The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue

This poignant young adult novel follows seventeen-year-old Jihad Dabbagh, a Syrian American girl grappling with the sudden death of her mother and a resulting depression that drains the world of color. Sent to a new elite academy, Jihad faces prejudice due to her name and hijab. Her solace comes from a magical sketchbook, a gift from her Syrian heritage, which allows her to paint vibrant murals depicting her mother's life in Syria. When these murals mysteriously appear as graffiti across New York, Jihad's art goes viral, bringing both recognition and the threat of legal action. The story beautifully explores themes of grief, cultural identity, resilience, and the power of art as a form of expression and activism, all while navigating a touch of magical realism. It's ideal for readers aged 12-18 who appreciate emotionally rich stories with strong protagonists.

From the celebrated author of As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow 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. 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. 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. 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.