Saira Batasar-Johnie – författare

"I still can''t believe I survived my first year of high school without you. We had so many plans. I do think about you and hope you know I haven''t forgotten you. I miss laying in bed pretending to do our makeup because now I actually wear makeup..."

After a challenging year, 14-year-old Anjali Singh is determined to change her reputation and social status as she enters her first year of high school. Growing up in a midtown Toronto "Tkaronto" neighbourhood hasn''t allowed Anjali the opportunity to embrace her Indo-Guyanese and Indian heritage, understand her identity, or process the grief she''s been experiencing. As the school year begins, Anjali finds herself having to navigate a new world of having Brown, Black and Asian friends for the first time, meeting boys, and transitioning from old to new friendships. With a strict mother watching her closely, and a father who''s distant, Anjali proudly looks to her older sister Amara who is breaking intergenerational rules. Anjali soon begins to break some rules when she finds herself crushing on her own Shah Rukh Khan while trying to honour her past.

Book Cover By Stephanie Rambharos