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A review by crystal_reading
How to Find What You're Not Looking for by Veera Hiranandani
Review copy: ARC via publisher
My Thoughts: If you've read The Night Diary, you will not be surprised to find out that this book is an excellent work of historical fiction. Once again, Hiranandani swept me back in time. She does an excellent job of providing the context of the events of the time and how they relate to the very personal issues that Ariel and her family are working through. There is a lot going on, but a middle grade reader will see how so many of these things are connected to each other.
I appreciated how the characters are complex so we can see that there can be many reasons for the way people are acting or reacting even when everything seems impossible to comprehend. We get to see the ways that Ariel is slowly piecing together what she is experiencing and is discovering her own opinions.
The cover art had me hopeful that there would be poetry and I was not disappointed. It's sprinkled throughout and really adds a lot to the story. I don't want to get too spoilery so I won't go into that a lot.
Recommendation: I see this as a great book to hand to readers who want a book with substance or simply enjoy books with a lot to think about. It also has the potential to be a fantastic read aloud with upper grade students. There is so much for discussion about family, friendship, bullying, and more. It could also lead to discussions of both historical and current events and how they can affect our lives. I would also add that one of my fourth grade classes was able to have a virtual author visit with the author the year The Night Diary was released. She did a fantastic job and my students were ready to read anything else she had already written or would ever write.
My Thoughts: If you've read The Night Diary, you will not be surprised to find out that this book is an excellent work of historical fiction. Once again, Hiranandani swept me back in time. She does an excellent job of providing the context of the events of the time and how they relate to the very personal issues that Ariel and her family are working through. There is a lot going on, but a middle grade reader will see how so many of these things are connected to each other.
I appreciated how the characters are complex so we can see that there can be many reasons for the way people are acting or reacting even when everything seems impossible to comprehend. We get to see the ways that Ariel is slowly piecing together what she is experiencing and is discovering her own opinions.
The cover art had me hopeful that there would be poetry and I was not disappointed. It's sprinkled throughout and really adds a lot to the story. I don't want to get too spoilery so I won't go into that a lot.
Recommendation: I see this as a great book to hand to readers who want a book with substance or simply enjoy books with a lot to think about. It also has the potential to be a fantastic read aloud with upper grade students. There is so much for discussion about family, friendship, bullying, and more. It could also lead to discussions of both historical and current events and how they can affect our lives. I would also add that one of my fourth grade classes was able to have a virtual author visit with the author the year The Night Diary was released. She did a fantastic job and my students were ready to read anything else she had already written or would ever write.