No Purchase Necessary
Written by Maria Marianayagam
Published by HarperCollins
Ajay Anthonipillai has a million-dollar problem.
Ajay has lived his life dutifully following the rules set by his Tamil parents.
Rule #3: Straight As only
Rule #5: There is no such thing as a no-homework day.
Rule #10: Never watch scary movies.
However, moving to a new school gives Ajay a new rule to follow: Get on seventh-grade all-star Jacob Underson’s good side.
When Jacob asks him to steal a Mercury bar from Scary Al’s convenience store, Ajay feels this is his chance to finally “get cool” and stop eating alone. But Jacob rejects the stolen chocolate bar, leaving Ajay to unwrap it and discover that it contains Mercury’s Twenty-fifth Anniversary Grand Prize…one million dollars.
Faced with an extreme dilemma, Ajay will have to bear the weight of his actions and battle his morality in deciding whether to claim the prize that may change the life of his family forever.
Primary ISBN: 9780063360921
Publication Date: January 2025
Available As: Hardcover, Audiobook, eBook
Middle Grade, Age 08 or older
Community Represented: Sri Lankan/Sri Lankan American
Themes: Accolades & Awards, Accolades & Awards: Starred Review, Coming of Age, Cultural Empowerment, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Celebrations & Traditions, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Family, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Food, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Identity, Discrimination: Cultural, Discrimination: Microaggression, Family Relationship: Parents, Family Relationship: Siblings, Format: Audiobook, Generation: 1st, Generational Differences, Identity: Names & Pronunciations, Immigrant: Economic, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Religious Background: Christian
Setting: North America
Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 1st Generation
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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Source: www.marianayagam.com