Boomi's Boombox

by Shanthi Sekaran (Author)

Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade

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.

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?

A Junior Library Guild Selection!

Select format:
Hardcover
$18.99

Kirkus

A warm and empowering story.

ALA/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.

Review quotes



Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780063051584
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Katherine Tegen Books
Publication date
May 23, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV031020 - Juvenile Fiction | Performing Arts | Dance
JUV039050 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emotions & Feelings
JUV039030 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Death & Dying
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
JUV011020 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - Asian American
JUV064000 - Juvenile Fiction | Time Travel
Library of Congress categories
Time travel
Families
Family life
Fathers and daughters
Music
England
Grief
East Indians
East Indian Americans
A Junior Library Guild Selection!

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