The Whole Story of Half a Girl in Mock Newbery 2026

May 15, 2012 Wendy rated it liked it

This is a pretty good book, but it's disturbingly derivative of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, even to the scene at the first co-ed sixth grade party where they're playing kissing games and someone says this is boring, let's play two minutes in the closet. It was already a little too heavily reminiscent for me, with the question of what religion you are when your parents are two different things and you're not really being raised one or the other (though here there's a mixture of question This is a pretty good book, but it's disturbingly derivative of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, even to the scene at the first co-ed sixth grade party where they're playing kissing games and someone says this is boring, let's play two minutes in the closet. It was already a little too heavily reminiscent for me, with the question of what religion you are when your parents are two different things and you're not really being raised one or the other (though here there's a mixture of questions about religion and ethnicity, and Sonia isn't being raised atheist, but more-or-less a semi-secular Jew), moving to a new school, making new friends with girls who are cooler than you, etc. But it was that party scene that really annoyed me.

The interactions with Sonia's Catholic or Episcopalian friend Kate and Kate's family were the most interesting parts of the book. I was puzzled at first by why the book was acting like Kate's mother was worse than she is (it's implied that she's a shopaholic, and she's maybe a little shallow, but she's got a lot of good qualities; she certainly doesn't seem anti-Semitic, which is implied in Sonia's and Sonia's mother's reactions), until I understood that the author was showing Sonia's mother to be sort of judgmental and inclined to prejudice, too. But I think this point might be too subtle for young readers, who might read it thinking that Jackie is a bad person somehow. Both Kate and Jackie are nicely complex characters.

The other thing that bugged me (besides the Judy Blume stuff) is how much this book felt like a case study for a book on parenting psychology; Sonia notices and wonders about things that don't ring true to me as things kids put into words or thoughts, like the economic comparisons she makes between her house and Kate's (where the parents' jobs are less fancy but the house is more fancy). The best scenes are those with the parents, where all that stuff feels more natural coming out of their mouths instead of Sonia's. I don't know what a kid might make of it all. ...more

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Mar 17, 2012 Susan Dunn rated it really liked it

Shelves: j-fiction, diverse-titles

Sonia has always gone to the same small non-traditional school, which she loves. She has lots of friends and gets along with all of her teachers too. When her dad loses his job she has to transfer to the local public school, where making all new friends and fitting in doesn't come easily. Sonia's dad is from India and her mom is Caucasian. In her new school no one looks like her. And just as she is having trouble in school, her home life is extra stressful too. Her dad isn't working, so he's cra ...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Brandy rated it liked it

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I really felt that the writing was good. I feel that the author was able to portray the hard things that a 6th grader has to go through but on the other hand parts of this book were just so darn depressing.

I think that this book explores the issues a middle grade student can face really well. The thing I am having a hard time with is that there are also so many happy elements to middle school life too.

Maybe my home life and my children's home l ...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: jfic

It took me a little while to warm up to this, but by the end I liked it pretty well. Related to the moments of confusion of being half of this and half of that. Best friend storyline reminded me of Emma (Jane Austen), and Judy Blume. Depiction of dad's scary decline into depression was good. ...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Samantha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Great characterization, both of the main character and the secondary characters. Spending time in Sonia's head is realistic, relatable, and hard because as a 12 year old girl of mixed heritage (Indian father, Jewish mom) she is struggling with identity issues. Many relationships are explord through the main character: mother daughter, father daughter, sibling, female friendships and each relationship teaches Sonia something about herself. The writing is beautiful; descriptive passages read like ...more

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Aug 29, 2011 Doret rated it really liked it

Sonia has always attended the same private school, Community. After Sonia's father loses his job, there's not enough money to send Sonia and her younger sister, Natasha to Community. Come the new school year Sonia will be entering the sixth grade and going to public school for the first time. At her private school Sonia was never questioned about her identity. Though at the new school, some of other students ask Sonia, What are you? Sonia is trying her best to fit in but finding it difficult whe ...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Hannah rated it liked it

Shelves: kids, middle-grade

A sweetly written story about a 6th grader coming to terms with her various identities and perceived "otherness". It had some interesting elements -- it addresses class in a slightly more nuanced way than a lot of other middle-grade books, and also attempts to address clinical depression, but all the characters other than Sonia felt like propped-up generic types and the plot is rushed through at the end and wrapped up too neatly. Overall, nice, but a little shallow. ...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Caren rated it it was amazing

Shelves: children-s-fiction, indian, indian-authors

Beautiful insight to a bicultural life through the eyes of an eleven year old girl. When her dad loses his job, life changes for Sonia. Her dad becomes depressed and she and her sister are now at a public school where the white kids all sit on one side and the bussed in black kids sit on the other. Sonia is 1/2 Jewish descent and 1/2 Indian. She tries to figure out where she fits in.
Should be considered for Newbery.

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Feb 21, 2012 Jodi rated it liked it

Shelves: social-issues

3.5 stars. Great coming of age middle grade read about finding yourself -- culturally, emotionally, socially, as part of a family, etc. Still processing, will write more later.

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