Misfit Madhu
Divya Anand
2022
Puffin Books
pp 277
As the name of the book says, the story revolves around the life of Madhu, a class seven student, who feels that she doesn’t fit in with the rest of her class. She is different from her peers as she is more interested in computers than in fashion, she does not ace the class like her older brother, and her family abides by beliefs that set her apart from others in the class. As a hobby she pursues during one summer vacation, she develops an app for school students, which goes viral and ends up helping her win a big contest, making her popular among her friends. The whole process helps her to gain confidence and be noticed. The book includes a lesson on taking responsibility for your actions, and covers many themes of identity exploration and family life.
The book is appropriately written for pre teens and I think the themes would resonate with them. I do recommend it to teachers and parents who engage with children in middle school. If you want to get some grip on what is happening in the psychosocial world of middle schoolers that has us adults in a permanent tizzy, this book is a good start.