Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman

 Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman tells the story of Rumi, a junior in high school who tragically loses her sister, Lea, in a car accident. When Rumi's mother cannot cope with the loss of Lea, she sends Rumi to live with her aunt in Hawaii. Rumi is absolutely devastated and torn apart by not only the loss of her best friend, but also by not having her mother there to help her cope.

Angry at the world, Rumi does her best to try to heal on her own, but spends most of the first week in bed, not wanting to face a world without her sister in it. They did everything together, including sharing a passionate love of music. They played a game where they would create song lyrics based on the first three words that pop into their heads. "Summer Bird Blue" is a song that went unfinished. How in the world can Rumi finish it without her other half?

With the help of her two next door neighbors, one being Kai who is a handsome and silly senior in high school as well as Mr. Watanabe who is just a lonely old senior, Rumi starts to think she just might be able to get over her pain and get back to reality. Who knows, she might even be able to finish the song for Lea.

While this sounds like an incredibly depressing book, it was heartfelt and filled with love. You will feel every emotion Rumi goes through. Very well written. For anyone who ever has experienced great loss, this book might help you realize that you aren't alone and there is a way to get through even the most heart-breaking of losses.


-TK



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