Nina Soni, Former Best Friend

by Kashmira Sheth, Jenn Kocsmiersky (Illustrator)

Overview

Nina Soni is a lovable, distractible Indian American girl with big plans and cast of family and friends to help her make her realize her dreams—or resolve the chaos that often results.

Nina tried as hard as she could but still somehow forgot about her school project. Fortunately, a class lesson about Alexander Fleming suggests how she might make a great discovery—and thus a great project! But with little sister Kavita's birthday party right around the corner, and her longtime friendship with Jay on the rocks, Nina has a lot to keep track of.

Middle grade readers are sure to relate to Nina Soni and her entertaining efforts to manage her life with lists, definitions, and real-life math problems. Perfect for STEAM enthusiasts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682632055
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	10/06/2020
Series:	Nina Soni Series , #1
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Kashmira Sheth was born in India with Guajarati as her mother tongue and began learning English in fifth grade. She had lived in Bhavnagar and Mumbai before moving to United States when she was seventeen to attend Iowa State University, where she received a BS in microbiology. Before becoming an author Kashmira had many different jobs, including running a dance school and choreographing and performing Indian dances, working in a bakery, and working as a food microbiologist. She is the author of several picture books, chapter books, and middle grade and young adult novels. Taking inspiration from her own life and experiences, much of Kashmira's work centers on Indian culture and features Indian and Indian American characters.

Jenn Kocsmierksy is a watercolor artist and picture book illustrator. She was adopted from Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in rural New Hampshire. Now, as a mom and artist, Jenn hopes to promote relatable childhood experiences featuring diverse characters. She was the recipient of the 2018 We Need Diverse Books Mentorship for Illustration and the 2016–2017 Walter Dean Meyers Grant. She lives in New York with her two children and a ginormous goldfish named Joey.

Editorial Reviews

"Attractive illustrations and the use of dialogue, lists, and definition boxes (showing terms as defined by Nina) within the narrative make this chapter book accessible to somewhat younger readers than most middle-grade fiction. Science will evidently be an ongoing theme in the new Nina Soni series, which features a flawed but refreshing and very likable protagonist as well as well-drawn home and school settings. A promising start for the series." —Booklist

"Sheth's language is poetic in its simplicity, and her narratorial voice is a pleasure to read. . . . A sweet and entertaining series opener about family and friendship." —Kirkus Reviews

"The illustrations are realistic, detailed, and eye-catching, and the characters are easy to relate to and likable. The fonts and layout used are fairly dyslexic- and reluctant reader–friendly. The notebook-style lists and vocabulary definitions add to the book without overwhelming the action.. . . A simple but engaging story. A perfect fit for readers who enjoy realistic fiction about friendship and self-discovery." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

2019-06-16
Nina is worried that her best friend, Jay, might not be her best friend anymore.

Nina Soni has been best friends with Jay Davenport since before she was born. But when Jay's cousins move to town, he has less and less time for Nina—so little time, in fact, that she wonders if they're still best friends. Nina is so distracted that she forgets about her Personal Narrative Project, an assignment in which Nina is supposed to write about something interesting that's happened to her. At first, Nina wonders how she'll ever write the essay when her family—and, by extension, her life—is so boring. But when Jay announces that he's going to write the best PNP ever, Nina sees his challenge as a way to recover their friendship. Sheth's language is poetic in its simplicity, and her narratorial voice is a pleasure to read. The book particularly sparkles whenever Nina interacts with her small but tightknit family, especially when she has to rescue her quirky younger sister, Kavita, from endless scrapes. The conflict between Nina and Jay, however, feels forced and tangential to the story, which really centers on Nina's personal narrative and her loving, albeit exasperating, relationship with her family. Both Nina and Jay are Indian American; she on both sides of her family and he through his mother (his father is white).

A sweet and entertaining series opener about family and friendship. (Fiction. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews