Gita Desai Is Not Here to Shut Up

Gita Desai Is Not Here to Shut Up
Author: Sonia Patel
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2024-09-10
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0593463196

From Morris Award finalist Sonia Patel comes a sharply written YA about a girl grappling with a dark, painful secret from her past, perfect for fans of All My Rage and The Way I Used to Be. It’s eighteen-year-old Gita Desai’s first year at Stanford, and the fact that she’s here and not already married off by her traditional Gujarati parents is a miracle. She’s determined to death-grip her good-girl, model student rep all the way to med school, which means no social life or standing out in any way. Should be easy: If there’s one thing she’s learned from her family, it’s how to chup-re—to “shut up,” fade into the background. But when childhood memories of her aunt’s desertion and her then-uncle’s best friend resurface, Gita ends up ditching the books night after night in favor of partying and hooking up with strangers. Still, nothing can stop the little voice growing louder and louder inside her that says something is wrong. . . . And the only way she can burst forward is to stop shutting up about the past. “Funny, messy, gut-wrenching.”—Kirkus Reviews

Rani Patel In Full Effect

Rani Patel In Full Effect
Author: Sonia Patel
Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2016-09-19
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1941026516

2017 William C. Morris Award Finalist Almost seventeen, Rani Patel appears to be a kick-ass Indian girl breaking cultural norms as a hip-hop performer in full effect. But in truth, she's a nerdy flat-chested nobody who lives with her Gujarati immigrant parents on the remote Hawaiian island of Moloka'i, isolated from her high school peers by the unsettling norms of Indian culture where "husband is God." Her parents' traditionally arranged marriage is a sham. Her dad turns to her for all his needs—even the intimate ones. When Rani catches him two-timing with a woman barely older than herself, she feels like a widow and, like widows in India are often made to do, she shaves off her hair. Her sexy bald head and hard-driving rhyming skills attract the attention of Mark, the hot older customer who frequents her parents' store and is closer in age to her dad than to her. Mark makes the moves on her and Rani goes with it. He leads Rani into 4eva Flowin', an underground hip hop crew—and into other things she's never done. Rani ignores the red flags. Her naive choices look like they will undo her but ultimately give her the chance to discover her strengths and restore the things she thought she'd lost, including her mother. Sonia Patel is a psychiatrist who works with children and adults. She was trained at Stanford University and the University of Hawaii. She lives and practices in Hawaii. Rani Patel In Full Effect is her first young adult novel. BookExpo America Editor's Buzz Selection 2016 Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books 2016 New York Public Library 50 Best Teen Books 2016 Book Page Top 10 Best Teen Book 2016 Texas Library Associations Top 10 Teen Books 2017 Multnomah County Library Best Books 2016 The Volumes Bookcafe Staff's Best 20 of 2016 2017 Amelia Bloomer List Recommended Feminist Literature For Birth Through 18 15 Essential Novels Of The #MeToo Movement, Bustle

Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes

Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes
Author: Rocky Callen
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2023-04-11
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1536231592

Channeling their own experiences, sixteen exceptional authors subvert mental health stereotypes in a powerful and uplifting collection of fiction. A teen activist wrestles with protest-related anxiety and PTSD. A socially anxious vampire learns he has to save his town by (gulp) working with people. As part of her teshuvah, a girl writes letters to the ex-boyfriend she still loves, revealing that her struggle with angry outbursts is related to PMDD. A boy sheds uncontrollable tears but finds that in doing so he’s helping to enable another’s healing. In this inspiring, unflinching, and hope-filled mixed-genre collection, sixteen diverse and notable authors draw on their own lived experiences with mental health conditions to create stunning works of fiction that will uplift and empower you, break your heart and stitch it back together stronger than before. Through powerful prose, verse, and graphics, the characters in this anthology defy stereotypes as they remind readers that living with a mental health condition doesn’t mean that you’re defined by it. Each story is followed by a note from its author to the reader, and comprehensive back matter includes bios for the contributors as well as a collection of relevant resources. With contributions by: Mercedes Acosta * Karen Jialu Bao * James Bird * Rocky Callen * Nora Shalaway Carpenter * Alechia Dow * Patrick Downes * Anna Drury * Nikki Grimes * Val Howlett * Jonathan Lenore Kastin * Sonia Patel * Marcella Pixley * Isabel Quintero * Ebony Stewart * Francisco X. Stork

Jaya and Rasa. A Love Story

Jaya and Rasa. A Love Story
Author: Sonia Patel
Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press
Total Pages: 213
Release: 2017-09-19
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1941026885

Jaya’s 17, a transgender Gujarati outsider who detests wealth, secrets, and privilege, though he has them all. Only thing 16-year-old Rasa has is siblings, plus a mother who controls men like a black-widow spider. Neither one of them has ever known real love or family. Not until their chance meeting one sunny day on a mountain in Hau’ula.

Ladybug Girl

Ladybug Girl
Author: Jacky Davis
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 41
Release: 2008-03-13
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0803731957

The first hardcover picture book in the New York Times bestselling Ladybug Girl series, which encourages independence and creative play, and celebrates imagination for every preschool child! When Lulu puts on her ladybug costume, she becomes Ladybug Girl, a superhero who uses her imagination to have adventures right in her own backyard. Her dog, Bingo the basset hound, is always by her side and the two prove that they are not too little to explore nature, build forts, and make their own big fun. For fans of Fancy Nancy and Toot and Puddle, the Ladybug Girl series honors individuality, creativity, and a love of the outdoors!

Bloody Seoul

Bloody Seoul
Author: Sonia Patel
Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2019-08-20
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1947627228

Rocky’s the most loyal 16-year-old you’ll ever meet: loyal to the Three Star Pa gang, which his father runs in Seoul, Korea; loyal to his best friends, who accompany him everywhere he goes; loyal to his ever-escalating public bullying of Ha-na, a girl at school; and, finally, loyal to the memory of his mother, even though there are some things about her that he tries to forget. He loves his friends, his city, and the power he wields. But when he catches his father in a lie, the truth is exposed, and his life begins to unravel—and Rocky has no idea where it’s going to lead.

The Great Leopard Rescue

The Great Leopard Rescue
Author: Sandra Markle
Publisher: Millbrook Press
Total Pages: 48
Release: 2020-01-01
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1541584791

Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and sentence highlighting for an engaging read aloud experience! In 2007 only thirty Amur leopards remained in the wild. Scientists knew they needed to do more to help these big cats. However, details of the leopards' wild lives in their high-altitude forest home were still a mystery. With the help of new technology and the cooperation of scientists and governments around the world, people have learned more than ever before about these rare cats. An innovative plan is under way to give Amur leopards a more secure future. Can these cats rebound from the brink before it's too late?

Wonderland

Wonderland
Author: Barbara O'Connor
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux (BYR)
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2018-08-28
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0374310602

The new novel from the beloved author of "Wish." When her mother uproots them, 10-year-old Mavis is determined to find a best friend in Landry, Alabama, where the summer also holds the promise of friendship and change for a sad man, a stray dog, and a timid girl.

Bettina Valentino and the Picasso Club

Bettina Valentino and the Picasso Club
Author: Niki Daly
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 122
Release: 2009-04-27
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 9780374307530

For the last fifty years, fighter pilots have used a secret tool for continuous improvement. This volume succinctly provides not only the reasons for debriefing but also methods for conducting an effective debrief: a simple means of analyzing root causes that yields actionable lessons, addresses organizational weaknesses, and reinforces strengths.

Laugh Out Loud

Laugh Out Loud
Author: James Patterson
Publisher: jimmy patterson
Total Pages: 230
Release: 2017-08-28
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0316431478

Get ready to Laugh Out Loud (a lot!) with James Patterson's illustrated middle grade story of a twelve-year-old boy starting his own book company for kids. Jimmy loves reading so much that he's inspired to start a book company for kids -- run by kids. It's a big dream for a twelve-year-old boy. Some would even say it's laugh-out-loud ridiculous! But that doesn't stop Jimmy from dreaming even bigger! His company will be as imaginative and fun as Willy Wonka's chocolate factory . . . with a Ferris wheel instead of an elevator, a bowling alley in the break room, and a river filled with floating books! He just has to believe in himself and his idea (and maybe win the Lotto). In this hilarious story filled with clever references to children's book favorites, James Patterson shows young readers that anything can be achieved if you believe in yourself no matter what!