Book: The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami

Ages 8 - 12. Hardback, published 2011. Illustrated in black and white by Abigail Halpin. This copy is in very good pre-owned condition and looks nearly new. Gentle signs of wear on the edges, and the dust flap is ever-so-slightly scuffed from being shelved, but otherwise the pages are all intact and the spine is strong. Books that explore diverse cultures are needed more than ever nowadays, and this book is fun and cute and I love the illustrations! "When 11-year-old Dini's physician mother takes a job at a clinic in the tiny Indian village of Swapnagiri, Dini is plucked out of her contented life in suburban Maryland. Naturally, Dini is distraught about leaving her BFF Maddie--who else truly understands their shared infatuation for Bollywood and the movie star Dolly Singh? Nevertheless, she remains optimistic as she tries to write her new life adventure into a screenplay. But life is often more unpredictable than the movies, and in Dini's script things get a little out of control.... This joyful, lively story is full of colorful details, delicious confections, and the wondrous, magical powers of coincidence. With the pace of a lively Bollywood film the author perfectly captures movie-star infatuation, best friendships, geographical displacement, and youthful determination, in this exuberant blend of American tween life and Indian village culture."