Description: Lambas debut novel tells the story of how 15-year-old Sangeet Jumnals sleepy suburban life suddenly gets super complicated after her aunt moves in with her family.

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Children's Literature Review: Sangeet Jumnal's ordinary life in her happily biracial family in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, has been greatly complicated by the arrival of her aunt. Chachi is from Dad's side of the family, the Indian side, but she is different from Sang's other Indian relatives, who are "all sweet and nice and ask me questions about how I am and smile." Chachi's accent is harsh, her manner brusque, and if she seems like a caricature, that is quite plausibly how a harried Sang might view her in this story told in first person. Chachi turns the kitchen upside-down, seems completely obsessed with her own issues and needs, and reduces Sang's younger sister Doodles to tears. Meanwhile things are getting tense in school. Sang has a crush on Jason, and has heard from her best friend Gina that he might not be exactly indifferent. Dad, however, for reasons at odds with his own rebellious past, has turned traditional on his daughter and forbidden her to date. It all seems like a mix filled with the promise of te...

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