Blue Jasmine [Hardcover]

Kashmira Sheth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2, 2004 | Grade Level: 4 and up

When twelve-year-old Seema Trivedi learns that she and her family must move from their small Indian town to Iowa City, she realizes she'll have to say good-bye to the purple-jeweled mango trees and sweet-smelling jasmine, to the monsoon rains and the bustling market. More important, she must leave behind her best friend and cousin, Raju. Everything is different in Iowa City, where Seema feels like an outsider to the language and traditions. As she begins to plant roots in the foreign soil, however, her confidence starts to bloom, and she learns she can build a bridge between two homes. With lyrical language and poignant scenes, Kashmira Sheth unearths the meaning of "home" and "family" in this tender debut novel. Kashmira Sheth's own experiences as a teenager who moved by herself from India to America inspired her to write this novel. She is a microbiologist and lives with her family in Madison, Wisconsin.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7–When 12-year-old Seema moves with her parents and younger sister from India to Iowa City, she must leave her grandparents, extended family, and, most distressingly, her cousin Raju, who has been like a brother to her. Seema describes her adjustment to the newness of the U.S.–the food, clothing, weather, education–and her feelings: "I was always the outsider listening in…." Although she makes friends, she also encounters surprising hostility from another newcomer to her class, and ultimately learns the coping skills necessary to deal with this troubled girl. The writing is infused with evocative descriptions: "…the few leaves left clinging to the trees made them look like beggars in ragged clothes" or "the days… stretched out like a sari." Sheth uses Seema's letters to India and a classroom assignment to transmit significant cultural information, but at times this approach takes on a didactic and unnatural air. Still, the narrative advances steadily, with many opportunities for insights into the experience of this new immigrant, plus enough tension introduced through the bully to keep readers interested.–Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. When 12-year-old Seema, her sister, and parents leave India for Iowa City, she is surprised to receive a farewell gift from Mukta, a poor classmate. In the U.S. Seema makes friends but she struggles not only with American English and customs but also with Carrie, a classmate who mocks her. As Seema copes with Carrie, she regretfully recalls how her classmates had made fun of Mukta. A serious family illness pulls Seema's family back to India for a short stay and a chance to visit Mukta. Returning home to Iowa City, Seema realizes, "like an airplane attached to two shimmering wings, I was attached to two precious homes." Filled with details that document an immigrant's observations and experiences, Seema's story, which articulates the ache for distant home and family, will resonate with fellow immigrants and enlighten their classmates. A glossary of terms and expressions is appended, but most of the Gujarati words can be understood in context. Linda Perkins
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; First Edition edition (July 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786818557
• ISBN-13: 978-0786818556
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #881,081 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars She wore blue jasmine, November 8, 2005

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blue Jasmine (Hardcover)

The American world of children's literature has a very funny relationship with India. On the one hand, getting a publisher to release a children's book that was originally published in India is akin to attempting to force a nest of hornets to produce honey. It would help the hornets and make the world a better place, but so far it has not produced so much as a drop of sweetener. On the other hand, children's book publishers are wild about printing original books about children from India coming to grips with their heritage in the United States. The best of these is the teen book, "Born Confused" by Tanuja Desai Hidier. There are plenty of titles for the younger set as well, and of these, "Blue Jasmine" is one of the nicest. A very gentle telling of how one girl comes to terms with living in two different cultures, author Kashmira Sheth (NOT to be confused with India pop actress Kashmira Shah)'s book is a gentle story that can be enjoyed by children everywhere, regardless of culture.

When Seema hears that she and her family will be moving to America soon, she's baffled. The idea of her little family unit (her mother, her father, her sister, and herself) separating from the rest of the clan (involving grandparents on both sides and countless aunts and uncles) is almost impossible to consider. She will especially miss her cousin Raju who has been like a brother to her for both of their lives. Just before she leaves, Seema befriends the exceedingly poor girl Mukta, and the two carry on a correspondence across continents. In America, Seema faces an entirely new land and has to deal with fitting in. She meets a bully, makes multiple friends, and begins to come to a better understanding of becoming a truly international gal. When the time comes to visit India once again, Seema realizes where her home is and what her life can mean.

It was difficult to read through this book without comparing it to the myriad of other girls-come-to-America-from-overseas titles out there. "Tangled Threads" by Pegi Deitz Shea and "A Step From Heaven" by An Na both tell similar tales (though one is a Hmong girl and one Korean, respectively) but with one big difference. Where those two books are deeply serious and often depressing looks at the difficulties facing contemporary immigrants, "Blue Jasmine" is as light and airy as a flam. Seema deals with serious issues that all foreign-born kids must face. Learning a new language, adjusting to a different culture, making friends, etc. But Seema's troubles are the troubles of all kids as well. Dealing with a bully is a universal problem and one that is solved with lightning-quick rapidity here. In fact, it often feels as if Kashmira Sheth was a slightly overprotective author. She dislikes placing Seema in difficult situations for too long. So if Seema needs friends, she makes them instantly and without further ado on her own block. If she has a bully at school then hit the bully with a prolonged disease and *boom*. Instant new friend. Still, for all the easy-peasyness of the tale, Sheth makes every event in Seema's life ring true. Also, this lack of the overwhelming depression and pain found in the two other books means that "Blue Jasmine" is ideal for younger readers who may not be too keen on the whole abuse angle found in the other two tales.

The character of Mukta was an interesting addition in an otherwise straightforward story. Sheth didn't have to add her in. This could easily have remained a tale of leaving friends and family behind and dealing with a new land without ties to a single extraordinary person. Mukta brilliantly ties the book together, though. Because of her, Seema is able to forgive a bully that reminds her of herself once. In Mukta we find the real heart of the tale (and I am especially pleased that the original cover of this book shows both Seema and Mukta front and center). The fact that Sheth chooses not to discuss class in India was particularly interesting. Mukta is obviously a member of a lower caste, but the word never even surfaces. It's as if Sheth has felt the need to gloss over this particular aspect of Indian living for fear of complicating her kids' book. In the context of the character of Mukta, I'm not entirely certain that such a lack was a good idea.

Just in case you're hankering for a sequel to "Blue Jasmine", try reading the aforementioned, "Born Confused". It deals with some pretty mature themes, but also is a brilliant way of answering the question, "What will Seema's little sister be like when she reaches sixteen?". "Blue Jasmine" is ideal for those parents and educators that would like to get their kids interested in a children's book that deals with a culture both like and unlike their own. This is a lovely little novel and a truly deserving winner of the Paul Zindel First Novel Award.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Game me shivers... literally!, March 10, 2011

By 

K. T. Howard "Language Lunatic" (Barbados, W.I.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blue Jasmine (Paperback)

I ordered this book as a novel study for my fifth grade students. We are doing a unit on migration, and I thought it would go well with the theme. It was such a pleasant literary surprise! We all enjoyed the use of figurative language in the folds of its pages. The children's writing has been transformed too. They use more similes, metaphors, personification and colloquialisms than ever before.

On a personal note, I felt the final chapter captured well the experiences of an immigrant... being one myself. I have always thought it is a life decision that leaves one forever divided with half of your heart in one place and the other half on different shores.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book report for 5th grade on Blue Jasmine, December 13, 2004

By 

Catsie (Iowa City, IA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Jasmine (Hardcover)

The following is my 5th-grade daughter's review:

Have you ever wondered where you are meant to live? Seema Trivedi has that question. Blue Jasmine is written by Kashmira Sheth. Twelve-year-old Seema and her family, which consists of Mr. and Mrs. Trivedi and Seema's younger sister, Mela, move from India to Iowa City for their father's sabbatical, leaving behind their cousins, Raju and Uma, their Kaki(uncle) and Kaka(aunt), their grandparents, and Seema's friend Mukta. Right before moving, Seema realizes that despite being poor and unpopular, Mukta is very kind and gentle. When they get to Iowa City, Seema meets two new friends named Jennifer and Ria who live six blocks away from Seema's new home. After about a month in an American school, a bully named Carrie from Chicago comes to Ms. Wilson's class. Seema absolutely loathes her. Carrie, feeling insecure, constantly teases Seema about her lack of good English. Jennifer and Ria don't like her either. Although Seema's English isn't good, she can still write in Hindi to Mukta, who later becomes her pen pal. Suddenly, Carrie is extremely kind to Seema. Seema decides to invite Carrie to her birthday party that spring. Is Carrie faking her sudden friendship with Seema? Will Seema ever see her beloved India again? To find out, read this book. Have you ever wondered where you are meant to live? Seema Trivedi has that question. Blue Jasmine is written by Kashmira Sheth. Twelve-year-old Seema and her family, which consists of Mr. and Mrs. Trivedi and Seema's younger sister, Mela, move from India to Iowa City for their father's sabbatical, leaving behind their cousins, Raju and Uma, their Kaki(uncle) and Kaka(aunt), their grandparents, and Seema's friend Mukta. Right before moving, Seema realizes that despite being poor and unpopular, Mukta is very kind and gentle. When they get to Iowa City, Seema meets two new friends named Jennifer and Ria who live six blocks away from Seema's new home. After about a month in an American school, a bully named Carrie from Chicago comes to Ms. Wilson's class. Seema absolutely loathes her. Carrie, feeling insecure, constantly teases Seema about her lack of good English. Jennifer and Ria don't like her either. Although Seema's English isn't good, she can still write in Hindi to Mukta, who later becomes her pen pal. Suddenly, Carrie is extremely kind to Seema. Seema decides to invite Carrie to her birthday party that spring. Is Carrie faking her sudden friendship with Seema? Will Seema ever see her beloved India again? To find out, read this book.