Publishers Weekly
★ 04/25/2022
Overflowing with love, Chari’s (the Mars Patel series) heartfelt novel is an intersection of art, community, and friendship that absolutely delivers. Set in Boston amid a recession, 14-year-old Karthik Raghavan spends his summer reluctantly delivering groceries for his parents’ struggling store, but he’d rather grab ice cream and pine for his crush, Juhi Shah, who frequents his favorite local haunt, Carmine’s Ice Cream Parlor. When one of his parents’ devoted customers, graduate student Shanthi, asks Karthik to be the lead in her play about his hero, composer Leonard Bernstein, he readily accepts, but only in secret. His Indian immigrant mother stresses academic work and “safe” professions (such as a career at “a big software company”), and Karthik’s worried that his parents won’t support his artistic exploration. As he juggles rehearsals with his family responsibilities, Karthik learns to trust others and take chances, and begins to find himself. Chari’s large cast features representatives across the Indian diaspora, including bohemian Shanthi, Karthik’s entrepreneurial father, and enigmatic Juhi, showcasing a multilayered, multigenerational community. Karthik is a compassionate and deeply funny narrator, and his journey of self-discovery while balancing familial obligation and chasing his dreams endears and inspires. Ages 10–14. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Apr.)
Booklist
"Levelheaded and smart, though sometimes reluctant to let others know what he’s thinking, Karthik narrates the story with a winning combination of wit and angst. . .A perceptive, enjoyable novel of self-discovery within expanding circles of family and community."
Shelf-Awareness
**STARRED REVIEW**
"A memorable, contemporary story about growing up and learning about yourself. Karthik grapples with timeless teen issues—fitting in, bullying, parental pressures—as well as more modern problems that might parallel issues kids are dealing with today."
New York Times bestselling author of the Kingdom B Sayantani DasGupta
Karthik Delivers is a story about family, community, and the mango lassi sweetness of reaching for your dreams. Like Karthik himself, this novel delivers big on friendship, charm, and heart.
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Chari delivers an authentic examination of the complexities of immigrant family life during the Great Recession, taking a realistic but compassionate look at parents vicariously chasing the American dream through their children. . .This is an encouraging endorsement of reciprocal support that celebrates the possibility (and necessity) of allowing our goals to change."
Newbery Honor–winning author of The Night Di Veera Hiranandani
Readers will fall in love with endearing Karthik, a young Indian American teen living in Boston, as he navigates his family's expectations and financial pressures during the financial crisis. Chari has masterfully crafted a riveting, nuanced, and delightful journey of self-discovery topped with an extra helping of ice cream, pakoras, and West Side Story. Karthik more than delivers!
From the Publisher
Karthik Delivers is a story about family, community, and the mango lassi sweetness of reaching for your dreams. Like Karthik himself, this novel delivers big on friendship, charm, and heart.” —Sayantani DasGupta, New York Times bestselling author of the Kingdom Beyond series
“Readers will fall in love with endearing Karthik, a young Indian American teen living in Boston, as he navigates his family's expectations and financial pressures during the financial crisis. Chari has masterfully crafted a riveting, nuanced, and delightful journey of self-discovery topped with an extra helping of ice cream, pakoras, and West Side Story. Karthik more than delivers!”—Veera Hiranandani, Newbery Honor–winning author of The Night Diary
**STARRED REVIEW** "A memorable, contemporary story about growing up and learning about yourself. Karthik grapples with timeless teen issues—fitting in, bullying, parental pressures—as well as more modern problems that might parallel issues kids are dealing with today."—Shelf-Awareness
**STARRED REVIEW** "Karthik is a compassionate and deeply funny narrator, and his journey of self-discovery while balancing familial obligation and chasing his dreams endears and inspires."—Publishers Weekly
"Chari delivers an authentic examination of the complexities of immigrant family life during the Great Recession, taking a realistic but compassionate look at parents vicariously chasing the American dream through their children. . .This is an encouraging endorsement of reciprocal support that celebrates the possibility (and necessity) of allowing our goals to change."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"The author successfully avoids tired tropes about unsupportive immigrant parents by telling a multigenerational story that, most notably, examines how Karthik’s parents grapple with their own dreaming. A refreshingly nuanced novel about what it means to chase your dreams." —Kirkus Reviews
"Levelheaded and smart, though sometimes reluctant to let others know what he’s thinking, Karthik narrates the story with a winning combination of wit and angst. . .A perceptive, enjoyable novel of self-discovery within expanding circles of family and community." —Booklist
"Chari’s prose has a very conversational tone, which adds to the book’s authenticity and ease of reading. . .A wonderful realistic fiction title about a young Indian boy following his heart." —School Library Journal
Newbery Honor–winning author of The Night Di Veera Hiranandani
Readers will fall in love with endearing Karthik, a young Indian American teen living in Boston, as he navigates his family's expectations and financial pressures during the financial crisis. Chari has masterfully crafted a riveting, nuanced, and delightful journey of self-discovery topped with an extra helping of ice cream, pakoras, and West Side Story. Karthik more than delivers!
School Library Journal
04/15/2022
Gr 5 Up—It's 2009 during the economic downturn, and Karthik is an Indian boy growing up in Boston. He is working this summer at his Dad's Indian grocery store, and is not thrilled about giving up his summer to deliver groceries on his cousin's bike in the heat. Karthik has a fantastic memory and makes lists in order to remember everything. One day, he happens to deliver items to a woman in grad school working on a play about Leonard Bernstein. She begs him to be Lenny in her play and he agrees, as long as it doesn't get him in trouble with his parents. This is the start of a wonderful journey for Karthik, where he learns about music, love, and how to decide your own future. Clocking in at over 200 pages, this longer middle grade book moves surprisingly fast and will hold readers' attention; it could easily be added to hi-lo collections. The text is occasionally broken up with lists and play dialogue. Chari's prose has a very conversational tone, which adds to the book's authenticity and ease of reading. VERDICT A wonderful realistic fiction title about a young Indian boy following his heart; a solid addition to young readers' collections.—Kristin J. Anderson
Kirkus Reviews
2022-01-11
It’s the summer before high school starts, and Karthik is miserable.
Forced to deliver orders for his parents’ struggling grocery store, pining after Juhi Shah, and harassed by neighborhood bullies, Karthik Raghavan can’t think of a worse way to spend his vacation. But Shanthi, a Boston University graduate student and aspiring playwright with a weakness for the Raghavan family store’s spicy chips, asks him to play the lead role in her play about the early life of Leonard Bernstein. Karthik starts to imagine himself as more than just a rising ninth grader: The more he learns about acting, the more he likes it, and it doesn’t hurt that his stunning memory helps him quickly master his lines. Karthik isn’t sure if he wants to grow up to be an actor, but he is sure that he wants to explore the possibility of doing so, a wish he’s positive his parents won’t support. The more he rehearses, and the faster the summer rolls on, though, the more the people in Karthik’s life surprise him—and the more motivated he feels to find himself. The book’s narratorial voice deftly shifts between sarcasm and pathos, creating a three-dimensional protagonist who values his Indian American family’s identity without being wholly defined by it. The author successfully avoids tired tropes about unsupportive immigrant parents by telling a multigenerational story that, most notably, examines how Karthik’s parents grapple with their own dreaming.
A refreshingly nuanced novel about what it means to chase your dreams. (Fiction. 10-14)
