In the Key of Nira Ghani

February 1, 2019
Nira Ghani is the only brown girl in her Canadian school yet she feels invisible.She stands out for the wrong reasons and longs to feel a sense of belonging. She's a Guyanese child of immigrant parents who have traditional values and dream for her to become a doctor, but her passion is music. The only people Nira feels truly see her are her grandmother and her best friend, Emily. Nira decides to audition for the jazz band at school, knowing that getting her parents to consent will be a battle. She nevertheless makes a plan, which includes getting a job to cover the cost of a trumpet--something else her parents will oppose. But these are not her only challenges. Nira finds that life doesn't unfold the way you picture it or even how you want it to, and she learns the value in unexpected blessings and lessons. She navigates changes in her relationships with friends, family, and even a potential new love. Deen (Lark Takes a Bow, 2018, etc.) infuses her family's Guyanese immigrant history into this novel about the exploration and discovery of self and the world. Mentions of everyday cultural traditions are welcome additions to this tale of a teen finding the courage to stand up for her individuality while honoring the people she comes from.A charming, honest, and heartwarming story that will leave readers satiated and happy. (Fiction. 12-adult)

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April 1, 2019

Gr 9 Up-Nira is the only child of a strict, lower middle class Guyanese couple living in America with her loving, wise grandmother. Expectations are high, a medical career the only acceptable one, while Nira identifies as a self-taught trumpet player. The postcolonial reality of a heightened generation gap in the family takes the form of sarcasm, which invades most of Nira's early interactions with her parents. They do not support her music, but her grandmother's peaceful presence with a cup of tea mitigates much of the conflict. When Nira develops a crush on Noah and hears about the competitive auditions for the school jazz band, her social horizons start to shift, as well as her relationship with her stunning cousin, Farah, who has a better wardrobe and a more financially successful set of immigrant parents. When Nira goes on vacation with Farah and gets to know her rebellious cousin better, her insecurity and jealousy come to the surface, but she soon realizes that not every boy likes the prettiest girl on the block-some are attracted to most authentic. Teens looking for characters capable of compassion and forgiveness, as well as characters who transcend the binary stereotypes of a good and bad girl, might find a friend in Nira, relief in Noah, and compassion for the flashier and unhappier Farah. VERDICT A younger high school crowd with an appetite for snark will enjoy the bumpy road that Nira walks toward authenticity, love, and true friendship.-Sara Lissa Paulson, City-As-School High School, New York City

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2019
Everyone has an idea of who Nira Ghani is. Her parents, Guyanese immigrants of Indian heritage, insist she do better than your best in her suburban Canadian high school, then attend medical school and achieve financial success. To her schoolmates, Nira is the only brown girl and often mistaken for being African (classmates confuse Guyana with Ghana). Nira keeps her true self a secret: she is a self-taught musician who plays on a secondhand pocket trumpet she calls Georgia, and she wants to audition for the school jazz band. With the help of her grandmother, who believes the solution to every problem starts with a cup of tea, Nira convinces her parents to allow her to try out. Along the way, Nira not only validates her own talent and less-than-perfect instrument but also sees that her friend Emily and her cousin Farah are struggling as well to come to terms with their own identities and family situations. This bittersweet, humorous coming-of-age story represents a common issue faced by children of immigrants: wanting to be seen and loved for who they really are. There are no easy solutions or redemption narratives; stubborn parents don't change, but Nira is a hopeful character to whom many readers can relate. julie hakim azzam

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2019
Nira, daughter of stubborn Guyanese-Indian immigrants and the "only brown girl" in her Canadian high school, auditions for the school jazz band. As Nira validates her own talent, she sees that her friend Emily and her cousin Farah are also struggling to come to terms with their identities and family situations. This bittersweet, humorous coming-of-age story offers no easy solutions or redemption narratives, but Nira is a hopeful, relatable character.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)