Ponweera, Thushanthi. I am Kavi. Holiday House, 09/2023. 272pp. Fiction. Trade $18.99. 978-0-8234-5365-8. GRADES 4 – 6. ADDITIONAL.
Ten-year-old Sri Lankan Kavi is angry and adrift. She grieves her father’s death and resents her mom’s remarriage. Now she’s away from her village, on scholarship at an elite city school and living in her aunt’s employer’s mansion. But she feels like an invisible fish out of water, which is why pretending to be a rich, beloved child comes so easily. Told in narrative verse, Kavi lays out her feelings and the events that build up to her deception and involvement in a scheme that could have disastrous results. The setting during the Sri Lankan Civil War is unique but the themes of belonging, friendship, and popularity are universal. The prose is direct and accessible, describing and telling more than showing. While several characters feel flat, Kavi, her aunt, and Sasha, the employer’s spoiled, lonely, and honest daughter, stand out as complex and dimensional. Back matter includes an afterword providing historical context and a glossary. Reviewed from a digital ARC.
Melissa McAvoy—Retired