Publisher: Candlewick Press

Copyright Date: 2011

Edition Date: 2013

Pages: 297 p.

Availability: Available

ISBN: Publisher: 0-7636-6451-0 Perma-Bound: 0-605-72919-0

ISBN 13: Publisher: 978-0-7636-6451-0 Perma-Bound: 978-0-605-72919-3

Dewey: Fic

LCCN: 2010048223

Dimensions: 18 cm.

Subject Heading: Pen pals. Fiction. East Indian Americans. Fiction. Letters. Fiction.

Language: English

Reviewing Agencies:
School Library Journal Starred Review
ALA Booklist
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Horn Book
ILA Children's Choice Award
Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly

All Formats: Search

Word Count: 57,362

Reading Level: 5.2

Interest Level: 5-9

Accelerated Reader: reading level: 5.2 / points: 9.0 / quiz: 150734 / grade: Middle Grades

Lexile: 890L

Guided Reading Level: W

Discussion Guide: Same Sun Here Discussion Guide

In this extraordinary novel in letters, an Indian immigrant girl in New York City and a Kentucky coal miner's son find strength and perspective by sharing their true selves across the miles.

Meena and River have a lot in common: fathers forced to work away from home to make ends meet, grandmothers who mean the world to them, and faithful dogs. But Meena is an Indian immigrant girl living in New York City’s Chinatown, while River is a Kentucky coal miner’s son. As Meena’s family studies for citizenship exams and River’s town faces devastating mountaintop removal, this unlikely pair become pen pals, sharing thoughts and, as their camaraderie deepens, discovering common ground in their disparate experiences. With honesty and humor, Meena and River bridge the miles between them, creating a friendship that inspires bravery and defeats cultural misconceptions. Narrated in two voices, each voice distinctly articulated by a separate gifted author, this chronicle of two lives powerfully conveys the great value of being and having a friend and the joys of opening our lives to others who live beneath the same sun.