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The Door Is Open: Stories of Celebration and… by Veera Hiranandani

A junior high aged collection of longish short stories that center around a public meeting place that caters to the South Asian immigrant community for a wide variety of social gatherings. When it comes out that the venue might be closed the teens in their own ways try to help keep the place open. The stories are told from the perspectives of a wide variety of cultures and reading the stories would be educational experience for all open minded teens.

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muddyboy | 1 other review | May 14, 2024 |

The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Veera Hiranandani

The story is about a girl, Sonia, struggling to find her identity after moving to the suburbs of New York City. Throughout this book, the readers can see themes of identity challenges of adolescents and multiculturalism. Readers can learn the skills of resilience and strength from the character, they can also try to put themselves in her shoes and see how they would react to the situation. This is a book that gives kids of all backgrounds insight into what their peers could be going through.

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jxm304 | 13 other reviews | Apr 28, 2024 |

Lunch Will Never Be the Same! #1 (Phoebe G. Green) by Veera Hiranandani

IRL: 1st - 3rd grade
Awards: 2019 Newbery Honor Award, 2019 Walter Dean Myers Honor Award, 2018 Malka Penn Award for Human Rights in Children's Literature

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marissaluke96 | 4 other reviews | Apr 28, 2024 |

The Door Is Open: Stories of Celebration and… by Veera Hiranandani

An important and uplifting collection of short stories by South Asian American writers featuring South Asian American characters and themes.

The Door Is Open: Stories of Celebration and Community by 11 Desi Voices was conceived and edited by Hena Khan and is a wonderfully uplifting collection of short stories by and about South Asian Americans. The stories capture vibrant slices of community life and precious family moments, all connected through the social hub of the local community center.

While each story comes from a different author, common threads run throughout and tie the parts into a wonderful whole. Each story is a gem in its own right and self-contained, and there is a much-appreciated section about the contributors at the end of the book that includes each one’s previous works for readers to seek out and binge. The main characters are middle-grade students, for the most part, with younger and older siblings, parents, uncles, and aunties in supporting roles, and the diversity of the cultures and religions of South Asia are represented. There are stories of joy and sadness, coming-of-age moments, personal triumphs, and many emotional moments to absorb. Readers not part of the represented groups can also enjoy all the stories, relate to many of the depicted situations, or learn something new and interesting. There are several very teachable moments to share.

I recommend THE DOOR IS OPEN to middle-grade and chapter book readers, especially those interested in South Asian American culture, community, and experiences.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through TBR and Beyond Book Tours.… (more)

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KarenSiddall | 1 other review | Apr 23, 2024 |

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