wife and son years earlier, and recent high school graduate Kai—capture Rumi’s interest. Through these growing relationships, she slowly finds her footing, as well as her desire to create new music. Rumi’s pain infuses the narrative, allowing readers a peek into her psyche through both present-day regrets (“I failed as a sister and a daughter”) and sections revealing relevant memories of Lea (“She’s always had it so much easier than me, and it’s not fair”). Ages 12–up. Agent: Penny Moore, Empire Literary. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
PRAISE FOR SUMMER BIRD BLUE
A Junior Library Guild Selection
“A lyrical novel about grief, love, and finding oneself in the wake of a tragic loss.” —Bustle
“Gorgeous prose and heartbreaking storytelling.” —Paste Magazine
“Grabs your heart and won’t let go.” —Book Riot
“Will leave readers breathless.” —Booklist, starred review
“A strikingly moving book about teenage grief.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“A stunning story filled with the healing power of friendship, family, and music. . . . The language is extraordinary.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“Achingly beautiful and exquisitely crafted, Summer Bird Blue is an emotionally raw and utterly honest story about loss, about hope, and about finding the courage to sing your own song. Akemi Dawn Bowman's writing is lyrical and full of life. I was riveted from the first page.” —Samira Ahmed, New York Times bestselling author of Love, Hate & Other Filters
"Summer Bird Blue is a quiet but powerful exploration of music and love, and their ability to heal grief over time. Like my favorite sad songs, this book settled deep into my heart and refused to let go." —Brandy Colbert, author of Little & Lion and Finding Yvonne
“Summer Bird Blue brings us the gift of Rumi, unflinchingly honest in herself, her music and the ways she loves and doesn’t. I got (sobbingly) lost in the rhythms of this beautiful exploration of what it means to grieve when you haven’t figured out who you are or your place in the world. With a Hawaiian setting so vividly alive that it becomes essential to Rumi’s healing, this is a gut-wrenching, must-read novel.” —S.K. Ali, award-winning author of Saints and Misfits
"A beautifully complex exploration of grief, guilt, and the healing power of art and friendship. Akemi Dawn Bowman’s Summer Bird Blue will make your heart ache and leave your soul hopeful.” —Ashley Herring Blake, author of Suffer Love and Girl Made of Stars
PRAISE FOR STARFISH
A 2018 William C. Morris Award Finalist
A New York Public Library 2017 Best Book for Teens
A Junior Library Guild Selection
“An empowering novel that will speak to many mixed-race teens.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A stunningly beautiful, highly nuanced debut.” —Booklist, starred review
“Readers living with anxiety or depression will immediately identify with Kiko. . . . a deep and engaging story that will not only entertain but also may encourage readers to live their best lives.” —School Library Journal
“Vividly captures the identity struggles of a biracial young adult searching to find her place in two worlds.” —BCCB
“Bowman gives a powerful voice to silenced victims of sexual abuse through Kiko, whose transformation from meek and afraid into powerful and strong is incredibly moving.” —VOYA
“Dazzling.” —Bustle
“One of the most compelling reads of the year.” —Paste Magazine
“This book is a gem.” —BookRiot
“A vibrant, complex and heartfelt story about finding your place in a sharp-edged world that never makes it easy.” —Kelly Loy Gilbert, author of Conviction and Picture Us in the Light
“Akemi Dawn Bowman’s quietly dazzling debut novel gave me the sensation of looking into a mirror. This story is a knockout, at once an incisive portrait of family dysfunction, a nuanced depiction of Asian-American adolescence, and an artist's vibrant coming-of-age—a story so specific as to be universal. Brimming with confessional intimacy and the furious strength of empowerment, Starfish feels like the ache of being lost and the relief of finding home.” —Riley Redgate, author of Seven Ways We Lie and Noteworthy
School Library Journal
★ 08/01/2018
Gr 8 Up—A stunning story filled with the healing power of friendship, family, and music. Rumi is spending the summer in Hawaii with her Aunt Ani after a devastating car accident kills her sister Lea. Her mother is stuck in her own world of grief, and Rumi feels lost. She becomes close with two neighbors, a cantankerous Mr. Watanabe, who has suffered loss of his own, and cheerful Kai, the seemingly classic boy next door. Rumi is filled with a rage she can't even express, lashing out at those around her because of her recent loss, mother's desertion, and father's abandonment years ago. Rumi is also struggling to figure out who she is and what she is meant to do, which feels so important now with Lea gone. All Rumi wants to do is fulfill her last promise to her sister and write their final song. This story is filled with skillful and nuanced representation. Rumi is a biracial protagonist trying to understand her sexuality while working through the unstoppable anger and pain that comes with grief. Because of, rather than in spite of, her harsh personality, Rumi will feel authentic and relatable to teens. The language is extraordinary and the use of pidgin gives the characters a clear and real voice, adding to the perfect sense of place. VERDICT A beautiful, complex, and heartrending tale that belongs in all libraries.—Kristyn Dorfman, The Nightingale-Bamford School, New York City
NOVEMBER 2018 - AudioFile
Em Eldridge’s narration adds emotion to the story of Rumi Seto, who lost everything when her younger sister, who was also her best friend and song-writing partner, died in a car accident. Rumi’s mother sends her to live with her aunt in Hawaii, leaving Rumi to grieve on her own, aching for her sister with only her aunt and the boys next door to help her explore her feelings. Eldridge excels at portraying Rumi’s pain and petulance, and provides believable voices for secondary characters. As Rumi slowly recovers, she makes friends with her neighbors, especially attractive Kai and 80-year-old Mr. Watanabe, grumbly in voice and personality, who inspires Rumi to get back to her music. E.J.F. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2018-06-18
Music helps a Washington state teenager overcome guilt and grief after the death of her beloved younger sister.After a car accident that takes the life of Rumi Seto's younger sister, Lea, Rumi feels guilt about surviving and is certain that her mother wishes Rumi had died instead. With her mother checked out and blank with sorrow, an angry, hardened Rumi is sent to stay with her Aunty Ani in Hawaii, where she meets a host of local characters, including Kai, a charismatic half-Korean/half-Japanese boy. Rumi also spends some time with Mr. Watanabe, her aunt's gruff elderly neighbor, who has dealt with his own tragedy. Eventually, as Rumi is able to find her way back to the music she and Lea had shared and write the song that she believes she owes her sister, she becomes able to fully grieve. She also makes a discovery that helps reconcile her with her mother. Rumi's mother is half-Japanese/half-Hawaiian, and her estranged father is white. Accurately reflecting the setting, the book is populated with a host of hapa (biracial) and Asian- and Pacific Islander-American characters. One subplot follows Rumi as she becomes comfortable with her aromantic and asexual feelings. Convincing local details and dialogue, masterful writing, and an emotionally cathartic climax make this book shine. A strikingly moving book about teenage grief. (Fiction. 12-18)