(2) YA It's 2021 in San Francisco, the "second spring of the pandemic," and twelve-year-old Boomi Gopalan is grieving the loss of her father, a physician who recently died of COVID-19. She's also feeling dejected about a botched ballet audition: although she has had ambitions to be a dancer all her life, she isn't selected to move on to the next level at her snobby ballet academy. When she's given her father's old boombox, Boomi discovers a crumpled note in the battery compartment that reads "you can change your life." The boombox transports her back in time to 1986 to a small English town called Thumpton-on-Soar, where she meets her father as a boy. Boomi experiments with time travel, going back and forth as she tries, indeed, to change her life and somehow prevent her beloved father's death. In the end, Boomi learns about the roots of her family's secrets, finds joy in dancing again with the classical Indian dance of Bharatanyam, and fights against the racist treatment of South Asian immigrants in Thumpton. Boomi learns lessons about staying true to herself and her heritage and that a "big change can start with the smallest action of the very smallest person." Sekaran's well-crafted prose, sharp sense of humor, and knack for building suspense will keep readers interested until the surprising, time-bending conclusion.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2023

(2) 4-6 Sixth grader Muki lives with his family in the (fictional) island nation of Mariposa. His grandmother arrives from India just as a wave of xenophobia puts them all at risk, separating the "Butterflies," who can trace their Mariposan heritage back three generations or more, and the "Moths," including Muki's family, whose ancestors arrived more recently. When Muki is assigned to work on a class project with Tinley, daughter of one of Mariposa's top generals, they slowly form a friendship that seems to bridge the gap between the two groups. Life becomes increasingly dangerous for the Moths, though, as the Mariposan government steps up surveillance of Muki's multicultural neighborhood and builds camps to hold Moths for deportation. Muki discovers that his parents are part of the Moth resistance that arises in response, and although they are reluctant to get him involved, he finds ways to fight for his community. Surprising allies--and traitors--are revealed as the Butterflies begin to round up the Moths, and Muki and his friends launch a plan for survival. Sekaran's world-building is compelling and distinctive, never overtaken by the story's clear message about intolerance. The character names (the president answers to "Bambi"; Tinley's dad is "Doggy") bring a touch of the ridiculous to the book's otherwise sober exploration of prejudice and authoritarianism; Muki's vivid enthusiasm makes him a compelling protagonist.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021