title: The whole story of half a girl
author: Veera Hiranandani
date:Delacorte Press; 2012
main character: Sonia Nadhamuni
reading level: 4.2
Being ‘half a girl’ doesn’t matter much until Sonia has to change schools. She was accepted by everyone in her small private school, but she has to find new friends in her new school and this requires her to fit in somewhere. Will she hang with the Blacks or Whites? Cheerleaders or nerds? Why can’t these people all hang together?! She has to explain her name and that she’s not half American Indian, but half Indian from India.
Sonia makes friends with Alisha, a black girl who is bussed to the school. She also makes friends with Kate, a very popular white girl who develops a very controlling friendship with Kate. It’s really hard to determine Kate’s motives and whether she’s being a true friend to Sonia or not, just as it would be in real life. I wanted Sonia to be a stronger character and to better assert herself but the truth of the matter is, kids have to learn how to maneuver the world around them just as Sonia was doing in the story.
Sonya’s parents wanted her to change schools both because of their concern for her education and because her dad lost his job. As with many MG books, Sonia’s characters are not fully developed, so I found it difficult to even care when her father suddenly has a rather severe episode. This is probably the only fault I found in the book that gives an otherwise believable portrayal of a young girl who just wants to fit in.
