V. MALAR

Malar can’t wait for her visiting American cousins to arrive.

It’s almost Pongal, the Tamil harvest festival, and this year, 10-year-old Malar is especially excited. Her cousins Priya, 11, and Kamal, 6, are traveling all the way from their home in Seattle to Pori, the coastal Indian village where Malar and her family live. Although Malar is determined to be a “super-host,” her cousins don’t make it easy. Kamal ruins the lotus kolam design that Malar draws outside their house, and Priya condescendingly calls Malar’s house “tiny” before proclaiming that she’s counting the days until she can return to “civilization.” On top of all this, Malar has trouble understanding Kamal’s and Priya’s accents and feels left out of their secret-swapping. It’s only after Priya admits to Malar that she is homesick that Malar begins to empathize with her cousins. As the trio celebrate Pongal with henna, bonfires, and sweets, this understanding grows until the cousins are closer than ever. Malar’s honest, insightful narratorial voice deftly guides readers through rural Indian life, Pongal traditions, and the experience of hosting Western visitors in the global South. While the cousins’ reconciliation feels a bit abrupt, overall, the layered characters and authentic conflict will resonate with a wide range of readers. Final art not seen.

A heartening tale of cultural clashes, family drama, and, ultimately, forged bonds.