By Maria Marianayagam
New York: Harper, 2025. Fiction. 237 pages.
8th grader Ajay Anthonipillai has always abided by his Sri Lankan parents' strict rules -- things like "Straight A's only," "Always dress nicely," "No working while in school," and more. At his old school, these rules helped him excel as a student, but also left him with the reputation of "Obnoxious Ajay." At his new school, Ajay wants to be different -- starting with getting on the good side of the popular school bully Jacob. When Jacob goads Ajay into stealing a candy bar from the convenience store next to school, Ajay reluctantly agrees and then is shocked to find out he is the winner of a local company's $1 million sweepstakes. Before he knows it, Ajay, who is desperate to keep his theft a secret, is lying to his parents and younger sister, working for "Scary Al" at the convenience store, and trying to figure out a way to cash in for his prize money. Will there ever be a way for Ajay to make everything right?
Ajay and his Sri Lankan family are at the center of this realistic novel that focuses a lot on the relationship between first and second generation immigrants. Ajay and his younger sister Aarthi have a realistically close bond, and readers will be interested to see how they both do their best to meet their parents' high expectations while trying to fit in at school. Even characters who appear only briefly are fleshed out, including Ajay's bullies. Ajay is bullied for his racial identity and at one point is called an ethic slur, which some readers may need some explanation around. Despite that, this winning novel avoids becoming too heavy, with lots of karate, yummy foods, and a budding young romance.
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