In the Key of Nira Ghani: 08/27/19

In the Key of Nira Ghani by Natasha Deen is about a Guyanese teen trying to adjust to life in Canada. At school she's tired to McKenzie aka "Mac" asking inane questions and making even more inane assumptions about her life and culture. At home she's tired of being put in constant competition with her spoiled and all-to-perfect cousin Farrah.

Since much of the early book is about Mac's wrong assumptions about where Nira and her family is from, it's important to know that Guyana is the neighbor of Venezuela. It was a British colony until 1966. For more information, I recommend Forbidden Freedom by Cheddi Jagan.

In the middle of this tug of war Nira finds herself in between trying to fit in at school and trying to please her parents while avoiding being in competition with Farrah, she longs to be a musician. She's taught herself to play the trumpet but it's a training trumpet, one she feels is inferior for auditioning for the jazz band at school.

In the Key of Nira Ghani is a delightful read from the first page to the last. Nira's dreams, emotions, and frustrations are relatable.

Five stars

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