Mira in the Present Tense by Sita Brahmachari - - ADVISABLE

Brahmachari, Sita Mira in the Present Tense, 284 pgs. 2013 Albert Whitman & Company $16.99. 

Language: G (0 swears) Violence: G; Mature Content: PG (maturation)  

12-year-old Mira is taking a writing class and has agreed to write in a journal every day for a month.  Mira thinks nothing ever happens in her life, but now that she’s recording every day, she sees the many changes.  On her twelfth birthday, Mira receives a bracelet charm from her grandmother, an artichoke, which symbolizes how people make layers to surround their heart to keep them from getting hurt. But Mira’s grandmother is dying (a sad time) the boy Mira has a crush on likes her, too, (a happy time) and she isn’t sharing everything with her best friend anymore (a confusing time).  

Mira is a quiet, thoughtful girl, and is a very relatable character.  Although she is twelve, the issues in this novel (friendship, loss, maturing) will appeal to an older audience.    

MS - ADVISABLE Lisa Librarian