{"product_id":"the-ocean-would-paint-me-blue","title":"The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBiographical Note\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eZoulfa Katouh\u003c\/b\u003e is the award-winning and bestselling author of the novel \n\u003ci\u003eAs Long as the Lemon Trees Grow \u003c\/i\u003eand \n\u003ci\u003eThe Ocean Would Paint Me Blue\u003c\/i\u003e. Her books have been translated into over twenty-five languages and \n\u003ci\u003eAs Long as the Lemon Trees Grow\u003c\/i\u003e was a Governor General's Award finalist and a Yoto Carnegie Medal nominee. Zoulfa holds a degree in pharmacy and a master's in Drug Sciences. She resides in Switzerland where she lives as a Studio Ghibli protagonist who is surrounded by a never-ending stack of books that keeps growing. \n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t*\" \n\u003cb\u003eA powerful, ­unflinching ­exploration of ­Islamophobia, identity, and grief.\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\"\u003c\/b\u003e-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSchool Library Journal, starred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\"It's a powerful exploration of injustice, identity, and the radical act of making oneself feel seen.\"\u003c\/b\u003e-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublishers Weekly, Starred Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\" \n\u003cb\u003eThe portrayals of Syrian American identity, Muslim faith, and diaspora experiences are authentic and lyrical... Devastating and luminous.\"\u003c\/b\u003e-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eKirkus, Starred Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the celebrated author of \u003ci\u003eAs Long as the Lemon Trees Grow\u003c\/i\u003e comes a poignant novel about a Syrian American girl who uses a magical sketchbook to turn her grief into art, painting miraculous murals of her mother's life in Syria.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Seventeen-year-old Jihad Dabbagh has always seen life with a heightened sense for colors, one of many magical blessings the women in her family possess. But Jihad's gift changes depending on her mood. When depression sets in, the world is a colorless oasis, and in the wake of her mother's sudden death, the world has become a permanent shade of grey. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e Broken by tragedy, Jihad's family doesn't believe her color loss. Her father sends her to the elite Braxton Academy to finish her senior year. There, Jihad's name and hijab put a target on her back. Her haven comes in the form of an old sketchbook carved from a tree in her hometown in Syria--a country she only knew through her mother's stories. Jihad hasn't picked up a brush in over a year, but finds herself channeling the colors of her hurt, pain, and grief as she paints the story of her mother's journey in Syria. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e When graffiti of that same mural starts magically popping up all over New York, her art goes viral and the world takes notice, the threat of legal consequences is imminent. To reclaim her voice, Jihad will have to paint a new future for herself and Braxton, guided by the resilience of her mother's story. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e 04\/01\/2026 (EAN 9780316351942, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/span\u003e 03\/01\/2026 pg. 73 (EAN 9780316351942, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/span\u003e 03\/23\/2026 (EAN 9780316351942, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eBooklist\u003c\/span\u003e 04\/01\/2026 (EAN 9780316351942, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eBulletin of Ctr for Child Bks\u003c\/span\u003e 06\/01\/2026 (EAN 9780316351942, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eHorn Book Magazine\u003c\/span\u003e 07\/01\/2026 pg. 93 (EAN 9780316351942, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"Little, Brown Books for Young Readers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496238481686,"sku":"9780316351942","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9780316351942.jpg?v=1783057883","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/the-ocean-would-paint-me-blue","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}