Review: A Song for Bijou by Josh Farrar

Publisher: Walker Children's
Publication Date: February 12, 2013
Rating: 4/5

Life for Alex Schrader has never involved girls. He goes to an all-boys prep school and spends most of his time goofing around with his friends. But all that changes the first time he meets Bijou Doucet, a Haitian girl recently relocated to Brooklyn after the earthquake-and he is determined to win her heart. For Bijou, change is the only constant, and she's surprised every day by how different life is in America, especially when a boy asks her out. Alex quickly learns that there are rules when it comes to girls-both in Haitian culture and with his own friends. And Bijou soon learns that she doesn't have to let go of her roots to find joy in her new life.

Told in alternating viewpoints against the vibrant backdrop of Haitian-American culture, Alex and Bijou take their first tender steps toward love in this heartwarming story. (Goodreads)

I saw the cover and I had to see what was going on here.

Alex is a seventh grade boy who attends an all boys catholic school, and has discovered girls. He's a little obsessed. When he sees a new girl dressed in the uniform of his sister school, he's totally overcome and MUST get to know her. He learns from his friends that her name is Bijou and she's from Haiti. In this book we watch as two kids with different background, customs, and experiences work against the odds to form a friendship.

Tweens who read this book will see reflections of their own lives. Alex has two best friends Ira and Nomura, however Ira isn't maturing at the same speed as his two best friends and is being left behind. Alex and Bijou are lying and breaking rules to see each other. This book portrays children taking their first steps into the complicated teen world.

This book did a great job of that portrayal. Two thumbs up Josh Farrar.

View all my reviews