Maya’s middle school existence is all mixed up. She can’t quite figure out how to fit in. She doesn’t feel Indian enough when she’s with around other Indians, but at her school in a small Canadian town, she certainly doesn’t feel Canadian enough. While one boy at school is hurling racist slurs at her (warning: the n-word is in this book repeatedly), another boy (Maya’s crush) seems to like her in part because she is exotic. When Maya’s cousin Pinky arrives from India, Maya feels even more threatened. Pinky is gorgeous and self-possessed, she stands up to the bully and tantalizes Maya’s crush. Lost and desperate, Maya begs help from the Hindu elephant god, Ganesh.
And that is when the story gets fun. The middle school angst was all right, but when Maya wakes up in the middle of the night to find the small golden statue of Ganesh munching away at jelly bellies, we are taken on a flight of fantasy. Ganesh cheerfully grants Maya’s wishes, and she’ll soon find out whether having your dreams come true is something you actually want.
The book is nearly half regular middle school and half fantasy. While the first part is fine, the candy gobbling elephant is a delight and I tore through the rest of the book. There is a great deal of Indian vocabulary which may slow down readers unfamiliar with the culture. My recommendation of teen can be taken with grain of salt, many middle schoolers will enjoy this provided you’re okay with the content. Also, the book is set in the 1970s which may make it more difficult for some readers who are unfamiliar with pop culture references from the time period.
Depending on the audience, names may be new for some readers, Sahadev, Vishnu,Thakur-dadu, Joyantoni, Sandhya, Kamala, Amitav, Priyanka.
Vocabulary words can be tricky too, so here’s a mini glossary:
Kathak – a type of Indian dance
raga – a genre of Indian music
sitar – a type of plucked string instrument
pakoras – batter dipped vegetables that are deep fried into fritters
samosas – (usually) triangular pastries that are stuffed with tasty fillings, like potatoes, onions, lentils etc. and deep fried.
dahl – lentil soup
papadum – a crisp round flatbread
bindi – this is the dot worn in the center of the forehead close to the eyebrows
Kohlapuri chappal sandals – this can refer to a variety of sandals, but they often have a small ring around the big toe and a larger sandal part across the top of the foot, making them somewhere between a slide and a flipflop.
choli – a tight-fitting, (often) midriff baring top which usually is worn under a sari or with a lengha (a skirt)
churidar kurtas – slim fitting pants worn with a loose fitting tunic
Paus Mela – a festival marking the harvest season
gulab-jamin – a deep fried dessert
roshagola – a cheese-based sweet which is cooked in syrup
modaka – a sweet made of rice, coconut, sugar and spices
Sex, Nudity, Dating – John Travolta is a dreamboat. Underwear sticks out of pants. Maya fears she’s meeting the boys as part of secret arranged marriage plan. Mention of a teacher’s wonderbra and boobs and classmates bra and boobs. Thinks about boyfriends, reading romance novels with cousin. A boy looks at her in a “thirsty in the desert” kind of way. Kissing. As an insult Pinky calls a boy a hermaphrodite. Boy stealing. More kissing.
Profanity – “N—r” which is written out in its entirety, no letters omitted, is used multiple times to refer to Maya despite the fact that she is Indian. “God forbid” “bloody” “Goddamn” “hell” “gandoo”
Death, Violence and Gore – Maya mentions that her great-grandfather choked on a wishbone and died. A parent whacks a kid in the head while calling him lazy. Psycho(yes, there is a character called Psycho) is into horror movies and talks about blood and guts stuff a bit. They talk about folk tales like the rickshaw-wallah demons that eat children. The two nerdy Ghose boys shove the boy who calls one of them a n—-r resulting in a fall and broken teeth.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Jamie smokes. A photo of her father shows him drinking whiskey and smoking a cigarette. Dad also smokes pipes. Jamie’s dad smells of beer.
Frightening or Intense Things – Brief mention of riots in West Bengal and unrest in Quebec. An Indian relative survived typhoid fever. They mention impoverished Indian children who sit in the dirt until they die or someone rescues them.
