
Gr
5 Up–Indian American actor/comedian Vallury makes his solo audiobook debut, impeccably cast for Sri Lankan Canadian Marianayagam’s first middle grade title. Last year, Ajay was his seventh grade’s Student of the Year. His strict, immigrant Sri Lankan Catholic parents expect the same at his new school. But mistakes keep piling up: he immediately annoys the bully, gets a 79 on his first reading assignment, and is coerced into petty theft at Scary Al’s store. Amazingly, the chocolate bar he swipes turns out to be worth a million dollars. Telling the truth doesn’t seem to be an option, but Ajay knows the multiplying lies are exponentially worse. Vallury imbues Ajay with an affectingly broad range, from vulnerable to frustrated, nervous to angry. He extends his chameleonic charm to Ajay’s smart-beyond-her-years younger sister, and Ajay’s tormentor and his “goons”; he’s particularly memorable as not-so-Scary Al.
VERDICT Remarkable newbie Vallury ensures Marianayagam’s poignantly thought-provoking, heart-grabbing novel gets all the right feels.
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