It's Showtime, Kavi

American Girl: Kavi #1

by Varsha Bajaj

Kavi Sharma loves singing and dancing, so when her middle school announces a musical revue, she and her friends Sophie and Pari decide to perform a dance together. If only they could agree on what dance style to do! Soon, all Kavi can think about is the revue, and her schoolwork starts to slip, which has never happened to her before. Kavi's little brother Rishi says she has a bad case of "Broadwayitis." Can she find a way to stay on top of on her schoolwork and get her dance moves down before the curtain goes up?

Genres: Middle Grade, Juvenile

160 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2023

About the author

Varsha Bajaj grew up in Mumbai, India. When she came to the United States to obtain her master’s degree, her adjustment to the country was aided by her awareness of the culture through books. In addition to her previous picture books, she wrote the middle-grade novel Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood, which was shortlisted for the Cybils Award and included on the Spirit of Texas Reading Program. She lives in Houston, Texas.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a REALLY cute book. The girl of the year books are getting better and better. I loved how it incorporated so much Indian culture, and how many different types of people were consultants in making this book accurate as far as that, and mental health.
As always, this book covered a few difficult topics for kids growing up, and showed the characters overcoming them. As an adult reading this it didn’t feel cheesy at all and I honestly could relate to a lot of it!
Whether interested in musical theatre or not, this is an enjoyable read and I definitely would recommend to for any young girl, American girl fan or not!

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like:
- I like how we get a theater kid American Girl.
- Indian culture representation! That's so cool! It's bigger stuff to little details. Kavi as our narrator explains what everything is which is annoying and helpful at the same time. (also see Indian culture representation dislike)
- Besides one character (see dislike) I didn't have a problem with any of the characters. All of them have distinct personalities, all are supportive of Kavi, and all are interesting.

I dislike:
- Kavi totally has ADHD. I'm saying this as a parent who has a kid with ADHD, and as a spouse who has a husband with ADHD. Everything Kavi goes through is very ADHD. They use phrases and coping methods that are all things related to ADHD. I don't know why they didn't come out and say it. It bothered me so much as the book went on. Kavi has undiagnosed ADHD, and I feel like it would have been interesting if there had been an American Girl with ADHD. Feels like they missed the mark.
- Indian culture representation as the dislike is because it seems cringingly stereotypical. However, I know the author is Indian, sooooo... I dunno.
- I hated Kavi's little brother with a passion. I wish they had changed his character or eliminated his character. Honestly, plot wise, there's no purpose for him.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's Showtime, Kavi: three stars--an engaging story despite some odd writing aspects. Can be enjoyed regardless of whether or not the reader is familiar with the larger AG canon.

Misc. notes:

-The musical-theater scenes are very fun, and a fresh topic for AG (they've had several dancer characters, but Kavi's their first GOTY to also be a Broadway enthusiast).

-The pacing's a bit weird--seemingly-important events are rushed past, there are some timeline/continuity errors, and the story as a whole feels like two separate arcs pushed together. I suspect AG/Bajaj originally drafted Kavi's story as a multiple-book series (like many previous GOTYs had) and then there was a late decision to combine them.

-Kavi herself is an engaging and believable character. Her wish to curl her hair for an audition felt like a reference to one of Molly's stories, which was fun!

-Kavi's efforts to manage her schoolwork are pretty well-portrayed, but I found it bizarre that despite the strong implication that she has ADHD, the story avoids using the label. She even goes through the process of getting school accommodations, yet there's no mention of a diagnosis. What a missed opportunity for clear disability representation--something that's really needed in AG stories. What, do they think if they advertise "we have a character with ADHD" that neurotypical readers will suddenly be unable to relate? And do they think avoiding that is more important than giving neurodivergent kids a character they can see themselves in?

-A few other annoyances: the completely unnecessary Harry Potter reference (this is a book from 2023), Rishi's repetitive faux-medical terms, various copyediting errors.

-I did like the plentiful full-color illustrations. The art style took a bit of adjustment--it's much more simplified and cartoon-y than usual for the GOTY books--but I ended up thinking it adds some nice energy to the story.

Overall: recommended for AG fans, or fans of performing-arts-themed stories like Stroker's and Davidowitz's The Chance to Fly or Miller's Shannon in the Spotlight.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kavi is the 2023 Girl of the Year for the American Girl brand, and even though the doll has been available since January, this book only just came out in July. The first half of the book will be a retread for doll collectors, since it's a novelized version of the doll-exclusive book Kavi's Journal, but I appreciate American Girl making the content available to people like me who just want to read the stories. The second half of this book is all new material for both audiences.

I like Kavi as a character, and the Indian cultural representation is nice. There are clunky moments, and I think it would have been better for the author to include a glossary for cultural food terms instead of forcing in details in an unnatural way. Still, even when stuff feels over-explained, there's a lot of unique and appealing elements related to Kavi's background. The book also delves into her passion for music, dance, and theater, and it addresses issues related to her feeling overwhelmed and struggling in school. Notes at the end clearly convey that Kavi's difficulties with life management represent ADHD, but that is never named in the story itself.

I often felt like there was too much going on, and the story's pacing frequently felt off. There are conflicts with friends that disappear without resolution, random things come out of nowhere to propel new side plots, and of course there is an emergency fundraiser! You can't have a Girl of the Year book without a fundraiser! It's also difficult sometimes to track the passage of time in the story, especially with various performances that I know would take a lot of time to work towards.

I enjoyed this overall, and it's good for the target audience. The illustrations are also nice and add a lot to the book. This wasn't my favorite due to the pacing issues and overstuffed plot, but I'm glad that I got to read this, and I enjoyed the cultural elements and Kavi's excitement about theater.

[GNV · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I’ve grown up with American Girl dolls, I’ve made it a goal of mine to stay invested with the storylines of new dolls, and was excited to read all about Kavi when I found her story at the library. Despite not being a huge supporter of this girl when she came out, I loved this book! Being a big Broadway fan with ADHD, this book really spoke to me, and also helped me to believe that I can work up the courage to perform on the big stage as well! I also learned a ton about Indian culture and heritage, which was really fun. This is such a cute and fun book, and I think it’s safe to say that I would absolutely LOVE to be friends with any of the American Girl dolls!

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really cute, especially how text messages were incorporated into the story. It's also implied that Kavi has ADHD (discusses the symptoms but never actually names it) and I love that she has multiple sources of support, especially in her Indian American family.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I SHOULD resonate with Kavi. She’s a vegetarian with ADHD who loves Broadway and yoga. That’s basically a description of me.

But damn, she’s annoying.

And her meet outfit is fugly.

Concept: 10/10. Execution: 3/10

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story. I liked how Kavi learned that everyone’s brains work differently and everyone needs coping strategies in order to be successful.

[Laura Otermat · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many under-explored topics are covered in this book. I'm amazed that there isn't a sequel.

[Magen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite Girls of the Year so far! As much as I loved it, I wonder why they didn’t just openly say Kavi had ADHD? Little odd but still an excellent story.

[Faith Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

With American Girl producing Girls of the Year that are disobedient, liars, or even political lately--and whininess being part of them generally, not just recently--I honestly didn't expect much out of this. But gosh, was it a blast to read!

Where do I begin? First, the author's voice was enjoyable. She made Kavi sound like she was talking to the reader, but not in a way that takes the reader out of the story. Second, Kavi was 12, not 9 or 10. She was more mature than most Girls of the Year but not yet an emotional roller coaster of a teenager. Third, the illustrations made the book come more alive (although they could have been more realistic). Fourth, there was good humor, such as the comedic relief of Kavi's younger brother. Fifth, AG's cliche best-friends-have-a-fight subplot wasn't as dramatic as it usually is. Sixth, Kavi truly felt like she was starring in her own story. Yes, she had the colors and love of performing like AG Girl of the Year Isabelle, and she needed to raise thousands of dollars like another Girl of the Year (Saige), but it was not a rip-off. Seventh, there were fun true stories at the end, telling the reader about a real girl much like Kavi. Eighth, yes, Kavi was disobedient, but she actually had regrets. She did not justify her mistakes but came clean with her parents. And speaking of parents, ninth, unlike other Girls of the Year, Kavi had a solid, sweet relationship with her family.

Finally, there is a wonderful representation of Indian culture! Bits and pieces were introduced, little by little, so the reader wouldn't be overwhelmed by lots of new information being thrown at them. Bollywood was fun to learn about, and the illustrations of the outfits were gorgeous. Words don't do it justice--you need to read the book yourself to see how well the author and illustrator did!

There were no major issues. As mentioned before, the illustrations could have been more realistic, and there was a grammatical error of a missing period, which makes you question the book's professionality, but really--it was small and a one-time thing.

Varsha Bajaj, this was stunning! Thank you so much for this masterpiece!