Karthik Delivers

From Sheela Chari, the award-winning author of Finding Mighty, Karthik Delivers is a moving middle-grade novel about finding your place by following your heart.
 
“A story about family, community, and the mango lassi sweetness of reaching for your dreams. Like Karthik himself, this novel delivers big on friendship, charm, and heart.” —New York Times bestselling author Sayantani DasGupta
 
Karthik Raghavan is good at remembering things. Like his bike routes. Or all the reasons he likes Juhi Shah—even if she doesn’t even know he exists. It doesn’t help that she seems to have a crush on his arch nemesis, Jacob Donnell, whose only job is to humiliate Karthik (and get his name wrong).
 
Then Karthik’s luck changes when he secretly agrees to be in a play about the famous musician, Leonard Bernstein. But he can’t tell his parents. The family store is in jeopardy, and they need him delivering groceries on his bike to help save it. His mom is also worried about the Financial Crisis, and she’s convinced that studying hard and staying focused is the only way to succeed.
 
But Karthik is having fun being Lenny. Besides, what if acting is Karthik’s special talent? And what if acting is the one way to catch Juhi Shah’s attention? With all the pressure from his family to succeed, will Karthik be able to imagine and hope when he’s not sure what will happen next?

Sheela Chari is the author of the Edgar Award finalist Vanished and Finding Mighty, a Children's Choice Award finalist and Junior Library Guild selection. She lives with her family in New York.