Sona Sharma, a Friend Indeed by Chitra Soundar, Jen Khatun
Published by Candlewick Press on 10/22/24
ISBN: 1536238163
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

In this third book in the Sona Sharma series, Sona is having problems with her two best friends, Joy and Renu.  It starts when her teacher announces that they will be holding an election to choose the class leader.  When boastful Prandeep announces he is running, Sona decides to run too, in order to prevent him from winning.  Joy and Renu immediately stop talking to her and don’t tell Soma why.  As Soma prepares for the election, Soma is left to wonder why her friends are ignoring her. The next day, Joy volunteers to become a candidate, leaving Sona even more confused about what to do.  Luckily Sona is part of a very supportive family and she gets support and advice at home and eventually figures out the best way to proceed in this difficult situation.  Sona does a lot of self reflection and is able to mend the relationship with Joy and Renu, apologizing for her mistakes. Her friends also apologize, but there isn’t much character development with Joy and Renu, and their apologies fall a little flat. This book is ideal for readers who are starting to read chapter books.  There are black and white illustrations throughout the book, breaking up the text and giving readers a little more insight into life in India.  The glossary also includes Indian terms that are used in the story.  While this is the third book in this series, readers do not need to have read the previous books, as there is a description of the characters at the beginning of this story.

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library