AMERICAN AS PANEER PIE

This sweet story about middle school kids coming to terms with their cultural identity seeks empathy--if not relatability--from its listeners. Priya Ayyar does a good job inviting listeners to consider multiple points of view in her compelling narration. Ayyar is especially skilled at capturing the earnestness and fear that accompany feeling like an outsider in middle school. Lekha is the only Indian-American in her school; determined to not stand out because of her culture, she nonetheless has to endure bullying relating to her bindi birthmark and other mean stereotypes. Ayyar deftly switches between many different voices and accents while maintaining a slight similarity to her Lekha voice, emphasizing the centrality of Lekha's perspective. E.J.S. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2020]