In the Key of Nira Ghani by Natahsa Deen, 304 pages. Running Press Teens, April 2019. $18.

Language: PG-13 (22 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Nira is barely making it through high school, with only Emily as her friend and Georgia, her pocket trumpet, as solace. But things are changing – Noah, the local BMOC, and McKenzie, Nira’s chief tormentor, are horning in on the duo for some reason. Even Farrah, her rich, stuck-up cousin, seems to be hanging around more. Between rocky friendships and the weight of her family’s expectations, Nira turns more to her music, but there is a chance for disaster.

I like Nira quite a lot. Nira’s story is similar to many other previous stories about kids whose parents don’t want to leave any room for them to grow up and away and friendships that can – sometimes in good ways and sometimes away from each other. Who I don’t like is the jazz band teacher at her school – he is callous man who probably drove more kids away from performing than her did encouraging them to perform. An easy read to enjoy.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

This is a little more than just an average coming of age high school story. Its a struggle that goes deeper than just parents and child but into the struggle of culture. Nira's family wants to her be a doctor, they see that as the only type of success but Nira wants to be a musician that success is bigger than just becoming a doctor.

I liked Nira as a character, shes so wrapped up in her own struggles that she doesn't see or understand her friends struggles. I never found Nira to be too self center to see Mac, Emily, Noah and her cousin Farah's issues and she does open up and realize her own mistakes.

The best parts though are when Nira interacts with her family. I wished there had been more about the Guyanese culture but there was one particular section about Nira's fathers reaction to her buying clothes from a consignment story that really stood out to me. Its something so simple, how buying vintage or second hand is not just normal but popular can bring back such horrible feelings for Nira's father. Those are the best parts that really drive the story.

The ending was a bit off to me. I saw it coming, although it didn't play out like I thought but I wish that it had been different. I felt like it brought the family together in a way that felt unnatural and forced to me. I wanted to see Nira and her father come together on her desire to play music in a more fluid way. That was really what dragged down my enjoyment of the book from what it could have been.

Overall I think it would be a good read for younger teens.

I was given an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I went into this book thinking it was going to be a run of the mill book about high schooler's with the main character being from Guyana. But this book isn't really a HS drama, it's more of a introspective of Nira's family and her looking back at her previously unnoticed flaws. She wants to join the jazz band at school, but is surprised when Mackenzie (a girl at her school who Nira sees as vapid and dumb) plays the Saxophone, and plays it well. This is juxtaposed with her cousin Farah who is better, richer, and prettier etc. than her in every way, who is initially kinda of a bitch she later comes into her own and shows that she has her own problems and Nira sees that people are more than there appearance.

The book has a lot of humor, especially between Nira and her grandmother as well as her side comments made about just about everybody. I found this to be the best part(s) and carried me through the book. While yes, there is somewhat of a romance (I say somewhat because Noah is a barely there character who is just there because I don't know it's a YA?) but the main story is on Nira and the people around her, and her growing interest in jazz band.

I liked learning about Nira's home life, her life in Guyana and having to relocate to Canada and what that means to her as a person. She wants to be Canadian like everyone else (by buying expensive clothes) but she also wants to keep her culture, a balance that she finds by joining the jazz band. I feel the book frames this well, and the relationships throughout make the somewhat twist towards the end very complete and natural.

It's a hidden gem that I think could be a major hit for 2019

I found this to be enjoyable, but ultimately forgettable. Perhaps I’ve just read too many YA books at this point, but it seemed very reminiscent of others I have read.

(Review originally posted on GoodReads.)

3.5 stars, rounded up. I didn't love this book, but I enjoyed it, and I think rounding up to 4 stars is a fair assessment. Cute, and nice to see an #OwnVoices book, but I feel like I’m getting too old to really enjoy YA slice-of-life books like these.

+ Nira is pretty well fleshed out, as is her cousin Farah and the rest of Nira's family, but I feel like I don't know Nira's social circle (Emily, Mac, and Noah) all that well. I liked that Nira's conflict was primarily focused on her family and her desire to forge her own path. It's also nice that she's judgemental and rude; it made her feel more realistic. Farah is your stereotypical "seems like a popular jerk but really has a heart of gold"/"her perfect life isn't actual perfect" tropes, but them being tropes didn't particularly bother me since they was well-developed.

+ Noah, Nira's love interest, is bland but inoffensive. I feel like that's pretty much the best one can ask for when it comes to male LIs in YA stories. He's pretty much just there to be nice and supportive to Nira. At least the romance is kept to a minimum and isn't the focus of the story. And no love triangle! That was a plus.

+ Emily and Mac got the short end of the stick in terms of development. I don't really feel like I know who they are as characters. Mac comes across a being a total jerkass for the first 1/2 of the book and I didn't really buy the later explanation for all that. Might have worked better if it had been explored further, especially in the first half of the book.

+ The plot is ... okay. This is where the book kind of falters for me, personally. It's nothing terrible, but it's not particularly groundbreaking anyway. Which is fine, and there's nothing wrong with straightforward, slice-of-life stories (especially since onces featuring non-white characters are family uncommon), but it didn't really grab me or move me in any significant way. To be fair, there's quite a large age gap between myself and the characters; I'm certainly not the target audience.

+ The writing is fine. Nothing spectacular, but that's fine. All of the characters had distinctive voices and the banter between Nira and her grandmother was nice and felt real.

Honestly, I didn't read this book, but I want to explain why. I knew 2 pages in this wasn't a book for me. I know we all bring the context of our lives to every book we read. In the context of my life, I can't stand certain things, like cow eyeballs. So squeamish! I just can't read it. So, unfortunately I didn't continue.

At the beginning of this book I couldn't really stand Nira. I thought she grew within the story and had to deal with a lot because of her parents expectations and her race.
A great addition to middle grade fiction.

This book is a hidden gem! It is the story of the brown-skinned immigrant child trying to fit in but still please the parents. Nira is Indian, from Guyana, living in Canada. She loves jazz music but her parents want her to be a doctor. She also feels pressure fr9m her rich cousins and from being the only brown child in school. She is a wonderful protagonist!

It would be nice if the PDF was not a bunch of blank pages. I still love the concept though. These type of stories are important.

A gorgeously-written book that delivers a powerful message. With a multilayered protagonist, lyrical writing, and a captivating plot; this book will enthrall you. This novel deals with an important issue and handles the nuances of marginalized culture. I highly recommend!

Such a powerful novel with such a strong message. This book reminded me a lot of The Hate You Give for the theme of standing up for what you believe is right and fighting for your dreams. Nira's tenacity and bravery is very inspiring and motivating to the young reader in teaching them to pick their battles and fight until the very end. The world is what you make it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This will be definitely considered for our YFiction collection at the library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.