ALA Booklist (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Eleven-year-old Lekha doesn't think she has a lot going for her, especially not when being Indian in her part of Detroit feels unsafe and when there's a bindi birthmark on her forehead begging to be used as a marker for ignorant remarks. When Avantika, another Indian girl Lekha's age, moves into the neighborhood with her family, Lekha feels burdened with having to befriend her. Although she is a new immigrant, Avantika proves to be nothing like Lekha expects. Kelkar (Ahimsa, 2017; The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh, 2019) has written a story that desi outcasts throughout the country can empathize with. Lekha easily succumbs to peer pressure, supporting the ongoing theme that silence is the same as complacency in the face of racism and microaggression. While depictions of food and Hindu celebration are informative, excessive description and some confusing stitching of the story to Lekha's narration bog down the book. Nonetheless, Avantika brings out the best in Lekha, and Lekha's evolution, though slow, is as sweet as burfi.

Kirkus Reviews (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

After years of keeping silent in the face of hate, Indian American Lekha Divekar finds her voice.For all her 11 years, Lekha's strategy for surviving her mostly white Detroit suburb has been to keep quiet and avoid standing out. Not that it's done her much good; when her racist classmates aren't harassing her, they pepper her with questions about her family's heritage. When a new Indian-immigrant family moves in across the street, Lekha assumes that their daughter, Avantika, will be ill-equipped to cope with the town's xenophobia. But Lekha couldn't have been more wrong: Unlike Lekha, Avantika isn't afraid to stick up for herself. The more Lekha gets to know Avantika, the more she admires her confidence—and the more determined Lekha becomes to find her own voice. Kelkar masterfully develops Lekha's voice, infusing the protagonist with the perfect balance of curiosity, wit, and insight. Furthermore, she roots the novel in the present by juxtaposing Lekha's school troubles with local hate crimes and a local congressional election dominated by a far-right candidate. Unfortunately, Lekha does most of her character development in the last third of the book, making the first two-thirds feel more like an increasingly monotonous catalog of complaints than a plot arc. Furthermore, at times, the author's view can be Hindu-centric, as when she refers to Marathi New Year as an Indian, rather than Hindu, holiday. Overall, though, the book addresses important issues of racism, colorism, and xenophobia through a well-drawn narrator whose political evolution is fascinating to watch.Tackles important issues with nuance—but pacing lags. (Fiction. 10-14)

Publishers Weekly (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

In this resonant #OwnVoices novel, a first-generation Indian American girl who initially wishes to blend into her predominantly white community learns to honor her identity. Sixth grader Lekha Divekar is the only Desi kid in her Detroit suburb. In order to avoid bullying at school, she covers the bindi-shaped birthmark on her forehead (which earned her the nickname Dot) and avoids bringing her favorite Indian foods for lunch. At home, however, Lekha takes pride in her heritage and Hindu faith, practicing folk dances and celebrating Diwali with her family. When another Indian family moves in across the street, Lekha-s initial attitude toward 11-year-old Avantika is one of condescension: -My new neighbor had a thick Indian accent. My new neighbor was a fob.- But as classmates, Lekha admires Avantika-s confidence and eloquence, and the two become friends. After Lekha-s family is the target of racist vandalism, she determines to speak out against the xenophobia in her town, where a new political slogan, -Don-t like it? Leave,- has taken hold. Though Lekha-s transformation from silent onlooker to vocal activist feels sudden, taking place in the book-s final portion, Kelkar (Ahimsa) illuminates the need for voices raised against discrimination and paints a convincing portrait of a girl straddling two cultures. Ages 8-12. Agent: Kathleen Rushall, Andrea Brown Literary. (May)

School Library Journal (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Gr 4-6 Kelkar depicts the life of Lehka, an 11-year-old Indian American girl navigating two worlds with heart and compassion. As "Home Lehka," she lives with her parents in a suburb of Detroit, where her family is the only Indian American family in the neighborhood. Her best friend and neighbor, Noah, is appreciative of Lehka's culture and the flavorful food her family enjoys. But as "School Lehka," her voice is absent. She allows teachers and students to mispronounce her name and to make disrespectful comments about her heritage. When a new Indian American familywith a daughter Lehka's agemoves to her neighborhood, she is thrilled, assuming that her new friend Avantika will also prefer to keep her two identities separate. But Avantika confidently talks about her family and traditions, even at school, and Lehka is simultaneously inspired and confused. As she begins taking tentative steps toward speaking up about what matters to her, a classroom assignment to write an opinion piece becomes the catalyst for embracing her identity. Secondary plots and minor characters enrich the story of a girl striving to find her voice, especially in scenes involving Lehka's swim team and a touching moment in which Lehka speaks out about what it means to be American. VERDICT Filled with references to Lehka's rich culture, this title is a tender depiction of a young girl navigating prejudice and finding ways to be her whole self in the process. Shelley Sommer, Inly School, Scituate, MA