Boomi’s Boombox
Written by Shanthi Sekaran
Published by HarperCollins Publishers
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?
Primary ISBN: 9780063051584
Publication Date: May 2023
Available As: Hardcover, Audiobook, eBook
Middle Grade, Age 08 or older
Community Represented: Indian/Indian American
Themes: Audiobook, Body Image, Coming of Age, Cross-Group Friendship, Discrimination: Cultural, Discrimination: Immigration Status, Discrimination: Racial, Family Relationship: Parents, Generation: 1st, Genre: Fantasy & Folklore, Own Voices/Lived Experience, The Arts, Trauma & Healing: Death of Family or Friend
Setting: England (Thumpton-on-Soar)
Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 1st Generation
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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