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A Song For Bijou: The Fight for True Love In A Multicultural Society

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY –
Published three years after Haiti’s catastrophic earthquake, an event
that plays a pivotal role in Josh Farrar’s latest book, A Song for Bijou
(Walker Books/Bloomsbury) is a touching, inspiring chronicle of young
love in the multicultural setting of a contemporary middle school. Minus
today’s reality-show hype, this effervescent story acts as an excellent
tool for parents and teachers alike to help kids determine right from
wrong as they come of age in our diverse, increasingly complex society.

Josh
Farrar has written a story of middle-school first crushes in which a
white boy from Brooklyn and a Haitian girl who has recently survived
that country’s devastating earthquake struggle mightily to spend time
together in a social environment that seems determined to keep them
apart. Despite the seriousness of its themes, the book is a fun, breezy
read punctuated by scenes of celebratory music and dancing. A Song for
Bijou heartwarmingly depicts the efforts of a multicultural group of
friends in Brooklyn, New York to understand the mysteries of the
opposite sex, and the complexities of the world they live in. Told in
alternating viewpoints against the vibrant backdrop of Haitian-American
culture, the author’s lead characters, Alex Schrader and Bijou Doucet,
take their first tender steps toward love in this affecting story.

Life
for Alex has never involved girls. Attending an all-boys prep school,
most of his time is spent clowning around with his friends. But that all
changes the first time he sets eyes on Bijou, a beautiful Haitian girl
who relocated to Brooklyn after the earthquake, and he is determined to win
her heart. Bijou, on the other hand, is surprised daily by how
different life is in America. After Alex asks her out, he quickly learns
there are rules when it comes to girls, both in Haitian culture and
with his own friends. And Bijou discovers she doesn’t have to let go of
her roots to find joy in her new life.  

A Song for Bijou is a
realistic depiction of a group of regular, good kids negotiating the
complex business of growing up. The second novel by author Josh Farrar,
it has been praised as an “…enjoyable, seriocomic tale of new love,
culture clash, adolescent social stratification and friendship…a
solid, timely effort,” by Kirkus Reviews. Farrar’s first book, Rules to
Rock By, was called by School Library Journal a “spirited, never-say-die
story about a girl and her dream…Farrar’s first novel hits home about
tween life, especially among the creative set, and for anyone who has
ever been bullied.”

Surviving puberty has never been easy, but
the infringement of technology––YouTube, Twitter, and a phone in the
hand of nearly every child – has made the navigation of adolescence
positively baffling. Devoid of sex, drugs, or profanity, Farrar’s new
book is a welcome breath of fresh air: a moving tale of friendships,
first love, and the issues of growing up in a different culture.

Josh Farrar understands kids. Whether writing fiction or designing educational software
for companies such as LeapFrog and Scholastic, his goal is to give
children the tools to become better readers, and maybe, better people.

Music
plays a prominent role in Farrar’s books. The author has played in
bands, composed music for plays and films and, when he’s not reading or
writing, he can usually be found with a stringed instrument in his
hands. He is a strong believer in the combined power of literature and
music to powerfully affect children’s lives, and promotional events for A
Song for Bijou will feature performances by a cast of West Indian
musicians. A graduate of Wesleyan University, Josh lives with his family
in Brooklyn, New York.

For more information on this talented writer, please visit: www.farrarbooks.com.

Available at fine bookstores, online or at author’s website
A Song for Bijou by Josh Farrar
Publisher: Walker Books
ISBN-10: 0802733948
ISBN-13: 978-0802733948
Release Date: February 12, 2013

###

Trish Stevens

Jillian M. Sachtleben
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Office: (281) 333-3507
[email protected]

www.ascotmediagroup.com

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