New Arrival/New American Books

Written by Sheela Chari
Published by Amulet Books

Karthik Raghavan is good at remembering things. Like his bike routes. Or all the reasons he likes Juhi Shah—even if she doesn’t even know he exists. It doesn’t help that she seems to have a crush on his arch nemesis, Jacob Donnell, whose only job is to humiliate Karthik (and get his name wrong). Then Karthik’s luck changes when he secretly agrees to be in a play about the famous musician, Leonard Bernstein. But he can’t tell his parents. The family store is in jeopardy, and they need him delivering groceries on his bike to help save it. His mom is also worried about the Financial Crisis, and she’s convinced that studying hard and staying focused is the only way to succeed. But Karthik is having fun being Lenny. Besides, what if acting is Karthik’s special talent? And what if acting is the one way to catch Juhi Shah’s attention? With all the pressure from his family to succeed, will Karthik be able to really imagine and hope when he’s not sure what will happen next?

Primary ISBN: 9781419755224
Available As: Hardcover, eBook
Middle Grade, Age 10 or older

Community Represented: Indian/Indian American

Themes: Family Relationship: Parents, Generational Differences, Human Rights Violation: Child Labor, The Arts

Setting: United States

Character’s New Arrival/New American Status: Unknown Arrival

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