Synopses & Reviews
Eleven-year old Dini loves moviesand#8212;watching them, reading about them, trying to write her ownand#8212;especially Bollywood movies. But when her mother tells her some big news, it does not at all jive with the script of her life she has in mind. Her family is moving to Indiaand#8230;and, not even to Bombay, which is the center of the Bollywood universe and home to Diniand#8217;s all-time most favorite star, Dolly. No, Dini is moving to a teeny, tiny village she canand#8217;t even find on a map. Swapnagiri. It means Dream Mountain and it only looks like a word thatand#8217;s hard to pronounce. But to that open-minded person who sounds the name out, one letter at a time, it falls quite handily into place: S-w-a-p-n-a-g-i-r-i. An honest sort of name, with no surprise letters waiting to leap out and ambush the unwary. That doesnand#8217;t mean there arenand#8217;t surprises in Swapnagiri like mischievous monkeys and a girl who chirps like a birdand#8212;and the biggest surprise of all: Dolly. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;So now, Dini is hard at work on a new script, the script in which she gets to meet the amazing Dolly. But, life is often more unpredictable than the movies and when Dini starts plotting her story things get a little out of control. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;This is a joyful, lively Bollywood inspired story is full of colorful details, delicious confections and the wondrous, magical powers of coincidence. Uma Krisnaswami will have you smiling from ear to ear.
Review
Hooray for Bollywood. Eleven-year-old Dini is not pleased at all at the prospect of leaving Takoma Park, Md., and her best friend Maddie to live in a small town in southern India for two years. But though she knows itand#8217;s ridiculous, bakvaas, as Indians say, she wonders if she might get to meet her idol, Dolly Singh, Bollywood film star. Dini and Maddie are devoted Dolly fans. And, in a series of events as wonderfully convoluted and satisfyingly resolved as any movie plot could be, she does. The fast-paced tale introduces and manages to connect an Indian-American family, a postal worker from Mumbai, a movie producer and his erratic star, a car mechanic, a tea plantation owner, a local baker and assorted monkeysand#8212;all coming together for a grand finale party and dance. Set in imagined Swapnagiri (which means Dream Mountain), this high-energy concoction is thoroughly believable and entertaining. The story is told in a third-person present-tense voice that rings true to its protagonist, who sees her life as a movie script. Though Dini and Maddie are halfway around the world from each other, they communicate through cell phones and computer chat, keeping up their friendship while making new ones. Full of references to Bollywood movie traditions and local customs, this is a delightful romp with a fresh setting and a distinctive and appealing main character. - andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;KIRKUS, andlt;/iandgt;April 1, 2011, *STARandlt;/bandgt;
Review
andlt;bandgt;The Grand Plan to Fix Everythingandlt;/bandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Written by Uma Krishnaswami and illustrated by Abigail Halpinandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; (Atheneum,
Review
Told with wit, whimsy, and much heart, this engaging story features a charming protagonist; colorfully drawn side characters; and a lively, vibrant narrative that descriptively details Indian culture, settings, daily life, and Bollywood movies.
--Booklist, September 1, 2011
Synopsis
Eleven-year-old Dini loves movies, and so when she learns that her family is moving to India for two years, her devastation over leaving her best friend in Maryland is tempered by the possibility of meeting her favorite actress, Dolly Singh.
Synopsis
Eleven-year-old Dini loves everything about movies—especially Bollywood movies. So she would have been really excited about her family’s move to India…if they were moving anywhere near Bombay, the center of the Bollywood universe and home to Dini’s all-time most favorite favorite star, Dolly Singh. But no. Dini’s now stuck in a teeny, tiny village that she can’t even find on a map. But small villages can have surprises, and soon Dini is hard at work on a new life’s script in which she gets to meet the amazing Dolly. However, real life is often more unpredictable than the movies, and when Dini starts plotting her story things get a little out of control….
Uma Krishnaswami’s joyful, lively, Bollywood-inspired tale is full of preening peacocks, mischievous monkeys, delicious confections, and the wondrous, magical powers of coincidence.
About the Author
Uma Krishnaswami is the author of several books for children. She was born in New Delhi, India, and now lives in Aztec, New Mexico. Abigail Halpin is an illustrator/graphic designer living in New England who likes bright colors, all things retro, and sharp pencils.