4.0
Count Me In
By Varsha BajajPublisher Description
An uplifting story, told through the alternating voices of two middle-schoolers, in which a community rallies to reject racism.
Karina Chopra would have never imagined becoming friends with the boy next door--after all, they've avoided each other for years and she assumes Chris is just like the boys he hangs out with, who she labels a pack of hyenas. Then Karina's grandfather starts tutoring Chris, and she discovers he's actually a nice, funny kid. But one afternoon something unimaginable happens--the three of them are assaulted by a stranger who targets Indian-American Karina and her grandfather because of how they look. Her grandfather is gravely injured and Karina and Chris vow not to let hate win. When Karina posts a few photos related to the attack on social media, they quickly attract attention, and before long her #CountMeIn post--"What does an American look like? #immigrants #WeBelong #IamAmerican #HateHasNoHomeHere"--goes viral and a diverse population begin to add their own photos. Then, when Papa is finally on the road to recovery, Karina uses her newfound social media reach to help celebrate both his homecoming and a community coming together.
Karina Chopra would have never imagined becoming friends with the boy next door--after all, they've avoided each other for years and she assumes Chris is just like the boys he hangs out with, who she labels a pack of hyenas. Then Karina's grandfather starts tutoring Chris, and she discovers he's actually a nice, funny kid. But one afternoon something unimaginable happens--the three of them are assaulted by a stranger who targets Indian-American Karina and her grandfather because of how they look. Her grandfather is gravely injured and Karina and Chris vow not to let hate win. When Karina posts a few photos related to the attack on social media, they quickly attract attention, and before long her #CountMeIn post--"What does an American look like? #immigrants #WeBelong #IamAmerican #HateHasNoHomeHere"--goes viral and a diverse population begin to add their own photos. Then, when Papa is finally on the road to recovery, Karina uses her newfound social media reach to help celebrate both his homecoming and a community coming together.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities17 Reviews
4.0
Bibliobrandie
Created 8 months agoShare
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“I really enjoyed this book and think it will appeal to many middle grade students.”
Kaitlin Pothireddy
Created over 1 year agoShare
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Rosie
Created over 1 year agoShare
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“5 stars!!
I loved this book!!
This book is about a girl named Karina and a boy named Chris. They are neighbors but not "FRIENDS."
There are a lot of trigger warnings so I would search those up before you start reading this book.
This book was a book about a 7th grader and she unknownly becoming an actisvist.
There are loads of happy things that happen during this book but also things that need to be talked about more.
I loved this book so much, and this book is so underrated and needs to be heard of more.
Hope you all have a happy and healthy day!!
BYE!!
Merged review:
5 stars!!
I loved this book!!
This book is about a girl named Karina and a boy named Chris. They are neighbors but not "FRIENDS."
There are a lot of trigger warnings so I would search those up before you start reading this book.
This book was a book about a 7th grader and she unknownly becoming an actisvist.
There are loads of happy things that happen during this book but also things that need to be talked about more.
I loved this book so much, and this book is so underrated and needs to be heard of more.
Hope you all have a happy and healthy day!!
BYE!!”
Vanessa V
Created over 1 year agoShare
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bbarton
Created over 1 year agoShare
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About Varsha Bajaj
Varsha Bajaj (varshabajaj.com) also wrote the picture books The Home Builders and This Is Our Baby, Born Today (a Bank Street Best Book). She grew up in Mumbai, India, and when she came to the United States to obtain her master's degree, her adjustment to the country was aided by her awareness of the culture through books. In addition to her previous pictur books, she wrote the middle-grade novel Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood, which was shortlisted for the Cybils Award and included on the Spirit of Texas Reading Program. She lives in Houston, Texas.
Other books by Varsha Bajaj
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