The Door Is Open: Stories of Celebration and Community by 11 Desi Voices

Gr 3-7--Maple Grove Community Center: it's rough around the edges, in desperate need of renovation, and is a hub of activity for the South Asian community of Maple Grove, NJ. It's where Chaya wins her first chess tournament, and where Maha finally apologizes to her cousins at her aunt's mehndi ceremony. It's where Chen flashes a smile at Steven for the seventh time, and Jeevan learns that even though he never wants to eat it, he loves to make sabji. For so many, Maple Grove Community Center has become home. Lately, it's also become the target for anti-Asian sentiments brewing in town--but the kids of Maple Grove aren't going to let racism win. They plan to let the town know, once and for all, that they belong here. What begins as a sweet constellation of stories orbiting around a shared community center quickly develops into a fiercely proud, unflinching look at anti-immigrant, anti-Asian vitriol through the lens of South Asian American kids growing up in New Jersey. Midway through the anthology, readers will begin recognizing characters as they appear in other stories, and by the end, they will have laughed, cried, cringed, and celebrated their way into adopting Maple Grove Community Center as a home to them, too, ready to fight for its continued existence. VERDICT A monumental achievement and exquisite testament to the power of collaboration and community, this novel moves beyond the reality of diversity into the necessity of it.--Amira Walker