Some of the tone and language of this story had me skeptical about historical accuracy, but overall it was a nice chapter book about a part of history I had genuinely not heard about before. I definitely want to pay more attention to this whole series you've got going here!

It's Autumn 1916 and the United States has still not entered the war that is raging in Europe. Margaret Singh, 11, and her parents have just arrived from their home in San Francisco to attend the annual Sikh festival Guru Nanak Gurpurab in Stockton., California. But when she overhears her father speaking with the other Sikh men about his contributions to their cause, Margaret has reason to worry. They were talking about the German backers of the Ghadar Party and a ship carrying weapons that had been caught by the British. Was her father involved in this? Since America wasn't in the war yet, it wouldn't be treason to work with Germany, but... And unfortunately, Margaret isn't the only one to hear this conversation. As soon as she noticed him, the other eavesdropper vanished.
When Margaret's father discovers she had listened in on the conversation, he explains that the members of the Ghadar Party are fighting for India's independence, that if they could get Indian soldiers to revolt against the British, India would be free.

Margaret, whose father is Indian from the Punjab region and whose mother is white, attends the better funded white public school rather than the poorly funded segregated school most kids with dark skin are forced to go to after her mother begged the principal to accept her. Her best friend is Bettina, whose father is from Germany, and who excels in German, and Margaret's nemesis is new girl Agnes Fitzgerald, who just didn't want any dark-skinned students in white school.

Then, in the Spring of 1917, America enters the war and everything changes. First, Margaret's father is arrested for his participation in the Ghadar Party, but quickly released. When Margaret returns to school, Bettina tells her she must call her Betty from now on. Pretty soon, Betty begins to work hard to prove her patriotism by volunteering for Junior Red Cross. It doesn't take long for their friendship to fall apart as Margaret becomes more aware of the hypocrisy of America's idealistic policies and the reality of its racist policies and immigration laws, and begins to speak her mind about her.

Margaret also begins to question who she is and where her allegiances are. Margaret is an American citizen because she was born here, but her Indian father can never become an American citizen, and then she learns that her mother lost her American citizenship when she married her father. Knowing this and seeing how quickly Bettina was willing to deny her German roots, it's no wonder that Margaret also wonders where she really belongs and what being an American means to her now.

Although Margaret's story is fiction, it is based on real events in the United States during World War I. Narrated by Margaret in the first person, and using newspaper clippings and her diary entries, readers get a rounded picture of just what like was like for a biracial girl and her family in this country between 1916-1918. As the story moves along, readers can really see how much Margaret grows and becomes more aware of the world around her.

Her parents are both portrayed as kind and gentle, though her father continues to want independence for India. He was never a member of the Ghadar Party, which is why he was released quickly and not deported, but readers get lots of information about these events through him. The author has included A Note on Vocabulary in the front matter to help readers unfamiliar with Indian culture and the Hindu religion, back matter includes an information Author's Note, a Timeline and photographs from the time. There are black-and-white illustrations throughout.

Stranger on the Home Front is an great book for readers who like learning about different cultures and historical fiction.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an eARC gratefully received from NetGalley

I had a lot of fun reading this book, this had what I wanted from this type of book, it really reminded me of the Dear America series but as a story series. This book really shows the struggles that someone like Margaret would have faced at that time and it was a great read.

I'm a big fan of books that tell often overlooked parts of history. Personally, I'd heard a little about the Ghadar Party, but only a little and nothing about the plight of Indian immigrants in the US. Anything about this ignored history is worth reading at least once if only so we can be informed, understand the darker parts of our country's past. But it's not an especially deep or entertaining read. The characters are underdeveloped and the plot is only explored on a very surface level. Consider this an introduction, not a truly complex story.

I Am America: Stranger on the Home Front is a work of historical fiction that introduces the reader to a lesser know part of history. Margaret Singh's father is from India and her mother is from America. Growing up, Margaret knew her family was different from other families, but it wasn't until 1916 that she really started experiencing discrimination and could understand what was going on. I liked how the author let Margaret evolve as a character from a girl who was shy and quiet to a more grown up girl that is starting to learn that the world is not always black and white and rosy. Through Margaret's experiences and struggles, she finds her voice and learns to stand up for what she believes. The author made the subject matter easy to understand and there were notes at the beginning and end of the book that gave beneficial cultural and historical background information. I would recommend this book to kids that want to learn about a different culture and time period. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book. (This review is also on GoodReads.)

Stranger on the Home Front by Maya Chhabra is a Middle Grade book highlighting WWI and the discrimination that occurred based on the War. Punjabi immigration was a key element in the novel as the main character Margaret is half white and half Indian. Her father was an immigrant from the Punjabi. Her mother, even though she was a US citizen had to give up her citizenship in order to marry Margaret’s father.

It is interesting to read about new subjects in history that are not as known as others. Discrimination that occurs during War times is known. We have read about what happened to Japanese Americans and German Americans during WWII. I did not know about the issues between Punjabi immigrants and how they felt about the rule of Britain over their homeland. I certainly did not know about the number of people who were arrested due to their allegiance to the Ghadar Party. I found Stranger on the Home Front by Maya Chhabra quite interesting.

Eleven-year-old Margaret Singh believes that the war being raged in Europe will not affect her life. She is shocked when she learns her father has ties to a revolutionary group planning violence to end Britain's rule over India. Her father is arrested for those ties when America joins the war, and Margaret questions everything she thought she knew.

This was a charming read. it highlights a part of American history that I wasn't aware of before. It tells the story in a way a middle-grade reader (the intended audience) can understand. The protagonist, Margaret, shows the uncertainty of a girl, whose view of the world has changed. Things are not as black and white as she thought, and it shakes her confidence in her father.

My one criticism would be how information is shared in dialogue between characters. At times, it was stilted and sounded like it could be read from a textbook. Not natural.

Overall, it was a quick and interesting read. I would recommend it to young readers who have an interest in history.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a beautiful story that should be shared and made known to the actual societies. I loved it and learnt from it even if it is a middle grade book. I didn't know about this part of the history with india and the Ghadar Party, I thank the author for making me learn something new about the WWI and The Hindus- German conspiracy that I knew nothing about.
The author made us discover and live this worst part of the history of human beings through the eyes of Margaret Singh a little girl of 12 years old. Margaret's father is an Indian immigrant and her mother is a white American woman. She discovers by accident that her father is mixed with a group of immigrant Indians who are working with the Germans against Britain for the freedom and independence of India. From that day, Margaret began to notice things about her family, her friend Betty and classmates.
She came to realize that in time of war people's opinion and behavior change mainly to the worst and if you're considered "different" you must prove your patriotism or you will be regarded as an enemy.

This was a great story and I loved the author's style. I hope that a lot of people will read it and like it as I did.

I really enjoy this series overall so I was really excited about this book. I appreciated that it focuses on an interesting lesser known group of immigrants in California. Often when looking at the discrimination against Asian immigrants historically in California the conversation focuses on Japanese internment so understanding this history helps illustrate how widespread it really was and that it dated farther back then some people think. It also shows more of the history of colonial India which American readers may not be familiar with. I also really like the characters, Margaret’s dilemma of when to speak up and how to defend yourself is a common dilemma for many children. This is also shared situation with her German friend Betty which was also an interesting addition. It really illustrated how hard it can be to stand up for your ideals when they get tested. Overall the book is well written and a great way to introduce young readers to this part of history.

**Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC to review!**

I loved the Dear America book series as a kid, and in fact, I still do. I was really looking forward to this book because the premise reminded me so much of that series. I was also interested in reading a story from a perspective I haven't read much about in history. This book, unfortunately, was very much a letdown.

I was under the impression that this book was written in a journal/diary format, but our main character wrote maybe three entries during the entire story. Speaking of her, I do not feel like I learned very much about her, nor was I really given sufficient reasons to care about her or her family. A lot of their dialogue sounded like they were reciting passages from a textbook, and therefore came across as sort of "preachy." I understand that the author wanted us as readers to learn certain information from this, but it did not come across organically in the text. What I love most about the Dear America books is how authentic and personal they read, and this one lacked all sense of that.

Overall, I'm still very interested in continuing with more books in this series(?), but I look forward to seeing how they improve from here.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Jolly fish press / North Star editions for the earc to read and review.

What an interesting piece of history that is hidden and never shared about, I adored this book it taught me so many new things and of history that I hadn’t ever come across once in my life.

Margaret a girl who’s dad was an Indian immigrant and mother was a white American, during the early 1900’s. As the war rages on it all comes much closer to her home than she would have expected it too.

Margaret was incredibly interesting and easily likeable. She hears what her dad was doing and as she hears she learns of things going on in the world she never wanted to hear. When later in the story she is all alone with no friends to talk to her, a ripple effect of what she over heard years before she takes it all in her stride and is so strong and resilient.

I really enjoyed learning about what it was like for other minority families during the First World War, it was interesting hearing of how India wanted to break free from English rule, the Ghadar Group which I hadn’t ever heard of before. It was really fascinating, highly educational, very fun to read and easy to escape into the story.

I love this series and I love books like this, anything that will teach me something new about history or just tell a historical story and be told in a really fascinating way I’m always happy to read it.

These books always provide extra information at the end which I adore as you get some more answers on what was really going on and learning more facts from that time era.

Thank you to NetGalley and North Star Editions for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
Living in the U.K., the Dear America books were not a part of my childhood, as they were for many people living in the USA. I only became aware of them as an adult and have started to slowly read through the huge backlist of the ones that I can access here.
I was therefore delighted to see a new addition to the series and was excited to be given the opportunity to read this one. This is the story of an American- Indian mixed race girl in world war 1. I love that these books take big events in history and look at them through a child’s eye. It often highlights how adult choices and behaviours effect children - in this case it is the politics and ideals of the father that effects his daughter. Although the story takes on other themes such as acceptance, belonging and racism as well.
Being in the U.K., my knowledge of British rule in Indian was definitely more focused on the Victorian age, with Queen Victoria becoming the Empress of India etc. At school we only briefly covered what came In between that and the 1947 Indian Independence. It’s why I’m so supportive of books like this being published so children (and adults) can fill in the gaps a bit more from what they are taught at school.
I really enjoyed this book and the illustrations really help to create an atmosphere and bring the story to life. I definitely recommend.

Stranger on the Home Front is a middle grade educational book of historical fiction. It depicts a young girl whose father is from India living in San Francisco during WWI. He supports a group who advocate rebellion. It's a good lesson about what it meant to be culturally diverse during war and the price people paid. There is a good glossary at the beginning and the author's note at the end was very informative, I wish series like these has been available when I was growing up. I think young readers will learn quite a bit from reading this book.

The Dear America books have a way of bringing history to life for young readers like no other historic fiction can quite pull off. Some of their stories are well known, but Stranger on the Home Front was one that even most history teachers would not know. It follows the story of a mixed-race girl living on the West Coast during the outbreak of World War 1. Many people do not know about the Indian revolution that was going on - breaking away from Britain - at the same time, and this teaches a lot of that history in these diary entries!

First sentence: Margaret Singh and her family were late, as usual. They came to Stockton from San Francisco every year for the festival, and every year they got lost somewhere between the train station and the gurdwara. Margaret’s stomach rumbled, but there wouldn’t be any food till they got there. Father stopped a couple of passersby to ask for directions. “Excuse me, do you know where the Sikh temple is?” One of the strangers looked like he was going to say something impatient, but then he caught sight of Margaret and Mother. He looked at them curiously, as if putting two and two together—Father, the clean-shaven East Indian, wearing a hat rather than a turban; Mother, the white woman; and Margaret, their daughter. Margaret had watched people go through this process a thousand times. A man from India with a white wife was an unusual sight in California.

Premise/plot: Stranger on the Home Front is historical fiction; it is set in California roughly 1916 through 1918 or possibly 1919. The heroine, Margaret, is the daughter of an Indian immigrant. Her father strongly desires independence for India. But how far will he go to support a revolution or break from British rule? The book isn't solely about her father's dream for India. Largely it is about Margaret's desire to truly belong--just as she is--within her community, her school, her country.

Margaret has a best friend, Bettina, is of German descent and things are getting rough for her as well.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. It does bring back memories of the Dear America series. (I think this is a good thing.) It is set during World War I. (The two world wars are of special interest to me). I like the focus on home life and school life. It does include a glossary at the beginning of the novel.

This gave me "Dear America" vibes and I loved it. I read "Dear America" so much growing up that now I'm trying to find as many of them as I can. This is a great continuation of teaching middle grade children what the past was like through the lease of someone their own age. I don't think I had ever read about an Indian-American childhood before, especially from that time period. Excellent.