Characters
This is the name of the main character.
Who is Sonia Nadhamuni?
Sonia has to leave this school at the beginning of the story.
What is Community?
Sonia's father loses this at the beginning of the novel.
What is his job?
Sonia has to attend a new school because of her family's financial problems.
What is Maplewood Middle School?
Sonia is half Indian and half this heritage.
What is Jewish?
This popular girl wants Sonia to join her group.
Who is Kate?
Sonia tries out for this school activity.
What is Cheerleading?
Sonia's father struggles with this illness.
What is depression?
This friendly gym teacher helps Sonia find her classroom her first day in Maplewood Middle School.
Who is Mr. Totono?
Sonia often feels caught between these two cultures.
What is Indian and Jewish?
The instrument that Sonia's sister Natasha plays.
What are the drums?
At her new school, Sonia worries about fitting in with this group.
Who are the popular girls?
She works as a professor and takes on more hours to support the family.
Who is Sonia's mom?
Despite being incredibly flexible and practicing hard, Sonia discovers that the ultimate, peak goal of a cheerleader is executing this aerial split jump perfectly
What is a toe touch?
Kate's mother, Jackie, spontaneously buys these expensive soft leather shoes for Sonia at the mall, sparking a major conflict at Sonia's home
What are green loafers?
This friend from Sonia's old school understands her well.
Who is Sam?
Sonia struggles to figure out where she belongs in this room at school.
What is the cafeteria?
They visit to help after dad disappears so mom can go search for him.
Who are Sonia's grandparents?
Sonia is nearly barred from tryouts when she is caught doing this in Mrs. Langley's English class, resulting in a strict warning
What is passing notes?
This close friend of Kate asks Sonia highly offensive questions at lunch, such as whether she "worships cows"
Who is Jess?
This is the name of the friend Sonia can trust.
Who is Alisha?
To comfort Sonia at the bus stop, Alisha pulls this shiny, smooth green stone out of her pocket, matching the color of Sonia's new shoes
What is jade?
Where dad grew up.
What is Bombay, Mumbai.
By the end of the novel, Sonia learns to accept this.
What is her whole story, her identity?
Sonia chooses to wear this tea-length piece of clothing—the only present her father ever bought her without her mother's help—to Peter Hanson's party
What is a red velvet dress.