  | Karthik delivers Author: Chari, Sheela | |
| Price: $22.58 | ||
Summary:
Fourteen-year-old Karthik Raghavan is good at remembering things. Like his bike routes to make deliveries for his father's ailing Indian grocery. Or all the reasons he likes Juhi Shah. So, when he gets the chance to act in a play about Leonard Bernstein he does--and he's playing Lenny! But he can't tell his parents.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 3.90 Points: 8.0 Quiz: 513929 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (02/01/22)
School Library Journal (04/15/22)
Booklist (03/15/22)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/05/22)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 04/15/2022 Gr 5 Up—It's 2009 during the economic downturn, and Karthik is an Indian boy growing up in Boston. He is working this summer at his Dad's Indian grocery store, and is not thrilled about giving up his summer to deliver groceries on his cousin's bike in the heat. Karthik has a fantastic memory and makes lists in order to remember everything. One day, he happens to deliver items to a woman in grad school working on a play about Leonard Bernstein. She begs him to be Lenny in her play and he agrees, as long as it doesn't get him in trouble with his parents. This is the start of a wonderful journey for Karthik, where he learns about music, love, and how to decide your own future. Clocking in at over 200 pages, this longer middle grade book moves surprisingly fast and will hold readers' attention; it could easily be added to hi-lo collections. The text is occasionally broken up with lists and play dialogue. Chari's prose has a very conversational tone, which adds to the book's authenticity and ease of reading. VERDICT A wonderful realistic fiction title about a young Indian boy following his heart; a solid addition to young readers' collections.—Kristin J. Anderson - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 03/15/2022 The summer before entering high school, Karthik makes deliveries for his family’s struggling Indian grocery store in Boston. He befriends some of the customers, stopping to visit with elderly ones who need a little company as well as food. When a graduate student notices his uncanny memorization skills, she offers him the lead in the one-act play she’s written, which is to be performed later that summer. With no acting experience, Karthik is doubtful but intrigued, hopeful that theater could become an alternative to a career in medicine, his mother’s unwavering choice for him. Karthik’s older sister and several classmates round out the list of characters. Levelheaded and smart, though sometimes reluctant to let others know what he’s thinking, Karthik narrates the story with a winning combination of wit and angst. From his tight-knit, immigrant family to the girl he admires to the grad student/playwright, the characters are convincingly portrayed. Changes come when Karthik and his equally reticent family members become more open with one another. A perceptive, enjoyable novel of self-discovery within expanding circles of family and community. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.
