The cover of this book just drew me in right away because these boys looked like they were having a great time! And boy do they have funny and dramatic adventures when they go to India for a wedding. Rohit's family is from India but they live in New York city. Dylan is an only child from a wealthy family who live in New York as well. Dylan becomes best friends with Rohit and talks the families into letting him go with Rohit's family for a three week Indian trip. The culture sometimes confuses Dylan but he falls in love with the food, new experiences, and the loving family.
There are a lot of slapstick humorous parts in this plot that involved gross things related to toilets, vomit, spitting, sweat, and poop. This should hook kid readers!As you adventure with Dylan and Rohit it is like going along on their trip. The descriptions of India are very interesting and it is definitely a character in the book. Dylan gets into plenty of cultural scrapes as he mistakenly does things that are not acceptable in the Indian culture.
Dylan is dealing with parents with marriage troubles and feels alone with plenty of things but not enough of a loving family. He is attracted to Rohit's family who struggles with finances but has a caring and warm home life. This is one reason he wants to go to India. He also wants to win a photography contest to prove to his father that even though he isn't athletic, he can be successful at something. I kept thinking about the poor little rich boy or The Prince and the Pauper when I thought of Dylan (rich and unhappy) and Rohit (poor and happy).
Dylan loves food and the author describes lots of Indian dishes in this book. I looked up most of them on my ipad. It made me hungry! This is a book where I would encourage the reader to look things up for more information about India. Dylan for the most part takes in stride the poverty and cultural differences he encounters without complaint. I was impressed with his positive outlook. As a reader, I was reminded of how blessed we are in the United States. This is a terrific book and I give it a 4 out of 4 rating!
This is a book where I would encourage the reader to look things up for more information about India.
- Age Range: 9 - 12 years
- Grade Level: 4 - 7
- Reading Level: 5.0
- Hardcover: 272 pages
- Publisher: Scholastic Press (March 29, 2016)