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Not Myself Today

by Mahtab Narsimhan

A body swap challenges Riya’s assumptions

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A body swap challenges Riya’s assumptions

After being moved from private school to a public one, Riya judges classmates by their clothes and circumstances, singling out Saanvi despite her confidence and popularity. A wish made during a class visit to an exhibit of ancient artifacts leads the girls to swap bodies. Experiencing Saanvi’s life gives Riya a different view of the way she treats others, as well as a close-knit family and a connection to Indian culture that she has not known. The story brings its school conflict and magical premise together around bullying, empathy, friendship, and cultural belonging. It is presented as a short, high-interest novel at a low reading level for readers building their skills.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Middle-grade readers interested in school friendships, bullying, and learning empathy.
  • Readers who enjoy magical body-swap premises.
  • Readers building reading skills or looking for a short novel.

Themes

Bullying and empathyFriendshipCultural belongingFamily connectionSocial class and appearances

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Spoiled eighth-grader Riya Khatau hates her new public school.

Her classmates have bad hair, no style and aren't well-off like her other friends. But she was kicked out of her private school, so she's stuck at public school for the rest of the year. At least she has Char and Nikki, her new friends who come from wealthy families too. Together they pick on their classmates, especially Saanvi, whose confidence and popularity confuses Riya since Saanvi only dresses in dollar-store clothes.

When their class visits an exhibit of ancient eastern artifacts, Saanvi has enough of Riya's bullying and angrily wishes Riya could trade places with her. To both of their surprise, the magic of an ancient artifact causes them to swap bodies. Now Riya gets a taste of how her snobbish friends treat others. But she also experiences Saanvi's warm extended family and the deep connection they have to their Indian culture, which Riya has never had. Can Riya apologize to Saanvi and work with her to switch their bodies back?

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

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