This is a well written book, but ultimately I just don't think it's a good fit for my student population.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

FIRST OF ALL... how adorable is this cover??? Okay. Moving on.

I LOVED the beginning of this book. Sonali and her family were well developed, I understood her feelings (even as she hid them from everyone including herself.) The writing was well done. But...

Around 30% in, something snapped and suddenly Sonali’s world began turning Bollywood. From the book blurb this sounded fabulous, but in actuality it didn’t work for me. There seemed to be no rules to this “filmi magic” that was taking over her life, and that bothered me. Not to mention it just dragged on and on. I should’ve finished this in a week or two tops, but it was difficult to even read one chapter at a time. It took a month.

In the end, there was a good lesson about not bottling up your feelings, but it just took way too long to get there and I think I would’ve enjoyed this more as a straight up contemporary novel vs... whatever this was.

Hopefully the target audience is more accepting than I am, because the beginning and and were enjoyable and like I said, there’s a good lesson.

* Ebook courtesy of NetGalley

Thank you #Netgalley for a chance to read That Thing About Bollywood. Perfect for my fifth graders--I got s copy for my classroom that is already loved!

This was such a wholesome and fun read! I really related to the main character, especially because she felt like she had to be emotionless in order to cope with being overwhelmed. I think this was funny and brilliant and heartfelt all at once and definitely did a great job incorporating a love of bollywood music while also spreading the message that it's absolutely okay to share your emotions and be open even when you think you might be burdening others. I liked that it talked about being open with your parents and calling them out when they unintentionally hurt you even when they are trying to do something they think is good for you.

Definitely a fun concept. It’s hard to follow if you don’t know much about the musicals. I think it will find an audience in middle grade.

I loved that this was a Bollywood novel. What’s not to love? A fun quick easy read that one would be perfect for my middle school students. Loved the cultural aspect as well. I want more fun books like this one.

When Sonali was little she put together a presentation about why her parents should stop fighting and then shared it in front of her entire family. It didn't go over well. Ever since that night she has tamped down all of her fear, anger and frustration, only sharing the feelings she thinks are positive and acceptable. Bottling up her feelings for so long transforms her world into a Bollywood movie, making it impossible for Sonali to keep hiding her emotions. Will she ever open up to her family and friends or will she be forced to dance and sing for the rest of her life? This is an entertaining story with an important message about being vulnerable. Sonali's stubbornness and inability to communicate may get on some readers' nerves.

I loved this so much! Sonali and her brother feel pretty sad at the start of the story when it looks like their parents may be breaking up. But then Sonali wakes up to a Bollywood-type life. The costumes, singing, and dancing are all real. Or are they? I thought this was a bit reminiscent of Freaky Friday.
I can't wait to introduce the world of Bollywood to the kids in the Bookish Society.

Time to raise your hands and dance to a Bollywood beat in celebration of Supriya Kelkar's book, That Thing About Bollywood. I cannot wait to introduce Sonali and all of her emotional turmoil to my middle grade students. This will appeal to my readers that enjoy character driven stories.

This was a nice Middle Grade book with a fun twist that I would definitely recommend reading!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

What would happen if you have a difficult time expressing your emotions, but then your life suddenly turns into a Bollywood movie? For Sonali, everything becomes utter chaos when the filmi magic flips her world upside down. And the worst part is? No one remembers life before the "Bollywooditis" struck! Will Sonali be able to find a way to right her world and return everything, and everyone, back to normal?

This was a sweet middle-grade novel that dealt with lots of family/emotional issues. I enjoyed that this book talked about Bollywood in great detail, as most kids have never heard of it before. Culturally, this book will do a great job of introducing many middle-grade students to American Indian food, film, music, and traditions. This book was just a little slow paced and it took a very long time for Sonali to figure out what she needed to do in order to correct the "Bollywooditis", causing me to lose interest in the middle. Other than the cyclical nature of Sonali's issues and songs, this is an enjoyable read that I think most strong readers/fans of contemporary middle-grade fiction will gravitate to.

Sonali has learned early in life that when she has a feeling, it's best to shove it way, way down. But when her parents announce they're getting divorced, suddenly it gets a lot harder to do this. Sonali finds herself in an alternate reality where everything is like it is in a Bollywood movie, and every time she has a feeling, she starts singing and dancing about it, whether she wants to or not. To get back to her own reality, it seems like she needs to get those pesky emotions under control, but how?

I always love contemporaries with a slightly supernatural twist, and this was a really fun and charming one, with a main character who goes through a lot of growth.

Fun story for middle grade students. We go through Sonali's experience of her parents separating and the Bollywood makeover. Definitely will be sharing this with my students.

That Thing About Bollywood by Supriya Kelkar is a funny, lighthearted, and heartfelt story about a young Indian-American girl who learns how to communicate her feelings when she learns her parents are separating. Using "filmi magic," suddenly our main character's troubles continue when her life becomes a series of Bollywood numbers! This book is so heartfelt and unapologetic in its representation. This story focuses on the expectations that many Indian-American children face at home and the importance of honesty and personal growth. Kelkar wrote this book based on her own experiences as an Indian-American, back when there weren't any books with characters that looked like her. What she did have were Bollywood films, which have a very important role in this delightful middle grade novel. This is a great story for early middle school students. While I felt that many of the characters were repetitive or were slow to grow, I feel like the pacing and character interactions would work well for its intended audience.

4 stars = Great! Might re-read.

This is a fun, magical story along the lines of a Groundhog Day or Freaky Friday where the main character finds herself in an alternate world where she has to figure something out in order to set things right. I enjoyed the Bollywood twist. I've not watched any Bollywood, but that didn't keep me from enjoying the story.

As an adult, it was easy to see the solution to the problem, but I love the message for kids here about emotional health. This could be a fun read-aloud or discussion group choice. Kids who enjoy Bollywood movies, musical theater, and drama might get a kick out of this story. But the central issues - hiding or expressing emotions, family conflict, divorce, grief/loss - can connect with any reader.

I really liked this book. The cover alone is GORGEOUS and what's inside is very good too, so it's not a typical, "gorgeous cover, less than stellar interior". The cover matches the interior.

I don't know much about the culture that was being depicted in this book and I really enjoyed reading it and learning a little about it through the book. I do enjoy listening to watching Bollywood movies on occasion and the premise of the book, that by repressing her feelings and not sharing her thoughts, the MC's life was turning into a Bollywood movie was an entertaining one.

My only quibble was it took the MC FOREVER to figure out how to stop it so she could have her life go back to normal. Though honestly, having a Lambo as the family car isn't a bad compensation for breaking into song and dance when your emotions run high, just saying.

I highly recommend this book. Excellent for middle grade readers. Somewhat heavy on the moral to share your feelings and not to bottle them up, but done in a fun way. 4, highly entertaining, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

If the TV show Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist was Bollywood and middle grade, it would be this book, and that means that this book is pure magic. When Sonali's world shifts and has a Bollywood makeover, she suddenly can't stop singing and dancing her feelings even though she would prefer to keep all her emotions locked up inside. Sonali has to deal with school, friendships, family, and her parents splitting up in this book and it's a great message about sharing your feelings and about community.

This is an example of a book that is probably spectacular in print, but just SHINES on audio. Hearing all the Indian words pronounced correctly and the emotion and inflection included in the musical numbers were stellar.

I tried finding out if this has been optioned for the screen yet and couldn't find anything. But this would be a SPECTACULAR movie. It would introduce kids not only to the wonderful messages in this story, but a great Indian American main character and the culture of Bollywood.

I've read a plot like this one before, where inexplicable magic takes control of a character's life, but this is the first time I've seen it for a middle grade audience. It's unique in it's approach to Sonali's parent's separation as well. Typically in middle grade novels when parents separate the protagonist is desperate to bring them back together. Sonali, though, is relieved. She's ready for her life to find it's new normal and sees the intrusion of what she calls "Bollywood-itis" as a barrier to that change. The nuance comes when Sonali finally addresses her emotions. We see situations where we can be relieved and yet still grieve, happiness and anger all at once. Kelkar really demolishes the notion that emotion is weakness. These ideas might be a little heavy for some middle graders but the zaniness of the Bollywood changes add a lot of light moments.

With thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for an early copy in return for an honest review.

I don't typically read a lot of magical realism but this is the second book of this genre I've read this week and I have to admit, they're growing on me! There are not many MG books about Bollywood and so I think this book is both great representation for readers who don't often see themselves in books, and as an introduction to readers who may not know much about Bollywood. I also think the message of the importance of expressing your feelings instead of bottling them up inside is a great one for middle grade readers.

Added note: I think this would be a really fun movie for kids and adults!