Actual rating: 4.5 stars
I really liked this exploration of so many things from grief due to loss of a parent, finding one's place as an immigrant, the fight over preservation versus gentrification as well as finding one's own voice. In this coming of age novel, Pandita goes through all of the above started by the loss of a special place she shared with her mother because of the sale and possible redevelopment of the property across the street. This showed the tension between the future of Silicon Valley and its current high cost of living and the possibility of affordable housing complete with the unfortunate racist baggage that often comes with it by way of other people's responses.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Change is hard. When the land next to her house is sold to developers, a young girl is trying to save the old house on the property where she used to spend time with her mom before she passed away because it holds memories of her mother. Land in Silicon Valley is expensive and she is fighting an uphill battle. Great realistic fiction will connect with so many in these days of increased housing insecurity.

I really enjoyed this one. I have wanted to read this author's books for awhile and I look forward to reading her other books. I liked the main character and loved her relationship with her family, especially her sisters. The grief was raw and realistic.

This was a very touching realistic fiction book that dealt with grief, preserving memories and history.

Interesting historical novel set in 1980s California. I wouldn't have expected social justice informed housing policy to be a viable central plot in a middle grade novel, but Perkins genuinely pulls it off. Topics covered include grief, bereavement, starting over, racism (historical and contemporary), and finding one's true self. As a product of the CA public school system myself, I really hope this book becomes standard curriculum in my home state.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot and it was fun to relive the 80's experience. It's rare to find historical novels that are set in this time period.

I was thrilled to realize this story was historical fiction in the 1980s. Finally, I could tell my students what I remembered from that time! I loved Pandita and her family. Her older sisters were especially realistic as they tried to be both sisters and her mom.

It is 1980 and 12-year-old Indian-American Pandita is facing another summer without her mother who died a few years ago while their family was visiting relatives in India. Her older twin sisters and father all have jobs to keep them busy. When Pandita finds out that they will be demolishing the farm across the street - a place she used to sneak to with her mom - she is devastated. This book is about grief, friendship, and finding your voice. Although set in 1980, the history of the farm dates back to the previous century and plays a central role in the book. Despite the time period, the topics of racism and housing inequity feel extremely timely.

What I Liked:

-I really liked the positive family portrayals. Pandita and her older sisters love and support each other, though they do disagree from time to time. And their father is an active character in the novel, while most MG parents typically aren't involved in the book. It was a refreshing change.

-The Indian culture aspects woven throughout. Long story short, I have a special love for India and especially Indian food, so I smiled whenever Indi was cooking something.


What I Struggled With:

-Mr. Paul and Dr. Shom. The subplot of Pandita's dad getting into a new relationship made sense, and fit with the book. But <spoiler> their engagement felt really rushed. Maybe my timeline for the novel was off, but it felt like they hadn't known each other all that long, and Pandita and her sisters still barely knew Dr. Shom when Mr. Paul and Dr. Shom get engaged. </spoiler>


Overall:

Hope in the Valley was a sweet read.

Cautions: light romance; two kisses

I have enjoyed this book so much, I’m pretty sure it is nostalgia for my own childhood, but I really became entwined with Pandita's struggles and her desire to make the connections with her mom who has passed. For example, when Pandita woke up and heard the construction crew across the street, I almost started to cry I felt the emotions right alongside her!

I enjoyed reading about all of the characters, especially, "the stranger". I laughed and cried and hoped and prayed that things would work out for Pandita. I thought that the story was well written, with the plot taking on a different aspects of Pandita's summer and the conclusion...yeah! Well done!

As a teacher, I love the message in this story and will purchase a copy to share with my middle school students in school. I hope that Mitali Perkins continues writing for the middle school age reader.

Before Silicon Valley was what we imagine today, it was the Valley of Heart’s Delight. Hope in the Valley by Mitali Perkins (Farrar, Straus and Giroux July 2023) is a captivating middle grade novel set in 1980 in those early days of the changing Silicon Valley. Pandita Paul, a 13-year-old Indian-American girl, grapples with the changing landscape of her semi-rural community and the racism the community faces. As the gorgeous old orchard next to her home is demolished to make way for housing, Pandita’s personal struggles become intertwined with the wider narrative.


The loss of her mother adds a profound layer of emotion to Pandita’s story. Pandita is still yearning for closure now, three years after her mother’s sudden death while they were in India. The abandoned orchard, once a sanctuary for Pandita and her mother, becomes a symbol of their connection. With the loss of her sanctuary, Pandita must find a new solace elsewhere.

Pandita turns to writing poetry, visiting an elderly friend at a local care center, and forming new connections, particularly with Leo, a confident and talented musician. Although she faces stage fright, her father makes her join music and drama camp, where she learns to speak up, not just on the stage but also as she works with the historical society to preserve her valley’s heritage. Just like many teens, she also must prepare for middle school and navigate her complicated friendships. As evident through this list of challenges, throughout the summer Pandita’s experiences encompass more than just the demolition of the orchard.

Pandita’s relatability is a standout feature of the novel. With her well-developed backstory, she feels like a real girl, allowing readers to easily connect with her experiences. Despite the differences in her circumstances, the novel’s themes of trying new things, finding friends, and discovering the courage to speak up are universally appealing. The novel also sheds light on the racial struggles faced by minorities in California during the 1900s, offering a fresh perspective to readers.

Hope in the Valley successfully captures the essence of the historic era of the 1980s, and it offered me a delightful glimpse into a nostalgic sample of my own 1980s childhood. However, its core strength lies in being a solid middle grade novel that appeals to a wide age range, from 8 to 12 years old and beyond. It particularly resonates with young readers who are navigating the trials of life, such as entering middle school and facing challenges in their friendships. Ultimately, this novel is a heartwarming tale of self-discovery, friendship, and resilience that will leave a lasting impression on its readers.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance review copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hope in the Valley review

This is a wonderfully written and beautifully expressed historical fiction story set in the 1980’s in Silicon Valley, CA. In the beginning, Pandita has recently lost her mother and is grieving in a family where not all family members are ready to grieve. The world beyond her family is moving on quickly and wants to destroy a place that was and still is special to Pandita, because of her late mom. Over the summer and throughout the novel, Pandita grows and matures. She learns to speak up in her family and speak up in the world beyond her family. During this journey, she travels along her grieving process and makes friends. This novel will have you experiencing Pandita’s emotions and the emotions of other characters. This book is A+ and first class all the way.

This is a fantastic middle grade summer read!! Hand this to kids who have an interest in activism and theater. Readers will cheer on Pandita as she takes to the stage in more ways than one!!

This was a beautiful story with important topics and messages throughout. I loved the writing style, characters, and overall vibe. It pulls at your heartstrings for sure.

Pandita Paul lives in the Silicon Valley in the 1980. She lives with her father, who is a professor, and her two older sisters, but is struggling since the sudden death of her mother sevearl years previously when the family was visiting relatives in India. She and her mother frequently snuck into a derelict house that was part of a farm that is no longer active that is across the street from her house, and she still spends time on the porch, reading her mother's letters. She's an anxious child, who isn't into theater or social activism like her sisters, so she is not happy when her father tells her that he has enrolled her in a summer theater program so that she gets out of the house. This is especially horrible because the town wants to tear down the old farmhouse and develop the farm into affordable housing, since the tech industry is booming and there are not enough apartments and houses that teachers, police, and other necessary workers can afford. The one saving grace of the program is that Leo, whom she has recently met because his mother is a nurse in a senior facility Pandita visits, is also enrolled. His family is from the Philippines, and thinking of moving out of town to a less expensive apartment. Pandita gets involved with the local historical society to fight the demolition of the house, in part because her beloved public librarian is a member. It doesn't help that one of her sisters is pushing for the apartments, and is as much involved in fighting for the apartments as Pandita is involved in fighting against them. Pandita loses her mother's letters when the farmhouse is cleaned out, and when she discovers that the historical society may have them, she volunteers to go through many boxes of papers, hoping to find them. What she does find is information about the owners of the farm (an orchard) who have a fascinating story that ties into some social justice issues. It's a losing battle, though, just like the one she is secretly fighting with her father. He has never felt comfortable talking about Pandita's mother, so she and her sisters have never discussed her, and now he is dating a brash, talkative Bengali woman, Dr. Shom. Pandita doesn't like the thought of her mother being displaced, although Dr. Shom is generally kind and helpful. It's an uncomfortable summer filled with all manner of things that Pandita doesn't like. Will she be able to survive theater camp, her father's dating, the loss of the country feel to her neighborhood, and the general forward motion of life?
Strengths: Turning 13 seems like it would be a good thing, but Pandita finds out, the way many of us do, that life doesn't really stop to consider what WE would like. Especially in the 1980s, little consideration was given to tweens feelings, especially ones that were considered "sensitive". I can't imagine the building that would have gone on in the Silicon Valley at this point in time, since even in Ohio there was a ton of new construction in the middle of cornfields, none of which really took into account any properties of historical or emotional significance. Perkins does a good job of capturing some of the feel of the time in a way that addresses universal concerns, and throws in some great references, especially to the classic children's literature that she loves.(If you are a "kindred spirit" don't miss her 2021 Steeped in Stories: Timeless Children’s Novels to Refresh Our Tired Souls. Her family is supportive and present, but want her to do things that THEY want her to do. She manages to make some new friends, and the historical research she does, even though it doesn't help save the farm, adds another layer of interest. Hope in the Valley is a refreshing and engaging look at an underrepresented time period.
Weaknesses: This story could have been told without the death of the mother, although I appreciated the inclusion of the father dating. I was never a fan of change when I was a tween, and was furiously upset when a house was built on a vacant lot across the street from my house. Pandita would still have felt connected to the farm house and been angry about its demolition even if her mother were alive.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Dilloway's Five Thing About Ava Andrews, Giles' Take Back the Block, or even Yee's Maizy Chen's Last Chance (with the history in the background).

**thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!**

This story takes place in the 1980's and is about a young, Indian, girl, Pandita, who is dealing with the recent loss of her mother. Throughout the story, we see her experience various stages of her grief while she navigates friendships, family relationships, all while attending a summer drama camp.

On top of all this, she is working to save the destruction of a home and orchard that became very special to her and her mother. The thought of losing it forever makes Pandita feel like she's losing her mother all over again.

The story explores friendships, both young and old, found family, death, grief, and forgiveness. There is also mention of the Japanese Internment Camps here in the US during WWII, that I wish would have been discussed just a bit more.

I overall enjoyed the story, but it was lacking in depth a bit for me. Nothing really pulled me in and made me keep reading, but I was enjoying it enough to continue. This will be a book I'd recommend, but not one I'd most likely re-read.

I can't wait to share Pandita's story with middle grade readers. The story is somewhat predictable as it deals with changing middle school friendships, a sweet romance with a boy from drama camp,and a family caught up in grief of losing their mother. There are added layers: the history of what we now know as Silicon Valley, historical and modern racism, and a battle over zoning and affordable housing. Perkins deftly handles all of these strands in a way that doesn't make the book feel heavy. In fact my over-riding emotion as the book came to an end was joyful hope. Although unlikely, I wish we could follow Pandita, her family, and friends when she begins 8th grade in the fall.

Wow I loved this one. Pandita is a character that I liked from the beginning.
I liked that Pandita likes books and writing poems. I liked that she was kind of shy and was having friendship troubles, but that didn't take her away from who she was and what she liked.
She is grieving the loss of her mother, but is still close with her family. Her sister's Indy and Shar have such great personalities too!
I liked the look into her culture also.
I really enjoyed seeing her get to know Leo and develop a friendship with him. And share music with him
Pandita learns how to use her voice and express herself and have her voice be heard.
A really lovely book!!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Oh, what a sweet book! I thoroughly enjoyed this middle grade historical fiction novel.

Pandita is a 12-year-old Indian American who lives in Sunny Creek, which is a small, mostly white town. She lives with her twin sisters and her baba, but sadly her mother passed away when she was just nine. It's been difficult for the family to let go of the past, and they have an unspoken pact in place - to not talk about Pandita's mama. It makes their baba too sad, but more and more Pandita is worried that she's beginning to forget her. And so, Pandita makes it her mission to remember her - Operation Remember mama, or ORM for short.

Unfortunately, one of her strongest ties to her mother's memory- the abandoned home and orchard across the street where they used to spend time together - is in danger of being torn down by the town to make room for new development! Therefore, it becomes part of Pandita's mission - to help preserve the home and orchard. If only shy Pandita can survive summer drama camp!

This book is set in 1980, but it could just have easily been written in the present tense - which is such a sad commentary on the times we are living in. Pandita encounters subtle but insidious racism in her small American town, as people she lives and interacts with everyday fight to stop the building of affordable housing in her community, seeking to keep "undesirables" from moving into their neighborhoods. As Pandita begins to research the history of the home and orchard across the street, and learns about her town's involvement in the "Keep California White" movement, she begins to recognize that many of those same elements still exist in her hometown. It was heartbreaking to see Pandita recognize the efforts her own mother took to be more accepted by the largely white population - trying to lose her accent, and even having her young daughter speak for her in public places to avoid appearing more Indian.

I loved the way the author handles activism in this book! It doesn't have to be storming on Washington - more often, it's just getting into line to speak at the town council meeting to make a small but important change. It's so important for children to see these small but important changes they themselves can be a part of, so I loved seeing this brought to life in the 12-year-old protagonist of this novel.

I would absolutely rate this book 5 stars! And I am excited to add this book to our library's middle grades section.