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Red, White, and Whole
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
22 posts | 16 read | 12 to read
A heartbreakingly hopeful #ownvoices novel in verse about an Indian American girl whose life is turned upside down when her mother is diagnosed with leukemia. Reha feels torn between two worlds: school, where shes the only Indian American student, and home, with her familys traditions and holidays. But Rehas parents dont understand why shes conflictedthey only notice when Reha doesnt meet their strict expectations. Reha feels disconnected from her mother, or Amma, although their names are linkedReha means star and Punam means moonbut they are a universe apart. Then Reha finds out that her Amma is sick. Really sick. Reha, who dreams of becoming a doctor even though she cant stomach the sight of blood, is determined to make her Amma well again. Shell be the perfect daughter, if it means saving her Ammas life. From Indies Introduce author Rajani LaRocca comes a radiant story about the ties that bind and how to go on in the face of unthinkable loss. This is the perfect next read for fans of Jasmine Warga and Thanhh L?i.
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Karisimo
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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This was an excellent middle grade read! Deals with minority culture challenges and illness of a parent. It took me a little while in to realize the title refers to blood!

#TemptingTitles #withacolor
@eggs
@alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❤️🤍💙 12mo
Eggs Loved this one ❤️🤍❤️ 12mo
22 likes2 comments
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Eggs
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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Pickpick

A heartbreaking but hopeful novel in verse about an Indian American girl who must journey through the confusion of being both Indian and American, Reha‘s life is shaken by her mom‘s leukemia diagnosis 😢 MG

Day 5: #Sharreadathon @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
#Pantone2023 @Clwojick

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Awww 😢💔 1y
Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❤️💔❤️ 1y
65 likes2 comments
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mrp27
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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Pickpick

#bookmoods

I do enjoy a good story #toldinverse and this middle grade read was my most recent. A young Indian American girl navagates school, her mothers illness and what it means to be both Indian and American.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❤️❤️❤️ 2y
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smilingshelves
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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P. 107 I can't even imagine going through all this as a mother, but I have a feeling I would not be nearly as strong as Reha's mother is. And I love this image. #buddyread
@BucklingBookshelves

BucklingBookshelves I thought I responded to these but I guess not! 🤦🏼‍♀️ Pulling quotes for my commonplace book and checking over our posts… I completely agree with your assessment of this one! 2y
13 likes1 comment
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smilingshelves
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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P. 101 I love seeing this pivotal moment in Reha's life. It's a change, but it's still true to who she is. #buddyread
@BucklingBookshelves

Johanna414 I loved this book *so much* - I've made a couple coworkers read it as well and they've felt the same 2y
BucklingBookshelves It can be hard to come to this point… at what point is it time to speak up? Most of the time, the adults in a kid‘s life are just doing their best to do the best for them… but there comes a time when the child does need to have a say in these kinds of decisions. It certainly happened for Reha here and it was a beautiful moment. 2y
11 likes2 comments
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BucklingBookshelves
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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P 76 Another beautifully evoked image for all us word- and story-lovers. #buddyread

smilingshelves Sorry for the delayed responses! I hadn't finished the book when I read your posts, and then forgot to reply for a while after I finished it. I also marked this quote. It's beautiful. (I have a feeling we marked a lot of the same quotes. 😃) 2y
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BucklingBookshelves
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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P 50 — Though I don‘t share the same religion as the characters, there is something so universal here. So beautifully said. #buddyread

smilingshelves You read my mind on this quote, too. I do believe God is omnipresent. He's around us everywhere. We can see His presence and His love in the big and little things if we're paying attention. 2y
3 likes1 comment
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BucklingBookshelves
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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P. 177 — This was about where I needed to go find the tissue box 😭💔❤️‍🩹 #buddyread

smilingshelves You were totally right about the Kleenex box! This was a hard book to read. I just wanted to give her a huge hug. She was definitely braver than I was at that age. Geez, she's probably braver than I am now! 2y
smilingshelves My book is upstairs where my daughter is napping right now, but I'll try to remember to post a few of my quotes later today. 😊 2y
3 likes2 comments
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Johanna414
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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I had so much fun reading middle grade this month, and I‘ve had great luck convincing students to read these books as I‘ve finished them! I read 10 books today, ranging from 1483 to 2001. My favorite was definitely Red, White and Whole, followed closely by Show Me a Sign. Least favorite was probably All the Greys on Greene Street…
Thanks @megnews for organizing the #Middlegrademarchthroughtime

kellyann28 Wow this is really neat! 2y
23 likes1 comment
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BucklingBookshelves
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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It‘s been so long since I read a novel-in-verse! Diving into our next Newbery #buddyread

smilingshelves I think we'll need to have the book darts handy! 2y
BucklingBookshelves @smilingshelves yes! It it seems like it will be a quick read too — one that will be over before I really want it to be! I read 40 pages earlier in one sitting and only begrudgingly had to put it down, lol 2y
BucklingBookshelves @smilingshelves oh my goodness… get the tissues ready! 😭 I just finished. Didn‘t mean to really, but I couldn‘t stop. I‘ll try to post a couple quotes soon. 2y
smilingshelves @BucklingBookshelves Thanks for the warning! I'm trying to savor it and go slow, but I had a hard time putting it down last night. It may not take me long to finish up! Post away, and I'll join in as I can! 2y
9 likes4 comments
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Johanna414
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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Pickpick

This was an absolutely beautiful story about an Indian American family in the 1980s, and how they cope when the mother gets diagnosed with cancer. I loved all the 80s music references, but it did make me cry while I was working in a library full of students…
#MiddleGradeMarchThroughTime

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Emily92Bibliophile
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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Pickpick

*Read as an Audiobook on SCRIBD*
First time in a while to read a middle grade book, and this beautiful story in novel in verse format was a warm welcome back. I wasn‘t prepared to cry during my lunch break while listening to this, but thankfully made the right choice to sit outside in my car to get some fresh air.

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Professional_Book_Dragon
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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Pickpick

If I could have given this more than 5 stars I would have. I‘m a pretty liberal eater. I give a lot of four and fives but this one is WORTH it! I have not wept like this since Fredrik Backman‘s The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer.

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Nebklvr
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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Pickpick

A beautifully lovely and sad story if family, friendship, and loss. Written in verse.

BookmarkTavern Oh that cover is beautiful! 😍 3y
Nebklvr @ozma.of.oz Just wonderful 3y
46 likes1 stack add2 comments
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GirlNamedJesse
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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Pickpick

I loved many things about this book, but the ideas surrounding blood (literally), family, and forging the many different parts of yourself into one self were my favorite.

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GirlNamedJesse
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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#BookSpin list for June. Trying something different this month for Bingo. I‘ll use the number board, but I‘m going to leave most of them open and use a random number generator to plug books in once I‘ve read them. (So not officially bookspinbingo. 🤪)I keep feeling like I can‘t read what I want because it won‘t “count”. Looking forward to reading one of these next month, though!

TheAromaofBooks Oooo I like this idea!!! I'm interested to see how it works for you!! 3y
GirlNamedJesse I somehow didn‘t include #5, which is, of course, this month‘s #bookspin! It was Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs. Luckily I still had my original list! 😂 3y
3 likes2 comments
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SarahBradley
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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“I have one life, /where I try to merge all the places/I‘m from: India and America,/ mother and father/ past, present ,/ and future.” Book 30 #MGMarch #middlegrademarch Absolutely beautiful story in deftly flowing verse. @Eggs @megnews @SaturnDoo

Reign_5.0 I had to bail on this one too. 3y
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Lovesbooks87
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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Pickpick

My heart after reading this middle grade novel. Reha is Indian American who is torn between two worlds, her school and her family and her community. She is trying to figure out everything when her mom becomes sick and is diagnosed with Leukemia. Then her whole world becomes trying to help her mom get better and the fear of what happens if her mother doesn‘t. This novel was told in verse and had my attention from page 1.

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IhoardBOOKS
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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Pickpick

An amazingly heart wrenching story told in verse.
Reha struggles with her identity as an Indian American girl, first gen. Her parents place high hopes in her and her identity is split between who she is at school and who she is among her family and community.
Reha‘s life is turned upside down when her mom gets sick, if she becomes the perfect daughter will it be enough to bring her Amma back to her?
#ownvoices #netgalley
***
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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TracyReadsBooks
Red, White, and Whole | Rajani LaRocca
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Pickpick

This middle grade novel, told in verse, about a young girl who struggles to fit in, to balance her heritage (her family is from India) with her desire to be American, and to find a way to save her mom from a devastating illness had me laughing and crying and feeling all the emotions. A fantastic story about heritage, belonging, family, friendship, and finding your place in the world. On sale 2/2/21.