All That Chandni Knows by Khushboo Patel - OPTIONAL

All That Chandni Knows by Khushboo Patel, 272 pages. NOVEL IN VERSE Penguin, 2026. $19. 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG (menstruation, implied infidelity); Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - OPTIONAL 

 APPEALS TO: SOME 

12yo Chandni is intent on being a leader, a good friend, and a great student. In order to excel in academics, she wants to attend a prestigious boarding school. Everything is going well for her; she is the leader of her friend group, her parents are doctors so they can pay for her schooling (even though she is a girl), and, best of all, her crush may even like her too. But it seems, when all is good, something always happens, and a devastating family secret threatens to ruin everything, unraveling Chandni's friendships, schoolwork, and family relationships. 

This novel in verse was engaging and heartbreaking. Set in India in 1999 on the eve of the millennium, there is reference to change - friends moving to a bigger city, extended family emigrating to America, and the mirror of changes both at home and at school. I was surprised how similar their culture was to the US - watching sitcoms on TV, Walkmans, and cassette tapes. As it is told in verse, the chapters are very short. While I don't want to spoil the read by disclosing the family secret, it's hard to imagine confronting it as a middle schooler, and I'm torn about including it in my library. All the characters are Indian.

Lisa Librarian