A lovely, heart-felt story that does a brilliant job of looking at everything from friendship to racism from the very believable perspective of an eleven year old.

Lekha is a great middle grade heroine. She's smart, funny, and trying so hard to both be herself and to fit in - at home, at school, and at swim practice - that the reader is pulled right into her story and can't help but cringe and cheer along side of her. Her pain is easy to connect with, her missteps are real and oh-s0-relatable, and her triumphs are just the right size to make any reader see that growth, change, and forgiveness is possible.

Great supporting characters - including present and realistic parents - round out this story and make it one of my current favorites.

A must read!