Alina in the Deep

Gr 3-6–Alina has matured since the first installment of this series. In that volume, she was insecure about her Kenyan/Indian heritage in a new school with few immigrants, and struggled to find her footing. Now she has acclimated, made a good group of friends, and has a list of the cool things she will do this summer when her cousin Safi visits from Kenya. In her excitement to welcome Safi, Alina forgets that her summer dreams may be at odds with her cousin’s, who has recently lost her mother and is not widely traveled. Safi’s calm demeanor and traditional dress do not align with the adaptations Alina has made to life in her Pump Hill neighborhood. More confusing for her is her parents’ hosting Safi according to the family’s Indian and Kenyan traditions, preparing special meals and reminiscing about that life. Alina’s strength is in recognizing her discomfort and sharing it with caring adults whose gentle admonitions towards acceptance resonate with both Alina and readers. The characters’ culture gap is resolved when beloved pet Lux is briefly lost, and shared trauma brings the cousins closer.