What's wrong with Jamaican Christmas Cake? Everything, if it's not American!
Raymond is moving with his family from Kingston, Jamaica to Queen, New York and he can' t wait to show everyone how American he can be! Whether it' s through books, magazines, music videos and movies, he learns about America in any way he can, even if some of his sources of information are out-dated. However, on Raymond' s first day of school in America, his every attempt to impress everyone with his ' American-ness' backfires. What' s worse, his new classmates doubt if he' s Jamaican at all. It' s not until Raymond remembers what he loves most about being Jamaican – making Jamaican Christmas cake – and shares it with his new classmates, that he gains the courage to be himself.


Everything is Irie will captivate young readers' hearts with the story of a head-strong immigrant child's humorous attempt to embrace a new cultural environment. In addition, it also offers readers a figurative taste of the underrepresented culture of Jamaica.