Puneet Bhandal

Melody Queen: Simi loves everything about music but especially making it. Yet, even at the tender age of 12, her path at Bollywood Academy near Mumbai has already been decided: She’s meant to be acting in Hindi films, a dream that she has inherited from her parents, who are part of Telugu cinema in South India. When the new school year starts, Simi finds herself caught between her own hopes and aspirations and the realities of her parents’ wishes. Even worse, she confronts the gender inequality that exists in the music industry. There’s also the virality of social media, the ardent friendships that are formed in boarding schools, and the petty jealousies and rivalries that manifest in this highly competitive field even if you’re a tweenager—not to mention the razzle-dazzle of stardom—all rolled up in one book. While keeping the spotlight firmly on Simi, the book manages to do justice to all the fairly privileged characters rattling about in a fairly privileged school that’s meant to get them ready to enter an often nepotistic industry, giving each of them space to develop and come into their own without the story feeling too cluttered. The problems facing child actors aside, the book highlights entrenched biases in the film industry while also being a fun, breezy read.

Much ado about Bollywood in this glamour-filled story featuring strong characterization. (Fiction. 9-13)