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Summary
Summary
Eleven-year old Dini loves movies--watching them, reading about them, trying to write her own--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 India...and, not even to Bombay, which is the center of the Bollywood universe and home to Dini's all-time most favorite star, Dolly. No, Dini is moving to a teeny, tiny village she can't even find on a map. Swapnagiri. It means Dream Mountain and it only looks like a word that'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 doesn't mean there aren't surprises in Swapnagiri like mischievous monkeys and a girl who chirps like a bird--and the biggest surprise of all: Dolly.
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.
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.
Author Notes
Uma Krishnaswami is the author of several books for children including The Grand Plan to Fix Everything and The Problem with Being Slightly Heroic . She was born in New Delhi, India, and now lives in British Columbia, Canada.
Abigail Halpin is an illustrator/graphic designer living in New England who likes bright colors, all things retro, and sharp pencils.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Krishnaswami perfectly captures movie-star infatuation, best-friendship, geographical displacement, and youthful determination in this exuberant blend of American tween life and Indian village culture. When 11-year-old Dini's physician mother gets a grant to work at a clinic in the tiny village of Swapnagiri in India, Dini is plucked out of her contented life in suburban Maryland. Distraught about abandoning her BFF Maddie-who truly understands Dini's passion for Indian movie-star Dolly Singh-and their plans to attend Bollywood dance camp, she nevertheless remains optimistic as she tries to plot her new life, and those of the people she meets, as a screenplay. Krishnaswami (Naming Maya) interlaces Dini's story with lighthearted portrayals of the Indian film industry and postal system; she neatly and satisfactorily resolves every dilemma, suggesting elements of magic ("[W]hen you are moving... to a place whose name means `dream mountain,' your mind begins to open up in strange ways") while remaining firmly grounded in reality. An out-of-the-ordinary setting, a distinctive middle-grade character with an unusual passion, and the pace of a lively Bollywood "fillum" make this novel a delight. Ages 8-12. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Dini's family is moving from Maryland to a small town in India. She worries about missing her best friend; however, a cast of memorable characters, including Dini's favorite Bollywood star and some chocolate-cake-eating monkeys, keeps her busy. The third-person present-tense narration, which reads something like a movie script, leads readers to expect the unexpected. Cheery black-and-white illustrations set the scene. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Eleven-year-old Dini Kumaran loves Bollywood movies, especially star Dolly Singh. But Dolly's recent songs seem unhappy, and Dini is worried. When her parents announce that they're moving from Maryland to India her parents' birthplace for Mom's work, Dini is sad to leave her best friend, Maddie, and miss Bollywood dance camp. Still, she is excited to possibly meet even help Dolly. And when Dini learns Dolly might actually be staying in Swapnagiri, where her family is, Dini is convinced that their meeting is meant to be. Increasingly, Dini discovers that people and events are connected in sometimes unexpected ways, and along with many mishaps and misinterpretations come revelations that might just lead to a Bollywoodesque happy finale for all. 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.--Rosenfeld, Shell. Copyright 2010 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Dini and Maddie, 11-year-old BFFs, are together again in this sequel to The Grand Plan to Fix Everything (S & S, 2011). In this novel, the girls are just as starstruck with dazzling Bollywood actress Dolly Singh and eagerly await her arrival in Washington, DC, where she will have her first U.S. fillum (film) premiere. When the celebrity arrives at the airport dripping and dropping her jewelry in typical Dolly-fashion, she discovers that her passport is missing. Dini comes to the rescue, and the plot springs into a comedic romp to retrieve the passport, find a rose petal milkshake (the only thing that can soothe Dolly's nerves), and locate an elephant for the big event. With the help of her friends, the intrepid girl takes care of the unfortunate mishaps that continue to pop up in the days before the premiere, leaving her feeling "slightly heroic." The narrative is light and lilting, with some dialect woven in, and the details will help kids visualize the story's cultural nuances, while Halpin's black-and-white sketches effectively animate significant events. Dini remains grounded and honest throughout the narrative, even as she begins to doubt her friendship with Maddie when a third girl enters the scene. The protagonist also realizes that even though Dolly is beautiful, sweet, generous, and a true star, she is also slightly egocentric and spoiled. Humorous, entertaining, and with a sprinkle of stardust, this book is an enjoyable treat for the tween set, including reluctant readers.-D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus 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 it'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 monkeysall 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. (Fiction. 9-13) ]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Chapter One MJTJ DOLLY SINGH'S FABULOUS FACE FLOATS across the screen of the TV in the family room. Two happy sighs float off the couch, one from Dini and the other from her best friend, Maddie. Dini is a Dolly fan. She has been forever, from the time she discovered that Dolly's first movie, in which she was just a kid, came out the day--the very day!--that Dini was born. You can't be more closely connected than that. Maddie is a fan because best friends share everything. Closer and closer comes Dolly's face, until her hair turns to mist and the sunlight catches her brown gold skin. Dolly opens her mouth to sing a perfectly tuneful song in this, her latest movie, Mera jeevan tera jeevan , or My Life Your Life , MJTJ for short. Dini and Maddie sing along, tapping their feet and dropping from the words into quick little "la-la-la's" whenever they have to. "Dolly is sooooo . . .," Dini says. "She is," Maddie agrees. "She's sooooo . . ." So smart. So elegant. So talented. So perfect. Other stars must rely on lip-synching and playback singers. Not Dolly. Dolly can act. She can dance as if her feet were on fire. And she can sing. "I'd love to meet her," Maddie says. "Wouldn't that be awesome?" "Oh wow," says Dini. Not much else to say. She tap-taps her feet in a moment of pure delight. "You know what I love about Dolly?" "Everything!" says Maddie, throwing her arms wide in that special Dolly way. "Oh yeah, but you want to know specially what?" She has just this moment realized this thing about Dolly. "When she says stuff, people listen!" "Except the bad guys," Maddie points out, "and we know what happens to them." "Must be nice to say stuff and have people listen," Dini says. "Dini," Maddie tells her. "I will always listen to you. Anytime." "I know that," Dini says. "I meant--you know, parents and people." "Oh. Parents," says Maddie. It's true. Parents do seem to exist just to complicate the life of a kid. Dini's parents, for example, are not fans. They laugh at the sad parts in the movies and groan at the funny ones, even though they are from India, where Dolly lives, and they should know better. "Oh-oh-oh, listen!" Dini says, "Here comes that amazing song." "Sunno-sunno," Dolly sings, right into their hearts, "dekho-dekho." Dini listen-listens. She look-looks. And here is the best part. Maddie is doing exactly the same thing. Two friends together, sharing this wonderful music. What could be better? Many people love Bollywood movies from India. They are made in the city of Bombay, which is now really called Mumbai, only filmi people like Dini still call it by the old name because it's classier. The dialogue in these movies is all in Hindi, but you can get them with subtitles in languages from Arabic to French to Thai because so many people all over the world are fans, just like Dini and Maddie. "I can't wait for dance camp," Dini says. "I know, me neither," Maddie says. "It'll be soooo . . ." Maddie's parents are not from India, and Maddie understands even less Hindi than Dini does, but little things like language don't get in the way of a really good fillum, which is what true fans affectionately call these movies. Fillums. In just another month Dini and Maddie will be in that camp for a whole two weeks of Bollywood dance--what a treat that will be. Chan-chan-chan , go Dolly's silver anklets. Dhoom-taana-dhoom , go the drumbeats. Dini and Maddie watch MJTJ from start to finish, snapping their fingers and tapping their feet. Then they watch the special features, with interviews and bios of everyone from the camera people to the director to the stars, including, of course, Dolly herself. "Wait-wait-wait," Dini says, "go back just a bit." "What? To the interview?" Maddie hits the back arrow on the remote. "Hey, they're talking in English." A TV reporter is interviewing Dolly and asking her for her opinion on the latest trends in Hindi movies. "It's surreal what's happening in the movie business," Dolly is saying. "Surreal, I tell you." "What's that mean?" Maddie says. "Surreal?" Dini shakes her head. "Real" she gets, and "unreal." But "surreal"? What's that? "I'll ask my dad," she says. Dad is her vocabulary consultant for the Hindi words and sometimes a few English ones too. Playing the interview over is not much help. Dolly says that the Bombay movie business is becoming that surreal thing, whatever it is. "She doesn't seem happy," Dini says. "What do you think?" "You're right," Maddie agrees. True fans can pick up on even the tiniest of cues. "Nandu!" It's Mom. "Are you upstairs? Listen, sweetoo, I have news for you." Dini wishes her parents would not call her Nandu. In their time, in the last century, that was how you shortened Dini's real name, which is Nandini. Mom comes in with a handful of mail (including the latest copy of Filmi Kumpnee magazine). "Hi, Maddie, I didn't know you were here. Nandu, guess what? I just got the contract in the mail. Such wonderful news." What contract? What news? Dini pauses Dolly with a click so she can listen to whatever boring thing Mom is about to tell her. Mom puts the new Filmi Kumpnee into Dini's outstretched hand. "We're moving to India," she says. © 2011 Uma Krishnaswami Excerpted from The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
