Summer Bird Blue

July 1, 2018
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)

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August 1, 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

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 8, 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.  

Starred review from June 1, 2018
Grades 7-12 *Starred Review* For Rumi Seto, creating music with her younger sister, Lea, was everything. But when Lea dies in a car accident, Rumi's life is over, too. Beset by survivor's guilt, she is plagued by the knowledge that Lea was the outgoing, perfect daughter who was closest to their mamo (mother). When Mamo sends Rumi to live with Aunt Ani in Hawaii, Rumi plunges into bottomless grief, constantly reminding herself that Mamo abandoned her because she loved Lea more. Rumi also mourns the loss of music and feels unable to recapture what she had with Lea, until she meets the two boys next door: lovable teen surfer Kai Yamada, who offers easygoing friendship, and gruff 80-year-old George Watanabe, who understands the pain that consumes her. Strengthened by their honest and individual outlooks on life, Rumi plumbs her courage to complete her and Lea's unfinished song and find the will to live again. Rumi's narration, fueled by raw and intense emotions, will leave readers breathless. Memories of Lea are smartly unfurled, allowing fascinating glimpses into the sisters' bond. Bowman, whose Starfish (2017) was a Morris Award finalist, proves again that she isn't afraid to dive headlong into challenging issues, such as asexuality, grief, resentment, and forgiveness. This beautiful story sparkles as its complex characters dare to find footholds in the seemingly inescapable dark.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)