The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy

 

Last week, I read The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy. This realistic fiction novel is about Rahul Kapoor, an Indian American boy starting seventh grade in Indiana. After his grandfather, Bhai, gives him advice to find something that he's good at and become the best at it, Rahul attempts to join his school's football team, even though it means being around his bully, Brent Mason. After he gets injured during the tryout, Rahul then decides to audition for a local bank's television commercial. When that also doesn't go according to plan, Rahul wonders if he'll ever be the best at anything. Left with no other options, Rahul joins the Mathletes, despite his initial reluctance at the beginning of the school. Meanwhile, his mom and her friends, the Auntie Squad, are planning an event for the community called the International Bazaar. Rahul isn't very excited about the event, but his best friend, Chelsea, agrees to put together a performance. Although Rahul encounters homophobia and racism and increasingly suffers from anxiety as the school year goes on, he discovers himself.

This book was such a joy to read because it had both funny and emotional moments. I especially enjoyed how it captured the experience of middle school, the elation of the highs and the devastation of the lows. Rahul was dealing with a lot during his seventh grade year, and there were times in the story that I wished he could just catch a break. Seventh grade wasn't easy for me either, so Rahul's story was especially relatable. It made me so mad when Brent wouldn't just leave Rahul alone. On the other hand, it seemed like it would be such a blast to be friends with Chelsea. Although Rahul and Chelsea have an argument at the Sadie Hawkins dance after he opens up to her about his struggle to figure out if he has a crush on his classmate, Justin Emery, they make up in time for the International Bazaar. I was also drawn in by the suspense of Rahul's mission to become the best at something. I was ecstatic when he joined the Mathletes because I thought it was something he could really succeed at and I had to know if Rahul and his teammates would qualify to the state competition. I thought it was so cool how Pancholy was able to make math exciting through this story because I did a couple of math competitions when I was in high school. All in all, The Best at It was an excellent read and I recommend it to all middle school students.