Via Sinead at The Huntress of Diverse Books, a book blogger with Sri Lankan roots:
I had such a weird feeling while reading this book, as I was actually able to relate to some of the experiences that Anusha and Pramila had. I’ve never been represented like this before, so it took me a long time to get used to it. People not knowing where Sri Lanka is; people asking where I’m originally from; and the mispronunciation of my name (even though my name is Irish) – these are all things that have actually happened to me.
One of my goals when I was writing Anusha of Prospect Corner with my twins was to create a character with whom they could identify, and it’s wonderful to know that others identify with Anusha too. Sinead is a quarter Sinhalese Malaysian, and Anusha, like my daughters/co-authors, is a quarter Sri Lankan. The experiences Anusha and her mother have come from experiences I and my family members have had as multiracial Americans of Sri Lankan ancestry.
Sinead’s full review of our middle grade novel is available here. I shared her thoughts with my twins, and they were thrilled. Thank you, Sinead, for reading and reviewing our book!
To learn more about Anusha of Prospect Corner, find it on:
- Amazon (with a sample) (click here); and
- Goodreads (click here)
Here’s the description:
For Anusha Smyth, four-leaf clovers pop out of the grass like 3D optical illusions, practically begging her to pick them. She hopes they’ll bring her luck. She has big plans for 7th grade, but first she needs to convince her mom to move back to the United States. Unfortunately, a nosy neighbor keeps getting in the way. With Mrs. Lowry on the prowl — and she isn’t the only obstacle — Anusha’s going to need more than luck to make her dreams come true.
PS. Anusha’s “superpower” is something I share. I don’t look for four-leaf clovers. They find me. Over the summer, I even came across a six-leaf clover.
The Misfortune Of Knowing 
What a wonderful review! Your girls must be thrilled!
They loved reading the review! It’s the first time they’ve ever had an experience like that. I was pleased to see how carefully they considered Sinead’s perspective on our book, including the constructive criticism. It’s given us ideas on how to approach our current WIP. 🙂
Ahh, this is so cool! Your daughters’ work is being reviewed on the internet by a great blogger like Sinead.
I don’t think I’ve seen a 6-leaf clover before. That’s such a cool superpower 🙂
The girls were so excited to see a review of their book. It’s their first experience with it. They couldn’t believe that someone in Germany had actually read their book and wrote about it. They loved that Sinead could identify with Anusha like they do. 🙂
By the way, I’m pretty sure Sinead and I found each other’s blogs through your initiative, #ReadDiverse2017. Thank you!
Congratulations on the review, and constructive criticism should always be welcomed, but isn’t always, so congratulations on that, too.
Thank you! The girls were especially thrilled to see a review of their book. It’s their first experience with it.
Thanks for linking my review! The book really gave me a significant push towards really writing my own one. It felt great to be represented.
Go for it! We definitely need more multiracial authors out there. Thanks again for reading and reviewing Anusha of Prospect Corner. I loved writing it with my girls, and I’m glad they aren’t the only ones who identify with Anusha.
This sounds interesting! Well done on the six leaf clover – my family is really good at finding those. I’m stuck with the three-leaved variety.
Thank you! I enjoyed writing this novel with my daughters. It was fascinating to explore our heritage together while creating Anusha.
Yay! Congrats on the review. It must feel so wonderful to have been able to create a character that was so relatable for someone.
Whoa. A six leaved clover? Mind = blown!
Thank you! My girls were so excited to see the review, which includes constructive criticism that will be helpful as we continue writing together.
As for the clovers, after the six-leaf clover, four-leaf clovers have lost their charm. Oh well!