Collect The Grand Plan To Fix Everything Chronicled By Uma Krishnaswami Shown As Softcover
felt like a book for the younger end of, and I couldn't get into it, . . Originally posted sitelinkhere.
Sometimes a book comes along that is a balance of quirky, enjoyable, and well written, When it happens to be a contemporary fiction novel about a culture many young readers are not familiar with, so much the better.
If you are looking for such a book then Uma Krishnaswami's The Grand Plan to Fix Everything is one to check out.
This is a book many kids will be able to identify with even if they don't know anything about Bollywood or Indian culture.
They will be able to sympathize with Dini feeling alone, like her parents don't always understand her, and the sadness she has at leaving her home and best friend Maddie behind.
They will most likely be able to identify with her obsession with a pop icon and her feelings that if any fan is important to said icon, she is.
The story comes complete with a host of quirky secondary characters to back Dini up,
The
story itself is not unlike a Bollywood movie, It plays out in a similar way to a film, There are abrupt scene cuts, fade out, multiple angles viewed, There are places where the plot is a little zany and the characters overblown, That is part of the charm of the book and another thing I think will appeal to young readers, Elevenyear old Dini adores Bollywood movies, those entertaining Hindi musicals set in India and filled with grand production numbers, adventure, and romance.
As summer vacation begins her life is upended when she learns that instead of dance camp with her best friend Maddie she and her parents are heading out across the ocean for a two yearstint in Swampangiri, a small town in India.
While understandably sad, shocked, and surprised Dini is also a trooper and, appreciating how important this opportunity is for her medical researcher mother, works hard to stay upbeat as she adjusts to her new situation.
Fortunately despite being far from Mumbai where the Bollywood films are made, Swampangiri turns out to be a place of charm, filled with beauty, delightful people, animals, and tasty treats.
It also turns out to have a mystery involving the disappearance of Dinis favorite Bollywood star, Dolly Singh,
This mystery is tantalizingly developed via multiple viewpoints and forms including letters, texts, emails, and fan magazine items, While Dinis story stays front and center others are threaded in, say that of a young postal worker who decides to deliver a letter himself far off his usual route and that of an increasingly worried studio executive.
Of course, just like a Bollywood film, this story ends happily and joyously,
Young readers will delight in this upbeat and entertaining tale, identifying with Dini as she meets new friends, gets to know her new town, and solve a mystery as well.
Along the way they will get a taste of life in one small part of India, complete with monkeys, movie lore, and some absolutely scrumptioussounding curry pastries.
Teachers might like to pair this charmer with Ellen Raskins The Westing Game which has a somewhat similar structure and have students consider how both authors build character, suspense, and use coincidence in their story structure.
And for those wishing to explore more of the books world, author Krisnaswami has created an engaging teacher guide filled with great discussion questions and activities personally Im mighty tempted to try out that curry puff recipe myself! This is one of my favorite books.
The voice of the MC is so authentic, so purely Dini, that readers can't help but fall in love with her, She views life as if it were a Bollywood fillum, She schemes to plot her future like a movie script, complete with happy ending, But when things don't go as planned, Dini must learn to accept the things she can't control, Her perseverance finally allows her to see that life is composed of both the bitter and sweet and, like her favorite movies, boundless optimism can lead to happy endings.
Kids of any culture will relate to the humorous ups and downs in this book, A feel good read, perfect in every detail, Adorable art adds to the charm, One Sentence : I'll definitely read anything Krishnaswami writes from here on in, even though this book with its scattered focus didn't quite do it for me.
Dini and her best friend Maddie love to watch movies from Bollywood, They memorize lines from songs and know all the situations that can be solved by their favorite actress, Dolly Singh, When Dinis mom gets a grant to study at a clinic in southern India for two years, Dini is both upset and excited.
Shes upset to leave Maddie and her home in Delaware, But shes also excited that shell be closer to Bombay, as all the filmi people call Mumbai, Maybe shell even have a chance to meet her screen idol, Dolly!
Meanwhile, Dolly is having her own relationship crisis.
As coincidence has it, she flees to the small town of Swapnagiri, where Dinis family has moved, to take a break from her career.
Can Dini find her and finally get to meet her
The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami is full of serendipitous connections.
A dedicated postal worker, a diligent guard, a worried baker, a girl who can imitate all kinds of sounds, a noisemaking electric car, and mischievous monkeys all weave into Dinis story.
These colorful characters have roles that read like a Bollywood film, and soon Dini is trying to figure out how she can make a new friend while keeping her friendship with Maddie, solve Dollys problems and learn to be comfortable in her new surroundings.
Dini is a delightful character, and by the time the book ends youll want to orchestrate your own Bollywood film.
I recommend The Grand Plan to Fix Everything for motherdaughter book clubs with girls agedto,
Sort of ridiculous and over the top, in a Bollywoodstyleplot sort of way, but delightful for all that, Set partly in Maryland, but mostly in India, it's the story of Dini's plan to find her favorite movie star, Dolly Singh.
Dini also wants to make Dolly happy again, which leads to complications, Lighthearted, funny, full of coincidences, .