Nina Soni, Former Best Friend
Written by Kashmira Sheth
Illustrated by Jenn Kocsmiersky
The first title in Kashmira Sheth’s brand-new middle grade series features a distractible but lovable Indian-American girl and her list-making escapades alongside her family and friends.
Nina tried as hard as she could, but still somehow she forgot about her school project. Fortunately, a class lesson about Alexander Fleming suggests how she might make a great discovery—and thus a great project! But with little sister Kavita’s birthday party right around the corner, and her longtime friendship with Jay on the rocks, Nina has a lot to keep track of.
Readers are sure to relate to endearing and often forgetful Nina Soni and her slightly scatter-brained efforts to manage her life with lists, definitions, and real-life math problems.
“Sheth’s language is poetic in its simplicity, and her narratorial voice is a pleasure to read…. A sweet and entertaining series opener about family and friendship.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Attractive illustrations and the use of dialogue, lists, and definition boxes (showing terms as defined by Nina) within the narrative make this chapter book accessible to somewhat younger readers than most middle-grade fiction. Science will evidently be an ongoing theme in the new Nina Soni series, which features a flawed but refreshing and very likable protagonist as well as well-drawn home and school settings. A promising start for the series.” —Booklist
Get to know Kashmira Sheth and her inspiration for this entertaining story with our author Q&A, and use this discussion guide to answer fun questions about food, family, and the power of friendship.
Find Nina Soni, Former Best Friend today at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble, and be sure to check out the rest of our new Fall 2019 titles and those coming to Peachtree in paperback!