Madeia Sharif "Bestest. Ramadan. Ever." and Kristi Cook "Haven" - Gables

Start: Jul 16 2011 7:00 pm

YA doubleheader: Meet Almira Abdul, Middle Eastern mutt and Miamian in Miami Beach author Medeia Sharif’s debut novel, Bestest. Ramadan. Ever. (Flux, $9.95) . Almira is also the only Muslim in her school, until Shakira Malik arrives. Shakira, the wearer of super short skirts. Shakira, the man-eater. If only it weren’t for her parents’ “no dating” rule, Almira would make a play for Peter ... but then, her best friend Lisa has a crush on him, too. Of course there’s no sanctuary at home either: her gorgeous mom tells her she could stand to lose a few pounds, her dentist dad says she needs braces, and her conservative grandfather spoon-feeds her Arabic and teaches her how to drive — a skill he hasn’t yet mastered himself. On top of it all, it’s Ramadan, so Almira’s family is fasting. Almira does her best to ignore her growling stomach and groaning heart, but finds it difficult to have a balanced diet of religious roots and social sprouts.

Meet Violet McKenna in Kristi Cook's Haven (Simon Pulse, $16.99) . Violet isn’t a normal girl with normal teenage issues. Violet thought she was just crazy when she had a vivid vision of her dad’s murder. Then her premonition came true. She’s had flashes of other events, but nobody believed her until she found a new school: Winterhaven. At Winterhaven, Violet quickly finds a close group friends and discovers that they too have psychic ‘gifts’ — as do all the students. But as soon as she feels settled she discovers the most intriguing boy she has ever met, and things quickly go awry. As the attraction between them grows, intense visions of the boy’s death start to haunt her. And to Violet's horror, she learns that their destinies are intertwined in a critical—and deadly—way. Presented in collaboration with the Florida Center for the Literary Arts. 7pm