The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy

The Best at It

Maulik Pancholy

HarperCollins · Paperback · October 6, 2020

From award-winning actor Maulik Pancholy comes a hilarious and heartfelt middle grade debut about a gay Indian American boy coming into his own.

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Who it’s for
A warm, funny middle-grade story about friendship, family, bullying, and finding the courage to be yourself.
Themes
Coming into one's identity, Friendship and family, School bullying
Genres
LGBTQ+ Stories, US: Asian American Stories, Bullying

About this book

From award-winning actor Maulik Pancholy comes a hilarious and heartfelt middle grade debut about a gay Indian American boy coming into his own. One of Time Out's “LGBTQ+ books for kids to read during Pride Month,” this is perfect for fans of Tim Federle’s Nate series. A Stonewall Honor Book! Rahul Kapoor is heading into seventh grade in a small town in Indiana.

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The start of middle school is making him feel increasingly anxious, so his favorite person in the whole world, his grandfather, Bhai, gives him some well-meaning advice: Find one thing you’re really good at and become the BEST at it. Those four little words sear themselves into Rahul’s brain. While he’s not quite sure what that special thing is, he is convinced that once he finds it, bullies like Brent Mason will stop torturing him at school. And he won’t be worried about staring too long at his classmate Justin Emery. With his best friend, Chelsea, by his side, Rahul is ready to crush this challenge.... But what if he discovers he isn’t the best at anything? Funny, charming, and incredibly touching, this is a story about friendship, family, and the courage it takes to live your truth.

Finding Your Own Measure

A warm, funny middle-grade story about friendship, family, bullying, and finding the courage to be yourself.

Come here for

  • The uneasy comedy of starting middle school
  • A gay Indian American boy finding his footing

Expect

  • Warm humor beside the sting of bullying
  • Family advice that proves harder to follow than it sounds

Where it sits

LGBTQ+ Stories97%
Bullying49%
US: Asian American Stories37%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • US Biographies
  • US: Asian American Stories
  • U.S. History
  • Funny Stories
Show all 8 publisher categories
  • Stories Set in Asia
  • Stories Set in the Middle East
  • Growing Up
  • Friendship
Authors
Maulik Pancholy
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
October 6, 2020
Format
Paperback
Theme
Coming into one's identity · Friendship and family · School bullying
Reading lane
US Biographies