River's grandma and River are very concerned about the mountaintop removal, a type of mining, that is happening near their home and that is polluting their river. Narrated in two voices, each voice distinctly articulated by a separate gifted author, this chronicle of two lives powerfully conveys the great value of having a friend and the joys of opening our lives to others who live beneath the same sun. We’d love your help. Learn more about rent control in NYC at Tenants and Neighbors and CAAAV. Great read! “Mrs. Citizenship and Immigration Services. But Meena is an Indian immigrant girl living in New York City’s Chinatown, while River is a Kentucky coal miner’s son. This fictional story, published in 2013, is a quick and fun read. But the recommended ages are 9-12, and my neice is only turning 8. The title refers to the fact that no matter where we live on this planet, we all share the same source of energy that sustains life—the sun. Such a tender story of two kids connecting across cultural backgrounds. Growing up and raising my own family in Eastern Kentucky, it is incredibly refreshing and encouraging to read a work that paints us as many of us are; multifaceted, empowered, passionate, and something much more than "hillbillies looking for handouts." Find out more about Kiku and Meena’s adventure to the Little Red Lighthouse. “Free Books in Vending Machines Save Summer. Same Sun Here is a beautiful book told entirely in letters between two pen pals. To learn more about immigration: Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and TodayU.S. Welcome back. The idea for The Gilded Ones came to author Namina Forna in a dream. Although River Dean Justice and Meena Joshi come from different places, and lead very different lives, they also share many of the same experiences, from coping with the absence of a father, whose work has taken him far away, to feeling just a little bit out-of-step with those around them. With easy, commanding authority the authors wholly embody the voices of their two characters, far-flung pen pals River and Meena, delivering a story that wrenches the reader with its honesty, … Langur monkeys playing. I keep reading middle grade books or younger YA books that I think are the exception to the rule. Many things parallel one another, but many things are completely different. Same Sun Here, co-written by Silas House and Neela Vaswani, was released in 2012. The same sun? get your kids out of the back seat to take the wheel and enjoy a real sunbuggie dunes driving experience! Meena and River have a lot in common:  fathers forced to work away from home to make ends meet, grandmothers who mean the world to them, and faithful dogs. Two kids with seemingly nothing in common discover throughout the course of a year that their sun is the same. Same Sun Here is a book that two kids make up by sending each other letters. I'm beginning to think that I don't just occasionally enjoy middle grade books, but I might legitimately love it as a genre. Same Sun Here book. February 14th 2012 Same Sun Here climax falling action ON RIVERS SIDE THE CONFLICT IS WHEN THE GIANT BOULDER CRASHES INTO HIS HIS SCHOOL ON MEENA'S SIDE THE CONFLICT IS WHEN MEENA'S PROPERTY OWNER FINDS OUT HER FAMILY IS LIVING THERE ILLEGALLY EXPOSITION the falling action on river's side is Meena’s parents, like many other immigrants, come to America in hopes of giving their children more opportunities and a better life. These two authors worked well together to make a book that causes the reader to reflect on issues of race, ethnicity, and even preserving our environment. The children write back and forth--each chapter is a new letter from one of them. It is a wonderful story! fully automatic no shifting dune buggy our single seat spider jr dune buggy is a blast to drive! When Neela was twelve, she worked backstage in a production of “A Chorus Line.”, Neela can’t draw anything but sad-looking stick figures (luckily her friend Hilary Schenker, who made Meena’s illustrations, can draw BEAUTIFULLY!). The tour was sponsored by KFTC. This was a nice book and everything, but I got crabby every time something political came up. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Remember Carlos? Every once in a great while I find cause to pick up a book I know little to nothing about and am fortunate enough to be utterly charmed. Photo by Marianne Maeckelbergh. Same Sun Here is a beautiful book told entirely in letters between two pen pals. Same Sun Here is an enjoyable book to read. She says India is better for her and Daddy, but here is better for me and Kiku. Aarthi plate. She has lived in her apartment for fifty-five years. Little Red Lighthouse, under the George Washington Bridge, New York City. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. Meena and River have a lot in common: fathers forced to work away from home to make ends meet, grandmothers … Meena is an immigrant from India living with her family illegally in a rent controlled apartment in New York City’s Chinatown. “Everything at Ellis Island reminded me of our family, except that we came on planes, not boats.” -Meena, Same Sun Here, “My brother is seventeen years old. the same great features you find in all the sunbuggie dune buggies, yet suitable for younger drivers. ... watching the sunset from the end of the pier. I felt like I was part of a long distance conversation between two middle schoolers. By Silas House and Neela Vaswani. The recurring image was one of a young girl in armor walking up a... To see what your friends thought of this book. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. She says NY Chinatown is home.” -Meena, Same Sun Here. Man do I miss KY. Amazing and funny and uplifting, despite some tough situations. Same Sun Here. Really good book that is diverse and shows problems with the environment. I can't remember who recommended this little middle grade novel (probably Book Riot) but I'm glad I picked it up. Same Sun Here - Ebook written by Neela Vaswani, Silas House. Same Sun Here by Silas House available in Trade Paperback on Powells.com, also read synopsis and reviews. “We live in Chinatown, on the corner of Orchard and Hester. They would not want a name.”, “In New York, the buildings are like mountains in some ways, but they are only alive because of the people living in them. Their honesty creates an intimacy between them, and also shows young people how to ask somewhat prickly questions while conveying the underlying place of friendship from which it springs.”. SAME SUN HERE by Silas House and Neela Vaswani is like a blast of air conditioning from an open door on a baking hot Manhattan day, at once refreshing, relieving, sweet and enlivening. Silas House never fails to make me feel validated each and every time I read anything he writes. In May of 2006, Neela went on the “Writers and Photographers Tour” to protest mountaintop removal mining. But not everything can be the exception. As Meena’s family studies for citizenship exams and River’s town faces devastating mountaintop removal, this unlikely pair become pen pals, sharing thoughts and, as their camaraderie deepens, discovering common ground in their disparate experiences. Near Mrs. Lau’s Senior Citizen Center. Meena and River are pen pals. One is a girl, a recent immigrant from India living in New York City, and the other is a boy in rural Kentucky. Do not glorify the killer(s). There is some politics and talk about the 12 year-old girl protagonist shaving her legs. Highly recommend. I absolutely loved this book. Same Sun Here would be a great book to read for class discussion. It's categorized as a middle school book but older teens and adults will like it as well. Uttarakhand, India. It has two authors, each of whom writes the letters between fictional penpals. Details: bring the kids! Click here if you want to watch and hear it, too! One from India/NYC and one form Eastern Kentucky. I would like to give this book as a gift. It’s dark in the apartment except in the bedroom, where the sun reaches. The children write back and forth--each chapter is a new letter from one of them. Kempty, India. The same worries? It deals with some heavy social justice themes, but does so without being too heavy-handed. Bought this for my niece's birthday, and I decided to read it myself first. They occasionally email one an. Read the Wikipedia entry on the Chipko movement. She is living in a rent controlled apartment with her mom and brother and a next door neighbor Mrs. Lau and Mrs. Lau's dog Cuba. Of course a book featuring letters sent back and forth between two young people would be best told audibly by two narrators. This book follows the pen pal friendship of two young people from very different backgrounds living very different lives. By: Silas House,Neela Vaswani Narrated by: Silas House,Neela Vaswani Try for $0.00 $14.95/month after 30 days. Deals with some very heavy issues in a sensitive, honest manner. Same Sun Here (Book) : House, Silas : A twelve-year-old Indian immigrant in New York City and a Kentucky coal miner's son become pen pals, and eventually best friends, through a series of revealing letters exploring such topics as environmental activism, immigration, and racism. Same Sun Here is a middle grade novel-in-letters, written by Neela Vaswani and Silas House. Intriguing, unique, and fascinating. Meena and River are pen pals. 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