Dhami concludes her chick-lit trilogy about three Indian-British tweens—Geena, Amber and Jazz Dhillon—who have a penchant for trouble and sisterly bantering. This time, their interfering auntie is planning a wedding and moving out. Added to the mix of disasters waiting to happen is the girls’ bet as to which sister the gorgeous Rocky will like best and their forced welcoming support of Kiran, the new girl in school with an attitude problem. When Amber discovers that Kiran’s sudden truancy is related to the recent death of her father, she persuades Rocky to act friendly toward her in exchange for playing his bhangra-style music at her aunt’s wedding. The seemingly perfect arrangement unravels when Rocky and Kiran appear to be more than friends and Rocky’s talent stops with his good looks. But the sisters are babes after all, and end the series on a high note. Fans of Dhami’s previous titles will want to finish the series. (Fiction. 9-13)
Pub Date: April 11, 2006
ISBN: 0-385-73318-6
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2006
Resilient Heidi It is the daughter of mentally deficient So B. It, but it’s really neighbor Bernadette who raises her. Piling on the difficulties, Bernadette is agoraphobic and though managing to reach out to So B. and Heidi without leaving her house, Dette is unable to do anything like normal living. Heidi is homeschooled by Bernadette and finds her unusual life to be satisfactory except for curiosity about her mother’s past, as evidenced by “soof,” her favorite of Mama’s 23 words that also function as chapter titles. Determined to investigate the past, Heidi follows a few convenient clues to lead her on a cross-country bus journey from Reno, Nevada, to Liberty, New York. Some of the details, such as Heidi’s lucky streak, are not terribly credible, but the heart of the search for home and history is one that readers will find compelling. Most of the people Heidi meets on her trip gradually take on fullness and depth, but this was never intended to be literal or realistic. Three stars on the soggy-hanky index. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-06-623622-3
Page Count: 256
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2004
A promising fiction debut.
Family secrets, an unsolved bank robbery, summer on a lake, a treasure island and a first romance are the ingredients for this inviting middle-grade mystery.
Unhappy with his new life and new stepfather in Southern California, 13-year-old Trav runs away to the small town in Minnesota where his dad grew up and his grandmother lives. He quickly learns why his mother won’t talk about his father, who died before he was born. Suspected of having robbed a local bank, the man disappeared in a storm, his boat washed up on an island in the lake. Everyone figures Trav knows where the money is, a theory confirmed when some of the burgled money turns up in local stores after his arrival. Trav manages to convince neighbor kid Kenny and his hot cousin Iz of his innocence, and together, they try to figure out where the loot might have been stashed and who has sent Trav a threatening note. Careful plotting and end-of-chapter cliffhangers add to the suspense. The first-person narration suggests that Trav’s imagination has been fed by too much television, but the imagined threats become frighteningly real as the story progresses. Trav’s voice is believable, Bullard’s Minnesota setting full of convincing detail, and the boy’s hesitant romantic efforts add a pleasant embellishment.
A promising fiction debut. (Mystery. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-544-02900-2
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2013
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