The Problem with Being Slightly Heroic by Uma Krishnaswami (review)
Buy Issue for $25 at JHUP- The Problem with Being Slightly Heroic by Uma Krishnaswami
Eleven-year-old Dini is back in the States for an extended visit after spending the last ten months in her new home in India (in The Grand Plan to Fix Everything, BCCB 9/11). Besides getting to enjoy nightly sleepovers with her best pal Maddie, Dini is heading up the children's dance group that will be part of the opening [End Page 100] reception for the Smithsonian's exhibit on Indian cinema, which will feature Dolly Singh, the biggest star of Bollywood and Dini's friend and neighbor back in India. Dini just wants to make sure Dolly's visit is perfect, but a lost passport, a tiff with Maddie, a wayward elephant, and a serious lack of Dolly's beloved Indian rose-petal milkshakes make that task seem nearly impossible. In true Bollywood fashion, however, all the drama makes for an even happier ending, and the breezy, short chapters happily skip among the individual mishaps to come together in a most spectacular and danceworthy conclusion. Although the characters are a bit one-note, each is immensely likable even in their less than charming moments, and Dini's struggles with Maddie as well as her concern with impressing the right people will resonate with young readers. The tone here is less programmatic than in the first installment, making this a particularly delightful return visit with Dini and company.
