A review by library_brandy
The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Veera Hiranandani

4.0

Sonia's dad lost his job at the end of last school year, and the whole family has to make adjustments: her mom is teaching a ton more classes, and to save money, Sonia and her little sister are switched into public school. Public school is really different from her tiny, beloved Community School: Sonia has to navigate the various cliques (including the cheerleaders, who want to recruit her, and the outsiders, who just plain like her) while figuring out how to deal with a school where all the white kids sit together and all the black kids sit together--and where does she, with her half-Indian, half-Jewish heritage, fit in? Her mom doesn't like her new friends and her dad has been really moody and sometimes mean--right up until he disappears.

Issues of identity will resonate with nearly all middle-schoolers, particularly those of mixed ethnicities. Also deals with mental health, unemployment, and shifting social groups. I'm a little disappointed in things that were never addressed (

the not-great white girl makes the cheer squad ahead of the more-talented Indian girl, for instance; also curious about the friend's financial situation, where the parents have penty of money without working much

) but they're not enough to make me hold back a recommendation. Middle-grade, probably best for 6th grade or so.