V. Malar: Greatest Host of All Time by Archana Sreenivasan, Suma Subramaniam Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 1536229113
Genres: Cultural / African American, Realistic Fiction
Format: Middle Grade Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
It is time for the South Indian celebration of Pongal (the harvest festival). Malar’s cousins have come all the way from Seattle to join in the four-day celebration. She tries to be a super host after her mom reminds her, “we will treat our guests like gods, no matter what.” But that turns out to be difficult when her jet-lagged homesick cousins routinely act out (ruining the kolam rice powder decoration, complaining that everything is small, and more). Despite their misadventures and squabbles, they find camaraderie by the end of the festival and are very sad to say goodbye. Such a sweet story of reuniting families with different cultural experiences. Fun illustrations break up the text and help the reader to visualize the celebrations (though the illustrations may have missed an opportunity by being in black and white, given the vivid and colorful descriptions throughout the text). Glossary at the end. Recommended for ages 8-9 (3rd to 4th Grade).
Reviewed by: Jenn Mead, Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library, Lovell