Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Rumi and her sister Lea play music and write songs together up until the day Lea dies in a car accident. Suddenly Rumi is left with her mom, who becomes quiet and withdrawn. When summer comes around, Rumi is sent to Hawaii to stay with her aunt while her mom grieves alone.

Throughout the summer, Rumi has a lot of truths she has to face. She’s stuck with the memories she has of her sister and her own survivor’s guilt. She’s stuck with the knowledge that her own mother doesn’t want her around while she grieves. Also, she’s stuck in a place that is completely new and unknown to her.

As time passes by in Hawaii, Rumi meets a cast of characters that shape her summer, help her grieve her sister, and help her come to conclusions about her own identity.

Overall, Summer Bird Blue is a well-written young adult novel that I highly recommend you read! I listened to it on audio, which is available through the consortium on Overdrive/Libby, but Langley-Adams Library has a copy for you to come in and pick up!

Darcy Lepore

Library Director

Available at the Langley Adams Library