The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Vera Hirandani

Book Review: The Whole Story of Half A Girl by Veera Hiranandani

Goodreads Synopsis: After her father loses his job, Sonia Nadhamuni, half Indian and half Jewish American, finds herself yanked out of private school and thrown into the unfamiliar world of public education. For the first time, Sonia's mixed heritage makes her classmates ask questions—questions Sonia doesn't always know how to answer—as she navigates between a group of popular girls who want her to try out for the cheerleading squad and other students who aren't part of the "in" crowd. 

At the same time that Sonia is trying to make new friends, she's dealing with what it means to have an out-of-work parent—it's hard for her family to adjust to their changed circumstances. And then, one day, Sonia's father goes missing. Now Sonia wonders if she ever really knew him. As she begins to look for answers, she must decide what really matters and who her true friends are—and whether her two halves, no matter how different, can make her a whole.

     My Review: This book is a good MG read with more themes I would expect to see in a book for older readers. It mainly discusses themes of finding your way and staying true to one's self, also discussing where one belongs. This is surprising because the main character herself is in 6th grade. At first, I was kind of suspicious about such ideas in a book for younger MG readers, then I decided that the author incorporated them perfectly, explaining them from a 6th grader's point of view and not diving too deep. I would like to give a disclaimer, though, that this book did not show any preferences between skin color, but did involve Sonia thinking if she was "white" or "black". The main point, however, was just to go along with the theme of finding one's self, so I still approve of it for MG readers.
     Sonia herself is okay- I actually sometimes disliked her throughout the novel because of some of the stuff she said and did (like trying to become popular). She's confused between if she is Indian or Jewish because sometimes she feels as if she isn't one or the other. However, at the end it works out, so I guess the right message to younger readers is conveyed. 
     Other characters include Sonia's new "best friend", Kate, who actually seems like a better character to me. She accepts Sonia into her group without worrying how she looks, and treats her really nicely.  Sonia's mom is very supportive, her dad is not as much, going through depression (which is when I feel sorry for Sonia and her little sister, because they have been hit hard as well). To be honest, I think the part with her father was not really resolved as much, so I probably would have liked the story without her father going through depression.
      I didn't like the ending that much because of those reasons, and I feel as if Sonia took some things for granted after the story ended. However, the story was actually really well done for MG readers. Sonia really does change throughout the course of the story, with so many experiences hitting her at once, so there is no lacking character development and the lessons she learns. Also, she finally does find out who she is and who she wants to be friends with, which is good. I would rate this book as 4 stars. I would definitely recommend it for anyone wanting to read about prejudice issues and about being the new kid on the block, especially for children who haven't read about those themes very much. The cover from Amazon is above. Enjoy!