Veera Hiranandani

When Sonia's father loses his job and she must move from her small, supportive private school to a public middle school, the half-Jewish half-Indian sixth-grader experiences culture shock as she tries to navigate the school's unfamiliar social scene, and after her father is diagnosed with clinical depression, she finds herself becoming even more confused about herself and her family.

Middle schooler Ariel Goldberg must find her own voice and define her own beliefs after her big sister elopes with a young man from India following the Supreme Court decision that strikes down laws banning interracial marriage.

When Camille, a tall French girl, arrives at school with unusual lunches, third-grader Phoebe neglects her best friend Sage to get invited to Camille's house for dinner to see what other mysterious food Camille eats.

"Because Phoebe and Camille's best friend Sage has the same lunch every day, they come up with the idea of a cooking club to show Sage how many exciting foods there are.

Shy twelve-year-old Nisha, forced to flee her home with her Hindu family during the 1947 partition of India, tries to find her voice and make sense of the world falling apart around her by writing to her deceased Muslim mother in the pages of her diary.

"When identities cross boundaries, with love that knows no bounds. From platonic and romantic love to grief and heartbreak, these stories explore navigating life at the intersection of identities, and what it means to grow up surrounded by a multitude of traditions, languages, cultures, and interpersonal dynamics. Returning to a father's homeland. Trying to fit in at chaotic weddings and lavish birthday parties where not all are welcome. Processing...