Karthik Raghavan is good at remembering things. Like his bike routes. Or all the reasons he likes Juhi Shah—even if she doesn’t know he exists. It doesn’t help that she seems to have a crush on his archnemesis, Jacob Donnell, whose only job is to humiliate Karthik (and get his name wrong).
Karthik’s luck changes when he 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
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 only way to catch Juhi’s attention? With all the pressure from his family, will Karthik be able to imagine and hope when he’s not sure what will happen next?
Moving and heartfelt, this middle-grade novel from Sheela Chari, the awardwinning author of Finding Mighty, is about finding your place by following your heart.