The Grand Plan to Fix Everything

My 11-year-old daughter and I read this book one after the other, in 3 days. She loved it ("Wow, great fun" was her comment when she closed the book) and so did I.Now, what did I LOVE about The Gran Plan to Fix Everything ?First, the obvious : it is lovingly written and crafted, it is funny in a tongue-in-cheek way (the author mentioned somewhere being inspired by P.G. Woodhouse), it is a breath of fresh mountain air carrying the fragrance of blue flowers, and some goat smells, too.The fusion quality : Dini's parents are Indian, but she's growing up in the US. Dini's BFF is American, and she is as much a fan of Bollywood movies as Dini is. Emails, phone calls, and video computer calls allow both girls to remain in touch. Dini soon meets another girl named Priya whose parents are in Washington DC, but will soon be going to Chile, and then Haiti. This is the kind of world where people from different walks of life, different countries and cultures, all learn from each other. Oh, one last thing : we also get to "taste" curry puffs with a touch of chocolate, and dark chocolate scented with rose petals !Uma Krishnaswami, being of Indian origin, puts her own stamp on the English language, and I'm not talking syntax or grammar, here, but music, and a unique way of stringing words together. You can see this is someone who loves the picture book medium and studied it extensively. Her language literally sings and dances and follows some of the cadences of the Hindi and Tamil languages that she speaks, as well as English. Dini look-looks, and listen-listens, for instance, and a few Hindi words and sentences are woven into the story without any of the heavy-handedness that you sometimes get when authors use foreign words and then proceed to translate them, almost in the same breath.As a writer, I loved all the references to plots and plotting, and how Dini, a true movie-buff, sees life through the eyes of a budding writer. Everything translates in terms of scenes, the place of the actors/characters in them, plots and their inevitable twists... The author and her heroine must have a lot in common, I bet.I also loved how parent/child, and adult/child relationships are described. It is refreshing - and a little cringe-inducing, also. Refreshing because you, the adult (OK, me, the adult) are suddenly reminded of the way you were at that age, and how some of your thought-process went just like Dini's. The cringe comes from the sad realization that you need someone as talented as Uma Krishnaswami to channel the authentic voice and feelings of that child who got somewhat lost when you took on the role of parent.Which is probably why I so love reading, and writing for children, and I think all adults should continue to read some kids literature, at least from time to time.I'll end up this long review by saying that I will now wait for the movie version of this book. Come on, filmi people out there ! Whether you're in the US or in India, this book has all the necessary ingredients to make a perfect family movie - complete with songs, and dance numbers, if you please !

A great book!!!Kids will LOVE IT OF COURSE!!!!!!!! Awesome AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!and I went Through the same thing!!!!!!!!!!

Great story of 9 to 10 year olds

Very sweet read

THE GRAND PLAN TO FIX EVERYTHING is a lovely book. Didi and Maddie, 11, are best friends. They both love Bollywood movies starring Dolly Singh. Just like Dolly, they love everything green and silver and sparkly. But when Didi's mom comes home one day and announces that in just a few months they will be moving to India for 2 years, things change.The special bond of tween best friends is captured well here by Uma Krishnaswami. Maddie and Didi spend countless hours together, understand each other completely, and hatch crazy plans together, like figuring out exactly how Didi is going to meet Dolly Singh.It's somewhat unrealistic realistic fiction, which I'm beginning to discover is one of my favorite things about children's novels. What do I mean? Well, when Didi moves to a small town in the mountains of India, it so happens that Dolly Singh has run away to hide there after some tragedy that has the Bollywood fan magazines guessing. Not only does she meet her, but she does indeed manage to fix everything -- not just for Dolly, but for a slew of supporting characters.I love reading fiction written by and set in South Asian countries (for adults), and have been pleased to find several books by/about this same group that are written for the 8 - 12 year old set. The fact that in addition to being 100% Indian, Didi is also 100% American makes her story completely accessible. The Indian setting -- language, foods, and gestures (shaking head yes instead of nodding) -- give the book an exotic mysterious feel that is sure to appeal to kids who enjoy traveling or other cultures, but it's also sure to be loved by any girl who ever had a best friend or a celebrity obsession.

Dini and her best friend Maddie love to watch movies from Bollywood. They memorize lines from songs and know all the situations that can be solved by their favorite actress, Dolly Singh. When Dini's mom gets a grant to study at a clinic in southern India for two years, Dini is both upset and excited. She's upset to leave Maddie and her home in Delaware. But she's also excited that she'll be closer to Bombay, as all the filmi people call Mumbai. Maybe she'll even have a chance to meet her screen idol, Dolly!Meanwhile, Dolly is having her own relationship crisis. As coincidence has it, she flees to the small town of Swapnagiri, where Dini's family has moved, to take a break from her career. Can Dini find her and finally get to meet her?The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami is full of serendipitous connections. A dedicated postal worker, a diligent guard, a worried baker, a girl who can imitate all kinds of sounds, a noise-making electric car, and mischievous monkeys all weave into Dini's story. These colorful characters have roles that read like a Bollywood film, and soon Dini is trying to figure out how she can make a new friend while keeping her friendship with Maddie, solve Dolly's problems and learn to be comfortable in her new surroundings.Dini is a delightful character, and by the time the book ends you'll want to orchestrate your own Bollywood film. I recommend The Grand Plan to Fix Everything for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 8 to 12.

It reads like a sanitized, saccharine sweetened, fairy-tale, Bollywood script, for a movie for young (pre-teen) girls. Paradoxically, that is why my daughter likes it! (She argues it is a story and need not be real. The rating is the average of our respective scores!) So, for people who likethat sort of thing, this book would work.My estimate is that it is suitable for children ages 9+ / 4th std & above, who have good reading skills.

An superb book for me. A nice one.It shows dini's eagerness for the star dolly singh