A Song for Bijou
Alex Schrader is not the coolest kid in seventh grade. Bijou Doucet has moved to Brooklyn after the terrible earthquakes in Haiti. When Alex meets Bijou, his life begins to change. Bijou has already had a big shift in her life, and, instead of changing herself to be more like her American friends, she shares her music and traditions with them. Soon the kids want to spend more time together, but Bijou’s stricter culture makes things tough. Farrar uses Alex’s ignorance of the earthquake and life in Haiti to enlighten readers about the tragedy and its continuing effects on the Haitian people. He skillfully intertwines current events and multiculturalism in a story that could easily have been primarily about friendship and first love. Consequently, readers will be as drawn to the relevant content as they are to the delightful characters. Grades 4-7. --Bethany  Fort