Jukebox by Nidhi Chanani

Available 6/22/21

Shaheen and her father’s relationship has always been strained by his obsession with music. Moments spent together centered around new music her father had found or interesting, to him, musical trivia. Shaheen’s attempts to connect on other levels such as books, food, or just what’s going on in her life, haven’t landed and when her father goes missing, she blames an argument they shared on his absence. With her cousin Tannaz’s help, the two girls break into the local record store for clues on his disappearance. While they don’t find her father, the two do discover a magical jukebox that can transport you through time. Convinced that he is trapped in time, the two girls do everything they can to find Shaheen’s missing father and find themselves in the front row of history along the way. 

I love Nidhi Chanani’s illustrations and her ability to find magic in everyday objects. Her other book, Pashmina, about a magical pashmina scarf that can transport people is one of my and my son’s favorites. In Jukebox, vinyl records become our vehicle for transporting through time, landing on important historical events when the records were created. Chanani does an excellent job of conveying the significance of the events without taking the reader out of the story. I really appreciated the way Tannaz coming out as bisexual to Shaheen was written. I think many kids will be able to relate to both Tannaz’s hesitancy and Shaheen’s reaction of dating is just gross! 

Readers are sure to be captured by Chanani’s beautiful illustrations and will fall in love with her imaginative storytelling. 

If you would like to add this marvelous book to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and First Second for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. 

This post also contains affiliate links and I may earn from qualifying purchases. 

Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald

Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald

Available June 11, 2019

Reader Friends, this book is beautiful.  Absolutely lovely in every way. From the clothes, to the city, to the way people speak to one another, it’s just lovely.  I’m also not going to apologize for my overuse of the word “lovely.”

On a beautiful December morning while on his way to a prayer meeting, Joe Reynolds meets a young woman wearing a disheveled dress, no coat, and looking completely out of place at the train station so early in the morning.  It’s when he stops to offer her assistance that he realizes something is slightly off. Her clothes don’t seem quite right, it’s too cold to not have a coat, and how did she get to the train station?

One year later, he sees her again.  The same Nora from a year ago. Same dress, same pearls, same perfume.  How is that possible and what is going on? Together, Nora and Joe begin a complicated and magical relationship revolving around her mystical appearance and the confines of the train station.  

This is one of the stories that the less you know, the more amazing it is.  The twists and turns are revealed slowly throughout the story and each one adds a complication that Joe and Nora deal with together with love and respect.  I really loved how the author made the city itself an integral part of the relationship. Grand Central made a gorgeous backdrop for this novel.  From the ladies’ lounge to the hotel, the restaurants and shops, the station provided everything Joe and Nora could need.  However, even with the luxurious hotel rooms and room service, being confined to one location is still a limitation that will tax anyone.  Joe and Nora have a truly loving relationship that is tested over and over again by family, war, and time.  Even with the magical existence of Nora, their relationship is still just like that of anyone else. Lisa Grunwald does an incredible job of exploring the lengths we are willing to go to ensure the happiness of those we love.  When Nora fully realizes that the passage of time is affecting her very differently than those around her, her actions are quite different than other novels I’ve read that deal with the same concept.

I loved this story.  I loved how Joe and Nora were with one another.  I loved the setting and the writing. It’s just a lovely, lovely story.

If you would like to fall into this gorgeous story, and help support the site, you may do so here: