This was a really good book. I've never read a children's/middle grade fiction with the Loving v. Virginia ruling at its core. I was glad to see that in this book. I'm not usually a huge fan of historical fiction, but I enjoyed it a lot in this book. The author did a great job of transporting the reader back in time. I loved Ari's reflections on all of the events happening in her world and her own personal life. The only thing I wasn't really a fan of was that the book was written in second person. It took awhile for me to get used to and occasionally took me out of the story. Despite this, I was still able to truly enjoy this book. I look forward to reading more from this author.

The Night Diary knocked my socks off, so I for sure was going to read this book by the author. I loved the new spin on Loving v. Virginia (67) and recommended this to many students/teachers.

Historical fiction set in 1968 Connecticut focusing on 12-year-old Ariel Goldberg. Ariel grapples with the typical challenges we face as we grow up, arguments with parents, friendship challenges, trying to become more independent. What really makes this story is the struggles that are unique to Ari.

She struggles in school with writing and she finally has a teacher that recognizes handwriting is difficult and has her type her stories, and Ari is finally able to share her thoughts. There is tension at home as her parent's Jewish bakery has fallen on hard times and has been the victim of antisemitism. Ari is close to her older sister Leah, and is heartbroken when Leah runs away to marry Raj a naturalized citizen from India.

The story touches on the challenges of interracial marriages just after the Loving v. Virginia ruling, prejudice, and family dynamics. This is a touching story and Ari is finally able to find her voice.

For an MG book, I felt like this dealt with a lot, but it was done really well. It was written in the second person narrative, which I’m not accustomed to, so it took me a little while to get into it.

A complex, engaging and beautifully written middle grade story about family, love, and standing up for what's right.

It's June 1967, and 11-year-old Ariel "Ari" Goldberg has just learned that her sister Leah, 18, is in love. The only problem is that the Goldbergs are Jewish and want nothing more than for Leah to find a nice Jewish boy to marry. Instead, the boy Leah is in love with is Raj Jagwani, a Hindu from Bombay (now Mumbai), India, but an American citizen and a graduate student at NYU. And so Ari and Leah spend the summer meeting Raj on the sly.

But when school begins in September, everything changes. Leah has been forbidden to see Raj, and at school, Ari is sure she will face another year of struggling to write clearly until she is put into a class for kids who need more help. In the past, Leah had always helped her with her schoolwork, but now she's unhappy and too preoccupied with Raj. After Leah and Raj elope and just disappear, Ari is left to cope with school on her own. Then she discovers that her parent's bakery, Gertie's, is in financial trouble and may have to be sold. At school, Ari has always been tormented by an anti-Semitic bully, but luckily has always had her best friend Jane until they have a falling out.

Ari has also been waiting for her new teacher, Miss Field, to finally recommend she be put into the slow class, but at a conference with Ari and her mother, she tells them she suspects that Ari has dysgraphia, a learning disability in which a person can't write coherently. Mrs. Goldberg is convinced Ari's inability to write is just laziness and requires more practice. But Miss Fields encourages Ari to write poetry, something she finds is an easy way to express how she feels, on the classroom's electric typewriter.

When Ari's class is assigned a special current events project to present, Ari decides to do the Loving vs. Virginia case, something she learned about from Leah and a way to keep her connection to her beloved sister. Yet, unable to understand why she hasn't heard from Leah, Ari and Jane, who loves Nancy Drew mystery novels, decide to solve the mystery of where Leah has disappeared to.

This is indeed a novel about searching for something. If it seems that there is a lot going on in Ari's life in this novel, and that Hiranandani throws a lot of things at her - the Loving case, the Vietnam War, racism, anti-Semitism, and learning disabilities - it is also a thoughtful exploration of Ariel's search to find her own voice and place in her world, and it is also wonderful to watch how Ari grows and changes as events unfold. Written in the second person singular, it was a little odd at first to be reading historical fiction in the present tense, but it also brought the story closer, doing away with historical distancing. After all, some of the events and attitudes in this novel are still with us today.

I think the fact that Hiranandani is biracial, with a Jewish American mother and an Indian father, made this novel feel more relevant and important because she was speaking from experience. She handles Ari's story with sensitivity, humor, and honestly. One of the things I really found interesting were the chapter headings, which all began with How to... It was like a little preview of what was coming without giving anything away.

How to Find What You're Not Looking For is a wonderful heartfelt, character driven novel and if you think the ending is too pat, well, sometimes that's just what is needed.

I loved this historical fiction set in 1968, shortly after the Supreme Court's Loving vs. Virginia decision legalized interracial marriage. This novel explores life for a Jewish family when older sister Leah runs away and marries an Indian American man against her parents wishes. It's about family and identity. I appreciated the look at dysgraphia and how the teacher gets to be the hero. I also like how well the author explores the complicated nature of families, acceptance, and religion. The hardest part for me was the second person narrative. I am not sure the last time I read a novel in second person and I hope it's a long time before I have to read another. The author's note explains how this novel is based on her family history.

I appreciate gaining access to this ARC and purchased a copy for my library's collection. Hiranandani is excellent.

“Hate can not drive out hate. Only love can do that.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.
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It’s the summer of 1967 and twelve-year old Ariel Goldberg is about to live in great moments if upheaval. Her sister decides to elope with an Indian man after the Supreme Court case of Loving vs. Virginia, which allowed people of different races to marry. Her family’s Jewish bakery is in trouble and she’s struggling with writing in class due to dysgraphia. When Ariel feels left out of the big decisions, especially concerning her sister and her parents not talking to her, she takes matters into her own hands to try and bridge the family chasm.
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Any book set in the ‘60s I will read immediately. Honestly I feel like I would have made a great hippy/flower child. 😂 @veerawrites did a fabulous job with this #MG title about bringing two families of different races and religions together. I also loved that she included Ariel’s struggle with dysgraphia—something that you don’t see a lot of in books. This title was written in 2nd person POV. I don’t think I’ve ever read a novel with that POV before and it was very original and interesting. It’s Jewish Heritage month. I’m making it a point to read more books featuring Jewish characters. You should too!

CW: racism, antisemitism, smoking, alcohol, bullying, riots, Vietnam War

I was six years old the year this book takes place. It's strange to read a chapter of my life as history fiction. There are cultural references I definitely remember (such as flower children) and much I don't, such as the legalization of interracial marriages with the Loving vs. Virginia case. Hiranandani lets today's young readers understand the culture in ways those of us living through it didn't. I did find the second person narration a bit off-putting, and there were definitely some plot moments that seemed to rely on improbable circumstances. Still, this is a well-written book for middle grade readers who like historical fiction and who care about issues of social justice, as well as for kids like Ariel who struggle with dysgraphia.

I don't typically read middle grade fiction, but the cover of How To Find What You're Not Looking For by Veera Hiranandani caught my eye on NetGalley months ago. I recently read this via audiobook narrated by Priya Ayyar.

In 1968 Connecticut, 12-year-old Ariel Goldberg's life is filled with her older sister Leah, her parents and their Jewish bakery, pop music, her frenemy Jane, and school. She's least comfortable in the classroom as her handwriting is poor despite hours of practice. A new teacher suggests Ari use a typewriter for her homework, write freeform poetry to express her thoughts, and suggests she may have dysgraphic, a learning disability.

Meanwhile, Ari's sister is in love with Raj, an Indian American college student. Her parents strongly object to his ethnicity and religion, and when the couple elope and move to NYC, Ari and Leah's parents cut off all ties, even when they learn Leah is pregnant. As Ari learns her parents are planning a major change, she's desperate to tell her sister and enlists Jane to help her find Leah.

This novel includes several big themes: ableism, antisemitism, racism, xenophobia. At times it felt like a lot, but I liked how they were tied together in the end. The author's note shares the aspects of her life that she wove into the plot.

I enjoyed several things about this MG story, including references to the 1967 Loving v. Virginia decision and The Beatles, talk of bakery goods, and especially Ari's poetry, making it perfect to read in April for National Poetry Month. However, I was really put off by the second person writing style; I flinched a tiny bit every time I heard the 'you' point of view in the narration. But I can appreciate this would be effective for younger readers to place themselves in the story.

Thank you to Penguin/Kokila and NetGalley for the review copy of this book.

How to Find What You’re Not Looking For is a poignant, moving, and brilliantly written middle grade novel about family, identity, and love. Set against the background of the 1968 Loving vs. Virginia verdict and written from a second-person point of view, this book follows an insightful young Jewish protagonist confronting the world’s harsh realities and inequities. This one is a real treat for tween and adult readers.

This book gave a wonderful insight into the world when people of color were not allowed to marry "white" people. I rooted for Ari. I hoped that Ari's parents would listen to her and take her feelings into count. This was a little know part of US history and I learned from this book.

How to Find What You're Not Looking For is a charming, critical piece regarding growing up and the pains encountered when one's world is expanded.

Following her sister's elopement with a Muslim Indian man, Ariel, a 12-year old Jewish girl, must reconcile with a new law banning interracial marriage and her own family's intolerance in the face of antisemitism.

Ariel Goldberg thinks of herself as the bad child. Her sister is pretty, smart, and kind, everything that Ariel doesn't see in herself. Then her sister runs away and marries a young man who is Indian and Hindu. Set in the time following the Loving V. Virginia decision this book explores the effects of an elopement between two people of different races and the racism they face from everyone including their own families.

Ariel, eleven at the time, struggles to understand the significance of Leah’s decision and how her parents can be so blinded by their intolerance for non-Jews. Coupled with a form of a learning disability, Ariel turns to poetry as a form of release and revelation. It is through poetry that Ariel learns to cope with family tensions and her own shortcomings. This has an excellent representation of learning disabilities.

A book in second person that has poetry?? Sign me up. This book was so well-written, touched on many important subjects such as learning disabilities and interracial relationships while not feeling heavy. I loved this book so much.

Veera Hiranandani, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Night Diary, has written another lovely coming of age story. Set during 1967, twelve-year-old Ariel Goldberg’s life has become increasingly challenging. She suspects her family’s business is not doing well, but her parents are not talking about it. They also are not talking about her older sister’s, Leah’s, elopement with a Muslim Indian man. Leah has always been the “good” sister- tidy, an excellent student, poised to enter a dance academy – the counterpoint to Ariel’s messiness, poor grades, and lack of direction. Suddenly, Leah is gone, and Ariel feels abandoned by Leah and betrayed by her parent’s silences. When the Supreme Court ruling Loving v. Virginia, overturns the ban on interracial marriage, Ariel is fascinated by it, seeing the parallels with her sister’s marriage. With the help of a supportive teacher, Ariel finds a name for her struggles in school, and the bravery to confront her parent’s prejudices and her classmates’ (and her own) low expectations. There is a lot happening in this middle grade novel (racism, anti-Semitism, ableism) , but it’s deftly handled and I believe it will resonate with middle schoolers. That is the age where many of us first start to hear our own voice and to question the accepted values and beliefs of our friends, teachers, and parents. It’s also a time of great insecurity for most young people- am I smart enough, strong enough, etc. We step away from what we have accepted as a given – in Ariel’s case her believed deficits, her unshaken belief in her parent’s wisdom, and her spot in the world – and begin to question. Hiranandani does a wonderful job of presenting a young girl finding her courage and her voice in the face of her fears of unworthiness. I was given an ebook of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Engaging historical fiction story that weaves the Supreme Court decision about interracial marriage into the events in the life of a 12-year-old Jewish girl. Ariel loves her older sister Leah and can't understand why her parents cut off contact with Leah when she elopes with her Indian-American boyfriend. Combined with the financial struggles her parents' bakery is facing and the challenges Ariel is encountering at school with a learning disability and bullying, she feels her world is being turned upside down. The second person POV makes this book stand out from other historical fiction pieces. Readers will find Ariel's journey to find her own voice and stand up for what she believes in both thought-provoking and engaging.

Such a great read. I really enjoyed the historical aspects and how the main character was Jewish. This book did a great job of including racism and other difficult themes.

You are nearly twelve years old, living in suburban Connecticut with your parents and 18-year-old sister, Leah. You like reading Wonder Woman comics, listening to Beatles records with Leah, and helping in your parents’ bakery. School has always been difficult; writing is especially hard, no matter how much you practice. You don’t think too much about being one of very few Jewish families in the area, and you really don’t think about your parents’ expectation that both you and Leah will one day marry nice Jewish men. Then Leah falls in love with Raj, and you’re not sure which part has your parents more upset, that he isn’t Jewish or that he is Indian. After Leah and Raj elope, your parents won’t even talk about it with you. You’re left trying to figure out who you are and what you believe.

In this middle-grade historical novel, the second-person narration effectively pushes the reader to confront the thorny questions Ariel “Ari” Goldberg must think about. At school, she faces antisemitic bullying from a classmate. At home, she learns about the racism that Raj experiences. She is caught between her beloved older sister and their parents, and then there is the stress of the family bakery’s financial troubles and what might be an undiagnosed learning disability. The tumultuous atmosphere of the late 1960s provides the backdrop to the Goldberg family’s internal conflicts.

This is an outstanding addition to middle grade fiction and a strong contender for the Sydney Taylor Book Award. Ari’s struggles with the changes all around her are realistic and nuanced, perfectly suited to the intended audience in both style and content. The Jewish experience is shown to be multi-faceted and different ways of being Jewish are represented: Ari’s maternal grandparents and extended family in Brooklyn are very traditional and disappointed with Ari’s mother for marrying someone less religiously observant; Ari’s father clearly treasures his Jewish identity even as he must keep the bakery open on Saturdays rather than closing for Shabbos; Leah has to think about what being both Jewish and Indian will mean for her own child(ren).

In an author’s note, Hiranandani shares how her family history inspired the story. Her father, an immigrant from India, and her mother, a Jewish American woman from Brooklyn, are reflected in Raj and Leah. A biracial woman from an interfaith family, Hiranandani has a fresh voice and a unique perspective much needed in middle grade literature. Her sensitive portrayal brings her characters to life in all their complicated glory. Ari, Leah, their parents, Raj, and his parents all grapple with the the same issues from different angles. There are no easy answers, but there is a lot of love.