Mahtab Narsimhan

Kiara dreads going back to school and into 3rd grade, especially since her beloved grandmother has just died. She know that she will face bullying, but things get even worse when her best friend ditches her after she runs away rather than stand up for him. In the meantime, her grandma left her a genie who seems to eat and boss her around more than grant wishes.

Pretty standard school story, but I loved that Kiara eventually had to figure out a way to deal with the bully herself -- I'm not sure that the message of blackmail instead of telling an adult is the best message, but I can see why that would appeal to a lot of kids who don't feel like they can trust adults to fix things. Very up to date, and reads as older than 3rd grade -- Kiara has a phone capable of taking videos and texts her best friend Bai. She's got $50 saved in her puppy fund, so it's also set in a middle to upper class family. Love Bai and Kiara's hilarious India vs China rivalry (all in fun) and Zayn's love of costuming, which makes him pretty gender fluid in the illustrations. Clever, upbeat, all about self-empowerment. Wish Kiara didn't skip meals when she's feeling upset, but I love that her mom is always down for her to eat.… (mehr)

I've always been fascinated by the idea of tiffin lunches. A delicious assortment of spicy curries delivered hot to your office every day sounds like a wonderful thing. So this YA novel was just what I needed to learn more about the system that ensures this service.

Kumal has lived with the Seths all his life but they are not his parents. He knows they took him in as a baby. He has always believed that he was an orphan. His life with the Seths is hard. They operate a dhaba (a small restaurant) and Kumal works in it night and day for no pay. If it wasn't for a older man, Vinayak, who works for the tiffin service and comes to the dhaba every day he would never have known a kind word. Vinayak taught him to read and write and he intervenes when Sethji assaults Kumal. He told Kumal that if he ever felt he could not stay with the Seths that he was welcome to come to his home. One rainy night Kumal does just that. He asks Vinayak if he can join the dabbawallas, the men who deliver the tiffins. Vinayak asks the dabbawalla organization if they would allow this but because Kumal comes from another caste they turn him down. Then one day when Kumal is at the train station observing the sorting of the tiffin carriers he assists another boy who dropped his carrier on the train tracks. His actions were so brave that the dabbawallas agree to accept Kumal but instead he asks them to help him locate his mother who, he has learned, works in the financial district. He proposes that every tiffin delivered there include a note addressed to the woman who gave birth to him but couched in such a way that the message would only be understood by her. Although this is controversial the dabbawallas vote overwhelmingly to send out the notices. To Kumal's great disappointment his mother does not get in touch But many other customers are so upset at the intrusion into their private lunches they demand and are given a discount for the next month. This certainly does not endear Kumal to the dabbawallas who barely make ends meet as it is. Kumal's search for his family may be fruitless but as he and Vinayak get closer they form their own family.

The introduction to this book says that the dabbawalla service delivers hot cooked food to thousands of subscribers every day. "They have an enviable track record--only one box in six million is lost." Too bad we don't have a tiffin service in Canada. I'm sure it would be a much healthier alternative that pizza or burgers and fries for lunch. This book has inspired me to make a lentil daal for supper tonight. I'm salivating already.… (mehr)

Set in India, about a boy and his dad who get lost and find themselves in a strange village. The villagers worship rats and of course adventure unfolds.

While I really enjoyed the fresh premise, at times I felt that the voice of the 12 year old boy (who tells the story) wasn't authentic and found myself thinking "Would someone that age really say or think that?"

I work with Grade 5 students, and I probably would save this as a recommendation near the end of the year or keep it for my more middle school colleagues. I don't think I will be using it as a novel study but I think a middle school kiddo might enjoy the adventure, grossness and uniqueness of the story.

Lots of details about... you guessed it.. Rats!… (mehr)