Review by Booklist Review
Twelve-year-old identical twins Maya and Chaya enjoy playing classical piano, challenging each other, and being best friends. But while Chaya can accept small imperfections in herself, Maya cannot, leading to much stress and anxiety. In an effort to lessen competitive pressure, Chaya changes all her activities, but rather than growing closer, the girls become increasingly estranged. Things finally change at summer camp, where they attempt the ultimate challenge: trading identities for the entire six weeks. LaRocca, who received a Newbery Honor for Red, White, and Whole (2021), offers readers a new novel in verse, employing ghazels (a poetic form popular in Arabia and South Asia) alternately narrated by Maya and Chaya. This form enables readers to fully understand Maya's intense anxiety as well as the mirror-related incident that led to her fears. Secondary themes involving their parents' marital discord and the twins' best friends (who each have their own issues) are also well handled. Although Maya's recovery without therapy or medication feels a bit unrealistic, this likable South Asian family is sure to draw in readers.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--8--Chaya and Maya are identical twins with a strong bond. Maya has been keeping a secret since they were six years old, something even her twin doesn't know about. Chaya picks up on Maya's anxiety and wants to tell their parents, but Maya asks her to keep it undercover. When Chaya discovers Maya is harming herself by digging into to her hand with her own fingernails, seeing the blood shocks her into action. Blaming herself for the anxiety her twin is experiencing, Chaya changes her interests and activities to those different from Maya, to give her space to shine. Unfortunately, Maya sees this as her sister pulling away from her and feels isolated. Each sister feels like the other twin has it easier, so they swap places while at camp--à la The Parent Trap--style musical Long Lost, which they both adore. This novel-in-verse is told in alternating, dual perspectives of Chaya and Maya, which give readers insight into their thoughts and Maya's superstitious secret. LaRocca has created each sister with her own clear voice that is easy to discern as the point of view shifts. The cadence of the lyrical free verse lends itself beautifully to the musical talents of both girls. Family dynamics give readers more understanding and compassion for Maya's perfectionist ways when another family member seems to experience similar pressure that sometimes results in tense situations. Anxiety is presented respectfully, with the goal of helping to remove stigma. VERDICT This engaging verse novel opens doors to more conversations about mental health and deserves a place on every middle grade shelf.--Lisa Krok
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Review by Horn Book Review
In this novel in verse, Maya and Chaya are identical seventh-grade twin sisters. Maya is hard on herself, always demanding perfection, while Chaya, chatty and impulsive, is âeoethe goofball.âe Both have a passion for music, are advanced in classical piano, love their summer music camp, and have serious âeoetwin telepathy.âe While these twins may seem like mirror images of each other, there are cracks in the surface: Maya experiences severe anxiety and believes that, because she broke a mirror, sheâe(tm)s at fault when bad things happen, while Chaya feels unseen in her more accomplished sisterâe(tm)s shadow. When Chaya decides that Mayaâe(tm)s anxiety is due to sibling competition, she quits all the activities they did together, causing a rift between the once-inseparable duo. LaRocca (Red, White, and Whole, rev. 5/21) explores the irony in the fact that, in trying to help and support the ones we love, we may actually hurt them. The book alternates emotionally intense, earnest poems between the two sistersâe(tm) perspectives. The poems have many memorable lines and engage with sophisticated formal elements such as thoughtful line breaks, italics, white space, and concrete poetry. A shocking twist ending reveals the lengths to which the twins will go to preserve their unique bond. While all eventually ends well, this nuanced novel explores complex aspects of family and sibling dynamics and will give readers much to ponder. Julie Hakim AzzamMarch/April 2023 p.70 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
When anxiety creates a wedge between sisters, how far will they drift apart? Twelve-year-old identical twins Maya and Chaya face life side by side and have boundless love for each other. Maya is superstitious, a perfectionist, and struggles with anxiety. Chaya, the younger twin, is freer and more easygoing and looks up to her sister. Their Indian American family's life includes drama, with the girls' constantly arguing parents feeling strain in their marriage, the stark contrast of a carefree 6-year-old brother, and family friends who know too much about everything. Written in verse in the girls' alternating voices, the novel immediately shows readers the differences in mindset between the two sisters. LaRocca deftly uses music as an emotional soundtrack for mental illness: Both girls excel at classical piano, yet Maya's perfectionism pushes her to harm herself. Protective Chaya switches to musical theater to reduce the competitive burden on Maya, but this backfires, increasing the anxiety levels for both. The verse form crystalizes the action, growing with the pressures these girls put on themselves. Seeing the same events through the eyes of each twin provides a glimpse into the insidious nature of unchecked anxiety. The ending is realistically untidy, yet clearly, hope has overpowered shame and guilt in this imperfect family. A lyrical story that delves into the emotional truths of mental illness. (Verse fiction. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
