Jessie reviewed American As Paneer Pie by Supriya Kelkar
Review of 'American As Paneer Pie' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
This was a remarkably smart and nuanced realistic middle grade novel. The premise sounds so simple: Lekha hides her Indian American culture from her classmates as much as possible until she meets Avantika, a girl her age and recent immigrant from India, who is unashamed of who she is. But there's so much that gets touched upon without it feeling overwhelming: identity, colorism, allyship, friendship, family dynamics, even journalistic ethics. It touches on so many issues without feeling like an "issues book"; instead, the characters are fully fleshed-out and believable, the events natural and organic. Lekha experiences racism both overt and subtle; Indian kids will feel seen, while non-Indian kids will learn to better understand the effects of the kinds of comments her classmates make. Ultimately, the book is about finding yourself and standing up for what's right, even if it's hard, even if you don't get it perfect every …
This was a remarkably smart and nuanced realistic middle grade novel. The premise sounds so simple: Lekha hides her Indian American culture from her classmates as much as possible until she meets Avantika, a girl her age and recent immigrant from India, who is unashamed of who she is. But there's so much that gets touched upon without it feeling overwhelming: identity, colorism, allyship, friendship, family dynamics, even journalistic ethics. It touches on so many issues without feeling like an "issues book"; instead, the characters are fully fleshed-out and believable, the events natural and organic. Lekha experiences racism both overt and subtle; Indian kids will feel seen, while non-Indian kids will learn to better understand the effects of the kinds of comments her classmates make. Ultimately, the book is about finding yourself and standing up for what's right, even if it's hard, even if you don't get it perfect every time, and that's a powerful message.
