Eleven-year-old Jewish girl Ari courageously searches for her own voice in How to Find What You're Not Looking For, a tender middle-grade historical novel from Newbery Honor author Veera Hiranandani (The Night Diary).
It's 1967 and the United States Supreme Court has legalized interracial marriage. Ari's older sister, Leah, elopes with her Indian boyfriend; the sisters' parents respond by disowning her. Ari, who has difficulty writing, misses Leah as both sister and support--Leah has always helped Ari finish schoolwork when writing became too physically painful. When Ari's new teacher brings in a typewriter, she hopes that one of her immediate concerns might have a solution. Ari soon discovers the power and freedom of poetry, and unloads all the grief, anxiety, joy and hope she's been holding in.
Hiranandani, who writes entirely in second person, places the reader squarely in Ari's shoes, creating a vivid reading experience perfect for tween fans of realism. --Kyla Paterno, freelance reviewer