I am Kavi is a fascinating novel-in-verse following Kavi, a girl living through the Sri Lankan Civil War of 1998 whose struggles fall in the realm of school, friends, and family. Kavi’s personal struggles, against the backdrop of civil war, bring the reader into her eyes and her shoes, placing her immediate personal concerns in front of the reader and asking for sympathy and understanding. Kavi’s world is immediately present, the first person perspective and strong emotions of this novel-in-verse immersing the reader in the narrative, world, characters, and relationships. The characters of this world, notably Kavi’s family and friends, are all defined by their relationship to her and also their relationship to her personal desires -- being cool with her new friends, having her mother to herself, becoming the darling of the city and her new school -- and Ponweera’s characters brilliantly convey her messaging and carry Kavi’s story forward. Ponweera’s world is brilliantly vibrant and both large and small, much in the way that the story is, and she brings a fascinating piece of South Asian history to the forefront of this novel in a way that is accessible for readers of all ages. Her characters are brilliantly crafted and lifelike, making this novel-in-verse a fascinating read.

As a Tamil person, I've been hesitant to read historical (fiction) books set in Sri Lanka, but after reading Shehan Karunatilaka's novel "The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida," I started to explore books by Sinhalese authors. Since I wasn't born in Sri Lanka, I use books as an opportunity to understand different perspectives.
I am aware that no story is void of bias, especially if you're writing about something you've lived through. However, I am quite disappointed in the carelessness of the writing and publishing team with respect to historical fact-checking. The incomplete history that was included after the story ruined my otherwise positive experience with this book.

Thushanthi Ponweera's debut 'I am Kavi' is coming of age, middle-grade fiction written in first-person prose. It depicts a young Kavi living in Sri Lanka during the late 1990s. Kavi grapples with new changes in her family—loss and the emergence of new family members. The way she responds to these changes is written so perfectly through the mind of a young child. Similarly, when moving to a new school, Ponweera depicts the universal challenges of fitting in and navigating peer pressure. On top of that, Ponweera discusses the themes of class and insecurity with much sensitivity. The verse is very easy to read and suitable for a young audience. As a story, this was a fantastic debut! I enjoyed the story until I came across the extra chapter called "The Sri Lankan Civil War."

Overall, if I were to ignore the historical context of I am Kavi, I quite enjoyed Kavi's story. However, is it ever possible to critique a political book with an apolitical lens? I understand that it is nearly impossible to write a story that is completely void of bias, and the author herself admits that there may be some 'unconscious bias' in her work. However, when including a chapter that claims to provide historical context, they could have simply included more statistics and events instead of completely reducing the oppression faced by Tamil people living in Sri Lanka to a few meager sentences. Ponweera starts the history of Sri Lanka chapter 2,500 years ago but then conveniently skips right to 1983. This omission completely disregards the brutalities faced by Tamil people, including the burning of the Jaffna Library. I am sure that an author and a publishing house understand the importance of books and the gravity of this event. I am aware that what happened in Sri Lanka has been historically referred to as a "civil war," but of late, countries like Canada have started to recognize the oppression and injustice faced by Tamil people as a genocide (https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/statemen...). The massacre in Mullivaikal has been forgotten and it is summarized as "the Sri Lankan millitary defeated the Tamil Tigers."

Given that I am Kavi is a middle-grade book intended for a global audience who may not be familiar with the events that took place in Sri Lanka, it is crucial that the authors, editors, publishers, and entire writing team do extensive research.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for this lovely arc. I've never read a novel written in verse, the writing was lyrical and flowed beautifully. The main character Kavi learns about love, family, and friendship. The story explores growing up amidst a civil war, navigating the experience of living in different worlds, and how a young person can stay true to themselves throughout.

I appreciated the setting and Ponweera's focus on Kavi's characterization and growing pains, but the story felt rather surface-level and left me wanting a lot more depth. I also wasn't drawn in by all the verse, but can understand what the author was trying to do.

In the late 1990s, as Sri Lanka is at war with itself, Kavi wants to break free from her regular life. She misses her late father and is disgruntled about the fact that her mother has remarried. The only thing that makes Kavi happy is her best friend, XXX, and going to school.

Kavi gets the chance to compete for a scholarship that will pay her tuition at a fancy school in the country’s capital of Columbo. She sees the opportunity not just to further her education but also to get away from the village and her stepfather. The joy from learning she won the scholarship is short-lived, however, when Kavi’s mother reveals she’s pregnant and won’t be able to move to Columbo with Kavi.

Full of resentment, Kavi moves to Columbo to stay with a friend who is the maid for an upper middle class family in the city. The capital is a dizzying array of new sights and sounds for Kavi. It’s also the first time she learns about the vast differences between the economic status of her family and her schoolmates.

In an effort to impress the popular girls in school, Kavi starts to lie about her life. The daughter of the family where she’s living becomes interested in the whole venture to improve Kavi’s chances with the school clique and tutors Kavi in the ways of high society in Columbo. She tells Kavi what shows are popular, what movies everyone’s talking about, and even lends her jewelry to make her look fancier.

When Kavi’s new friends ask her to do something she’s never done before, suddenly she realizes she’s strayed far from her mother’s teachings and everything she learned growing up. The situation becomes a reckoning for Kavi. How far will she have to go to reinvent herself before she doesn’t recognize who that is anymore?

Author Thushanthi Ponweera’s narrative rings with authenticity in the way she describes Columbo and the realities of civil war. The author’s own experience with both ground the book and help readers feel, hear, and see the sites and sounds of the country. The prose choice of a novel-in-verse works in some cases but in others detracts from the core story.

Because of the lyricism required for the storytelling choice, details are often spare and leave the main plot lacking. Some readers may wish Ponweera had chosen a straightforward narrative to tell Kavi’s story. The elements in the plot are compelling enough to support a conventional narrative, which makes the choice of an unconventional one that much more unfortunate.

Those completely unfamiliar with Sri Lanka’s civil war difficulties may appreciate the spare introduction to the entire issue, which brings its own emotional weight to any tale. Readers who share the same heritage as Ponweera or who have ties to South Asia in general will most likely want more.

This novel in verse follows Kavi as she’s navigating a new city, new school, new living situation, and new friends amidst the backdrop of the Sri Lankan Civil War. The highlight of this book was learning about Kavi’s story, and watching her grow as a person. I particularly enjoyed the conversations around class and friendship. And some of the poetry really stuck with me. However, I feel a bit conflicted about how the historical aspects were handled. This is mainly because I am Tamil. It was hard to read some of the parts where there was negativity towards Tamil people and how the conflict was described as a "both sides" type of situation when in reality, there was a Tamil genocide. However, I acknowledge that the author was recounting the events from her perspective, as a non-Tamil person, and I'm sure this book many resonate with others.

A middle grade historical fiction book written in verse. A girl caught between two worlds in Sri Lanka. Can she learn to fit in in her new fancy school being a poor kid? Kavi has to make some hard decisions and may lose friends in the process. My rating 4⭐️.

Thank you Netgalley and Holiday House for this arc! My opinions are my own.

Written in verse, I am Kavi follows a girl, who grew up in poverty, get the opportunity of a lifetime. Kavi is the top of her class in her small-town school. When she gets the chance to move to the big city to go to one of the top schools in Sri Lanka, she takes it. Moving away from her mother and her stepfather who she believes moved on without her, Kavi deals with the ups and downs of growing up in Sri Lanka’s largest city, Colombo.

This book was beautifully written and heartfelt. Kavi is an incredibly bright young girl, who I just wanted to hug and tell her everything will be ok. The blend of Kavi’s story with handling the Sri Lankan Civil War was very well done. The author's note gave me more perspective into the thought process behind the blend of the two. For many, like the author herself, the war didn’t affect too much of their day to day lives and was just a norm. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that was surrendering a war that didn’t completely affect the characters. Of course, for many that is unfortunately the case, but it’s nice to see a story from a different perspective of war.

Regardless of where you come from, this story is extremely relatable. We have all felt unloved or felt the need to be liked at one point in our lives. This is an important story to share with young readers and I hope many pick this one up. I highly recommend it! I look forward to seeing what Thushanthi Ponweera writes next!

Thanks again!

I have posted my reviews on my Instagram, Goodreads & Storygraph.

Ten-year-old Sri Lankan Kavi is angry and adrift. She grieves her father’s death and resents her mom’s remarriage. Now she’s away from her village, on scholarship at an elite city school and living in her aunt’s employer’s mansion. But she feels like an invisible fish out of water, which is why pretending to be a rich, beloved child comes so easily. Told in narrative verse, Kavi lays out her feelings and the events that build up to her deception and involvement in a scheme that could have disastrous results. The setting during the Sri Lankan Civil War is unique but the themes of belonging, friendship, and popularity are universal. The prose is direct and accessible, describing and telling more than showing. While several characters feel flat, Kavi, her aunt, and Sasha, the employer’s spoiled, lonely, and honest daughter, stand out as complex and dimensional. Back matter includes an afterword providing historical context and a glossary. Thanks to Holiday House and NetGalley for a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

An engaging tale of growing up and lives new challenges. Kavi leaves her poor village to move to the big city and a new prestigious school and we follow her story in verse. Set against the background of war, new family dynamics and trying to find her place in this new society, we follow her ups and downs. Written in easily read free verse. My granddaughters only criticism was that she wished all of her problems were as easily sorted out as Kavis were.

5 stars! Absolutely beautifully written!

Description:
“1998, Colombo. The Sri Lankan Civil War is raging, but everyday life must go on. At Kavi's school, her friends talk about the weekly Top 40, the Backstreet Boys, Shahrukh Khan, Leo & Kate... and who died-or didn't-in the latest bombing. But Kavi is afraid of something even scarier than war. She fears that if her friends discover her secret--that she is not who she is pretending to be-they'll stop talking to her.

I want to be friends with these / happy, / fearless, / girls / who look like they / belong.
So I could also be / happy, / fearless, / and mavbe even / belong.

Kavi's scholarship to her elite new school was supposed to be everything she ever wanted, but as she tries to find some semblance of normalcy in a country on fire, nothing is going according to plan. In an effort to fit in with her wealthy, glittering, and self-assured new classmates, Kavi begins telling lies, trading her old life-where she's a poor girl whose mother has chosen a new husband over her daughter-for a new one, where she's rich, loved, and wanted.
But how long can you pretend to be someone else?
This dazzling novel-in-verse comes from an astonishing new talent who lived through the civil war herself. Perfect for fans of Jamine Warga, Supriya Kelkar, and Rajani LaRocca, I Am Kavi centers a powerful South Asian voice, and stars an unforgettable heroine each and every one of us can relate to.”


I loved the nostalgia of 90’s and all the cultural references mentioned. This is such a great coming of age story set during the Sri Lankan civil war.

This book uses prose format with no quotations. It is structured in a way that was easy for my adhd/dyslexic brain to read quickly. Beautifully written and poetic!

Home for me means
peace of mind.
Without it,
anywhere you live
can be torture.
And with it,
even the prison cell
can be freedom.
This is my home,
my peace of mind.

Highly recommend for middle grade readers and up! Love the cover!

Thank you to NetGalley, Holiday House, Peachtree, Pixel+Ink, and Thushanthi Ponweera for the opportunity to read I Am Kavi in exchange for an honest review.

This is a novel wtitten through poems, and thus, lovely in its perspective. The story Ponweera attempts to narrate come through to us in descriptive short poems, written in free verse. Unfortunately, I have to give a very low rating because of several aspects. There is no reason at all given or eluded as to why the narrative is in poem-form: other than the protagonist’s name literally translating to ‘poems’ (kavi, in Sinhalese), she is neither a poet nor a girl aspiring to be one. So, why the poems? Midway through the book it felt like a bit of a cop out - the story is told but the gaps between the telling disposes with substantive dialogue, plot movement, narrative arc etc. At one point, it felt like I was reading a basic framework for a novel. In terms of content, the petty rivalries and significant friendships of teens is captured but again, in mere caricature. Moreover, the civil war in Sri Lanka comes and goes in the narrative but there’s nothing to anchor the reader’s attention on it. Finally, a lot of the characters are also caricaturish, and some of the thinking that’s narrated sounds too urban to the “village” voice the author seems to offer the narrator. Basically, a lot of thing that jar the reader!

This novel-in-verse was incredible! I would love to incorporate this novel into my curriculum because I think my students would resonate with the themes.

I AM KAVI is a beautiful novel in verse debut by Sri Lankan poet Thushanthi Ponweera. It's set during the Sri Lankan Civil War in the late 1990s, which I don't think I've ever read about in middle grade fiction. I was a bit worried that the historical setting would be over the heads of the audience, but I shouldn't have - Ponweera writes about a tween girl struggling to make friends in an environment where she feels she needs to pretend she's "better" than she is. In Kavi's case, that means pretending to be the niece of the wealthy family she lives with with her actual aunt, their housekeeper. So of course the story has all the drama of secrets and lies, tests of friendship - but it's also unique because Kavi isn't only dealing with these quotidian middle grade stressors. She's also grieving the loss of her father, a wounded soldier, and the betrayal she feels from her mother remarrying. Kavi was so relatable, I know my students will connect with her. Great for fans of STARFISH, SAMIRA SURFS, and CAMINAR.

What an engaging novel-in-verse! There’s the familiar new-school new-friends story that all readers will relate to. On top of that, there’s the added complexities of the Sri Lankan Civil War and how that impacted the kids growing up there in the 90s.
Kavi believes her mother’s unfairly chosen a new stepfather not only to replace her deceased thaththi but to replace her, as well. Feeling unloved and with a scholarship opportunity far away, she chooses to leave her family for what-she-expects a better life. The rags-to-riches life she creates there, though, leads her to important realisations regarding friends and family.
Young readers will be sure to find a connection with the ambitious Kavi who so wants to start a better life in her prestigious school Colombo, far away from her remote village. Her behaviour to ensure her new friends will like her is realistic and typical for her age. The 90s references are subtle and won’t stump this generation’s kids. The end reward is that Kavi learns that friendship and family love is more complex than she realised. And that her misguided priorities changed her into someone she wasn’t before and doesn’t want to be.
This book has so many amazing lines! I would have loved to copy/paste a few into my review, but I wouldn’t want to give those treasures away before you read it. As a novel-in-verse, it is shorter than your average book and apparent the author skilfully selected each word.
My review is based on an e-ARC from NetGalley.

This beautiful middle grade book in verse should be on everyone's radar this fall. Set during Sri Lanka's civil war in the 1990s, I am Kavi tells the story of a bright girl who wins a scholarship to attend a good school in Colombo, leaving her small village, and her tense family relationships behind. Desperately trying to fit in with her cosmopolitan classmates, Kavi begins lying about her socio-economic background and compromising her principles. But is it worth changing who she is? @bythush incorporates plenty of Sri Lankan sights, smells, tastes, and traditions, giving readers those crucial mirrors, windows and sliding doors into a culture you don't often see in books. I found myself looking up all kinds of things so I could better immerse myself in Kavi's world. @jrlibraryguild has rightly awarded this book its Gold Standard seal. An absolutely gorgeous story about the costs of war, family ties, and learning to stick to your principles. Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for the opportunity to preview this book. Pub date: Sept 19, 2023.

this book made me feel THINGS ok?? like deep down within my soul. it’s marketed towards a younger audience but it’s the kind of story that’s meant for everyone, weather they’re 12 or 32. the writing was both simple and yet so beautiful, i couldn’t help but love kavi, i felt like i deeply knew her and she could very well be a real girl living those things at that specific time. speaking of setting, i loved that i was able to learn more on those events i knew absolutely nothing about (i didn’t even know there had been a civil war in sri lanka as french education doesn’t really cover that💀). overall, this was a masterpiece and it definitely holds a special place in my heart.

Thank you to NetGalley, Holiday House, Peachtree, Pixel+Ink, and Thushanthi Ponweera for the opportunity to read I Am Kavi in exchange for an honest review.

Told as a hi-lo novel-in-verse, this novel follows Kavi, a girl living in a very small village during the Sri Lankan Civil war in 1998. In her village, life itself is the essence of poor. Her mom has a new boyfriend, with a baby on the way and no love left for Kavi (at least that is how Kavi feels). Her only way out is to take an exam offered to the youth of the village. If she passes, she can attend a good school in the city.

Living with her aunt, a maid for a wealthy family in the city, Kavi gets her chance at a new life and better education, but with this comes other kids who know city life. Kavi wants to impress them, so she begins telling lies about her new home to make herself seem rich. Soon her "friends" ask her to do more dishonest things, and Kavi isn't sure what to do. She wants to impress them, but she also wants to stay true to herself, and living in the city might have pulled her away from who she was, and not for the better.

An excellent novel with historical elements related to the war. Readers are exposed to Kavi's perspective of the latest news real with bombings, or experience how Kavi feels walking down a street with so many soldiers. It is a frightening time, yet Kavi also wants to fight her own war, a battle for her education and a better future. This novel also shows a lot about family, and even when we leave for a little while, family will always be part of home. A must-read for a young adult audience.

Written in potent and lovely prose, Kavi's tale draws in and broadens horizons.

Kavi is ten-years-old and lives with her mother and step-father in a mostly constructed shack under very poor circumstances. The only hope of improvement is for Kavi to score high on the exam, which would allow her to attend one of the large schools in the cities. And she makes it. Moving to relatives, her life is better than she could have dreamed, and she even makes friends with two of the most popular girls. Pretending to be just like that and hiding her true background, she builds a delicately balanced mountain of lies...one that threatens to tumble down.

It was refreshing to read a tale set in Sri Lanka, and I've never really looked into the civil war, which took place there during the 1990's. So, this is already an interesting read for anyone, who enjoys discovering more about the culture and history of that country. All of this information flows very naturally into the tale, offering more of a atmospheric impression with little details dribble in here and there. It allows the reader to sink into the daily life at that time from both poor and more well-off sides. Plus, there's obvious lessons about embracing ones self and the disaster of building up lies.

This story is written in well-crafted verse. It's from Kavi's point of view and really sinks into her situation. The first chapters allow the reader to get a good understanding of her life before her move to the city, giving Kavi depth and providing the necessary background to sympathize with her even more later on. It's emotional, creates deep moments, and flows very smoothly in all the right ways.

While this one is sold for ages over eight, I'm shifting my recommendation to ages ten and above due to the depth of the read. Plus, there are some subtle meanings, which younger audiences won't completely grasp. It's a lovely read, which is sure to make a lasting impression. I received a DRC and enjoyed the story quite a bit.

Thank you for giving my daughters & I the opportunity to read this book! It's always lovely and refreshing to read a book in verse and to read a book about unique, different characters. I was expecting this to be a bit longer and my oldest daughter (seventh grade) wished there would have been more development and a better ending.