Maya and the Cotton Candy Boy

Newly arrived from Kazakhstan, Maya Alazova resents her little brother and the way her mother babies him. When the school moves her from the English Language Learner program to mainstream classes,the world of this pretty seventh grader turns upside down. Maya meets a boy who opens the floodgates to her heart, but she becomes the target of a jealous bully and the boy's attention sets off a hurricane at home. But when Maya finds that her little brother can help with their new culture in ways their parents can't, she discovers a bond she didn't know existed. Author JEAN DAVIES OKIMOTO is the recipient of the ALA Best Book for Young Adults Award, the Parents'Choice Award, the Green Earth Book Award and is the author of two Smithsonian Notable Books.

Newly arrived from Kazakhstan, twelve-year-old Maya Alazova resents the way her mother babies her brother, but when she leaves her English Language Learner program for mainstream classes and has to deal with a boy, a bully, and conflict at home, she finds her brother can help with their new culture in ways their parents can't.