That Thing about Bollywood

Review from my daughter Paige (13yo):An Indian American girl must find her way out of an alternate reality and confront her feelings about her parents fighting.Sonali, an eleven-year-old girl, is going through many changes. Her parents constantly fight, pretending that everything is okay on the outside. Her best friend, Zara, is becoming more chummy with her other friend, Airplane O'Neil, or Air for short. Finally, when her parents announce to Sonali and Ronak (her little brother) that they're separating, something changes in the world overnight. Everything in Sonali's life turned into an alternate Bollywood movie. Will Sonali find the root of the cause of her "Bollywooditis"?First, what a stunning and colorful cover; "Don't judge a book by its cover?" Unfortunately, that's not true; I was dragged by it and wanted to read it immediately.I had heard of Bollywood before but needed to know what it meant. Bollywood is a humorous nickname for the Indian cinema industry. They produce movies with many songs and dances, lavish sets, and glamorous costumes. The Bollywooditis was wacky, and I loved the solos that Sonali and the others sang.The book perfectly matches August's theme of BeTWEEN the Bookends box; "Life is a Movie, and you are the Star."When Sonali can't control her emotions, she is suddenly transported into a Bollywood song-and-dance act. She is the show's star.But she can't indefinitely hide behind the stage curtains. Her parents are separated, and I felt terrible about Sonali and Ronak's situation. It was very emotional when I read those parts regarding the parents. I also can relate to the friends growing apart.Sonali is a complicated person and very relatable. She doesn't show emotion but feels it underneath, like me. Ronak is a cute and very touching boy. I had a lot of complicated feelings about their parents. I wasn't too fond of how Zara was acting towards Sonali. Air was an intelligent and kind girl despite the situation with Zara and Sonali.Give this magical book to any kids struggling to express their feelings.

"I would recommend this book for kids to read because it's interesting and it teaches you about Bollywood and Indian culture."

It is all very well to dance when you are happy. But what happens when you dance because the magic makes you. And you dance when you are angry and scared and it is normal like in a Bollywood movie.This is what happens to the main character who went from watch these types of movies to be in the middle of one as the real world becomes one.No. Not a dream. Sad but funny at the same time.

Supriya Kelkar’s books always teach readers, whether it is historical fiction shedding light on the past or contemporary fiction that is a window for students. For every reader that learns something new, many others see themselves in her books. In this middle grade novel, Sonali’s parents are fighting and she doesn’t express how she’s feeling about it. In fact, she keeps her emotions so bottled up that one day, they all come spilling out through song and dance, like she’s in a Bollywood movie. This is new to Sonali, but everyone else in her life is acting as though this behavior is normal. Will she figure out why it started and what she needs to do to stop? I loved the realistic parts of the plot, (changing family dynamics, friendship woes and self-reflection) just as much as the magical elements. There’s no doubt this will be a popular read in middle grade classrooms.

My parents immigrated from to the United States before I was born, so I very much relate to Diaspora experiences. Growing up, and even now, I hardly saw this represented authentically in fiction. Supriya captures some of those basic challenges so naturally in this book. It's a great story and one I shared with my kids, but I think it's more than that too, because it led me to recall and reflect on my own life, in a really fun way. So many idiosyncrasies, so many unique experiences, and so much fun. Highly recommend this book!

The beginning of this book (maybe the first 1/3 of it) focuses a lot on Sonali's problems- her friend conflicts and her parents continuous fighting. It was pretty hard, and I wondered where the book would go. Then, Sonali's world magically shifts, and she finds that her life had turned into a Bollywood. She has a theme song, she sings solos randomly in school, color splashes across walls, and so much more, and everyone thinks it's normal life. This shift from depressing to Bollywood-life was magical, and I enjoyed. I also think that many students will find this a mirror-book (especially students with parents going through a divorce). I'd definitely recommend this to 6th grade and up.

This was a beautiful, diverse story about the power of expressing yourself in a healthy way. It covers topics like divorce and the partition of India and Pakistan. And then there's the Bollywood references, the moving and funny song and dance numbers, this was such a fun read. I also love how Kelkar has a boy character who is sensitive and expresses his emotions so well. Great read. I'm excited to get another copy for my son's class.

That Thing About Bollywood reads like a movie. Author Supriya Kelkar’s writing has a cinematic feel to it, especially when Sonali starts singing and dancing. By the end, even someone who’s never heard of a Bollywood movie would have a good sense of how they play out.While the Bollywood elements add flavor to the novel, it’s the emotions that play out during the song-and-dance numbers that really carry the book forward. It’s through the music that Sonali is able to access and begin to process her own feelings.It does take a while for the Bollywood-like action to begin, making That Thing About Hollywood feel a touch too long. The pacing picks up about a third of the way in, giving the book a much-needed lift. A glossary of terms also would have been a nice touch.That Thing About Bollywood is an engaging read that will especially appeal to readers who enjoy music, dance and film.