Scan barcode
A review by katherinevarga
The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Veera Hiranandani
4.0
Maybe I should wait for the tears to dry before I write this review, or maybe not. I loved this book. It's my favorite type of middle grade novel: all of the nuance and coming-of-age-ness of YA, but none of the gimmicks or romance.
When Sonia's dad loses her job, she has to leave her cozy hippie private school for a predominantly white public school that busses in inner city black students, who all sit at the same table. I haven't read many middle grade novels that acknowledge that type of self-segregation amongst children, especially through the eyes of a biracial girl trying to figure out where she belongs. We also get Sonia's young and frank perspectives on class privilege, religious identity, and watching her father struggle with depression.
Even though Sonia acts like an angsty teenager, I felt for her and with her. My preteen years were nothing like Sonia's and yet Hiranandani's writing was so vivid that this book gave me dreams about my own middle school experience.
I wish there was more about Alisha, and more to the ending, and just more in general. But overall I feel so fortunate this book caught my eye at the library. I would've loved this book in middle school and I love it now.
When Sonia's dad loses her job, she has to leave her cozy hippie private school for a predominantly white public school that busses in inner city black students, who all sit at the same table. I haven't read many middle grade novels that acknowledge that type of self-segregation amongst children, especially through the eyes of a biracial girl trying to figure out where she belongs. We also get Sonia's young and frank perspectives on class privilege, religious identity, and watching her father struggle with depression.
Even though Sonia acts like an angsty teenager, I felt for her and with her. My preteen years were nothing like Sonia's and yet Hiranandani's writing was so vivid that this book gave me dreams about my own middle school experience.
I wish there was more about Alisha, and more to the ending, and just more in general. But overall I feel so fortunate this book caught my eye at the library. I would've loved this book in middle school and I love it now.