I loved this book so much! Such a relatable and emotional portrayal. Kelker’s novel is one of the best books I have ever read. I was in awe of Kelker’s seamless empathetic writing, that grips the reader. I believe kids will love this novel because of the empathetic resonance in Lehka's character. ( )

Gr 4–6—Lehka, 11, spends her days navigating the micro- and macroaggressions from her classmates and feeling
like she has to hide who she is as an Indian American kid in suburban Detroit. When a new girl from India joins her
class, Lehka learns more about herself, her culture, and standing up for what's right. Through rich characters and
strong friendships, Kelkar conveys the importance of embracing your true self—a message that will speak to many.

1. Cultural representation: Indian and Indian American representation through many characters, especially Lekha and Avantika's characters
2. 2024 Nutmeg nominee for the intermediate level
3. Activity idea: Conducting research and creating a glossary for unfamiliar words and phrases
4. Mentions of racism, politics, and hate crime
5. Readers will learn about the holiday, Diwali ( )

Summary
Lehka is a quiet girl who faces a lot of racism in her school. She recently made the swim team, but her teammates are noy making her feel welcome and included. When she is invited to a team dinner she is not allowed to go because of Diwali, which makes Lehka upset. She is trying to find the balance of pleasing her family and following her culture and family religious beliefs, but also fit in at school and with her swim team.

Review
I didn’t like this book. I really wanted to. My students are loving it, but I am not the one recommending it to them. I felt like it was way too down your throat with cultural differences, prejudice and immigrant life. I struggled to get through it. I kept wanting it to get better. I started reading it as a physical copy, but had to switch to audio because it was taking me so long.

This book reminds me of A Galaxy of Sea Stars by Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo, which was an intermediate nutmeg nominee last year. A similarity was they were both about friendship. The friendships were between two girls from different cultural backgrounds and address the prejudice and misunderstandings of different cultures and the importance of being proud of your culture and standing up for who you are. ( )

Recommended Ages: Gr. 4-7

Plot Summary: Lehka is very quiet at school. Being the only brown kid, she faces lots of racism. Lehka is proud of herself for making the swim team, although some of her teammates can be rude and racist too. Not wanting to miss out on an impromptu team dinner, Aai makes her skip it because it's Diwali which made Lehka really mad. Will Lehka and her swim team be good enough? Will Lehka get another opportunity for team bonding? Will Lehka ever figure out what to write for her op-ed for the newspaper? Will Noah really get the cover story with his? Will the racism get worse if Senator Winters is voted as senator, with a motto of "don't like it? leave!"

Setting: Oakridge

Characters:
Lekha - good Desi girl, born with a natural birthmark where her Bindi would go but she's so embarrassed that she covers it up with her hair pinned just perfectly
Aai - Lehka's mom, has two relatives that survived a racist attack in another city, is afraid of radiation so doesn't use a microwave and doesn't want to give Lekha a phone, cooks everything from scratch and with organic ingredients
Dad- Lehka's dad, a doctor, more relaxed than Aai
Noah - 11 yo, Lehka's neighbor and best friend, the only person who knows both the school Lehka and home Lehka, hates sleepovers because he prefers his own bed
Avantika - new girl who moved in across the street from Lehka
Deepika Auntie and Vikram Uncle - Avantika's parents
Aidy - on Lehka's swim team, the meanest, most racist of the bunch
Kendall - AKA Kenny,
Harper - on Lekha's swim team, the nicest of the bunch
Emma - Lekha's classmate who sits by herself and draws animal poop
Senator Winters -

Recurring Themes: friendship, culture clash, Indian, only kid of color, representative, code switch, racism, newspaper, speaking up, family, Diwali

Controversial Issues:
pg 234 "crap" as in poop

Personal Thoughts: I did not like this book at all. I felt the author was telling us instead of showing us and I also felt like the right scenes were not given enough time. There were tons of descriptions of Indian culture, to the point that it slowed the book down even more and I felt like I was being talked down to. The end felt very rushed. I did like the idea of speaking up and using your voice, but it took so long to get there. I also think that this book isn't written for those who are Desi because of the all the descriptions, but then if it's for others who are not Desi, I think the main plot should not be focused on racism because it perpetuates racism against this group of people. I do like that Lekha is not worried about shaving her legs and doesn't get peer pressured to do it. Finally, while every family is different, I believe most students in my school that celebrate Divali miss school and all after school activities on Diwali, for at least one day. I am surprised that Lehka participated in the swim meet at all.

Genre: realistic fiction

Pacing: slow, not a lot happened and the scenes that are big important moments are over in a flash (such as when Lehka owns up to her mom)
Characters:
Frame:
Storyline:

Activity: ( )