Karma Khullar's Mustache

June 5, 2017
Karma Khullar—half Indian, half white; half Sikh, half Methodist—is starting sixth grade, and she’s pretty sure that the universe is against her. With her mother working full-time, leaving her father to make lunches and take Karma bra shopping, life at home has required adjustments. Meanwhile, Karma’s best friend Sara is suddenly obsessed with hair, makeup, and the snarky girl from California who just moved in across the street. But Karma’s biggest problem is the 17 new hairs on her upper lip that are a magnet for attention—the unwelcome kind. As tension grows with Sara, and her classmates’ taunts about her hairy lip escalate, Karma attempts to take control of her own destiny. Debut author Wientge neatly captures how it feels to be different, especially as an adolescent. The bullying that Karma faces, both for her “mustache” and the Indian dishes her father packs for her lunches, will be relatable to many readers. The novel’s ending—hopeful but not completely happily-ever-after—sends a strong message of self-acceptance and resilience. Ages 8–12. Agent: Patricia Nelson, Marsal Lyon Literary.

June 1, 2017
Everything has been so different this year for Karmajeet Khullar. She is worried about starting middle school, about her dissolving relationship with her white best friend, Sara, and about Sara's new friendship with mean girl Lacy, also white. At home, she misses her beloved Dadima, who recently passed away, as she confronts changing family dynamics, with her Sikh father now the stay-at-home parent, her white mother working way too many hours at her new job, and her surly 14-year-old brother rubbing everyone the wrong way. And worst of all, dark-haired Karma has no idea what to do about the 17 hairs she discovers on her upper lip just before the start of sixth grade--and now her classmates are teasing her about her mustache (" 'Stache Attack!"). Could it be bad karma? Debut author Wientge has sensitive, anxious Karma confronting the universal preteen problems of self-esteem, bullying, and changing friendships, with everyday details of her interracial family's Sikh faith and culture seamlessly woven in. Although the story meanders slightly, it articulates well the protagonist's angst, insecurities, strength, and perseverance, along with the pressures she faces. Readers will enjoy seeing how Karma navigates the complexities of adolescence, middle school, and the 17 hairs on her upper lip in this realistic and humorous story of new friendships and family support. (Fiction. 10-12)

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July 1, 2017
Grades 3-6 In the litany of indignities wrought by puberty, the unwelcome appearance of female facial hair gets short shrift in middle-grade fiction. Wientge candidly takes up this topic and others in her earnest debut about soon-to-be sixth-grader Karma Khullar. There's a lot of upheaval in Karma's life as summer draws to a close, and sprouting a mustache is just icing on the cake. Her father has recently become unemployed, and her mother's time is being consumed by a new full-time job. Plus, something indefinable has shifted between Karma and her long-time best friend Sara. While floundering amid these changes, Karma, who is half Indian, latches on to the Sikh teaching of karma and tries to alter her seemingly cursed start to middle school. Karma's mixed heritage keeps this book from becoming standard fare, and Wientge does a nice job of organically incorporating it into the plot. Though Karma's agonizing can be excessive, it accurately reflects the tween state of mind. Funny and relatable, this is a solid pick for those transitioning to middle school.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)