by Kaavya Viswanathan
Opal has spent her entire life preparing for Harvard. But what happens when her preparation appears to be for nought? At Opal's campus interview, the dean of admissions points out that Opal doesn't really have a life, and people without lives are not people who attend Harvard. What's a highly motivated Indian girl to do?
HOWGAL (How Opal Will Get A Life) is her parents' brainchild, a plan to make Opal popular. New clothes, new hair, new friends, the whole nine yards. And it works!
Plagiarism aside, I really liked this book. The plot is clever (though the whole popularity plan idea is a teen staple, the Indian twist works), and the narrator is extremely likeable. I would recommend this to teens.
5/24/06
2 comments:
Hey Jeanne,
I just finished this and since I was oblivious to any outright thefts, enjoyed it immensely. Her parents cracked me up -- "did you notice that mad ice on Lil Kim's tiara?" -- and I was hungry for Indian food throughout. Would have made a good junior version of Bride and Prejudice, too.
You might like Born Confused for a more genuine look at the desi teen's life.
I really liked it too! The parents using what they thought was hip language was hilarious. I also liked that they took the "get a life" thing just as seriously as the "get into Harvard" plan.
I keep meaning to look at Born Confused. I'll let you know how that compares to Opal Mehta.
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