Uma Krishnaswami (Children's Literature)
Thirteen-year-old Maya wishes her glamorous cousin Pinky could come for a visit. That wish comes true, but turns out to have repercussions that Maya in her impulsiveness has not anticipated. Gripped by jealousy, she begs the elephant-headed god Ganesh to remove all obstacles from her life--is not that what his role is? As Maya crosses the threshold from the real to the magical world, at first it seems to her that the rules have changed in her favor. Suddenly, however, it becomes apparent that there are no rules and she is caught up in the runaway consequences of her thoughtless wishes. In the end, when her cousin leaves and it feels the life she knew is tumbling in ruins about her shoulders, Maya and her father make a whirlwind trip to India to seek the precious Ganesh statue and set things straight again. Banerjee’s novel effectively juxtaposes the cultural ins and outs of being a Canadian of Indian origin, with the universality of teenage longings. The narrative voice rests securely with Maya, even when she has to stretch to make meaning from her rapidly changing sense of the world. The time period of the story is sketched in with a light hand--the Parti Québécois has just asserted itself, and the Bee Gees are featured on tee-shirts. Banerjee is at her best when she is peeling the layers of family relationships. Mrs. Ghose’s shock at Maya’s lack of Bengali skills, Dad yelling on the phone line to India, Pinky’s takeover of Maya’s bathroom--these can amuse all readers while ringing ruefully true to those who have been there. Finally, her treatment of Lord Ganesh himself succeeds in capturing that subtle combination of familiarity and respect customarily invoked by this delightful Hindu deity. 2005, Wendy Lamb/Random House, $17.99. Ages 12 up.

Michelle Warry (CM Magazine, June 10, 2005 (Vol. XI, No. 20))
What a joy it is that a strong and distinctive Indo-Canadian voice has been added to Canadian young adult fiction. Anjali Banerjee's style shares much with other Indo-Canadian writers -- lush, delicious diction, surprising, delightful similes -- but is also completely fresh and original. She seems to be one of the first Indo-Canadian writer to venture into writing for this age group; the sooner this lack is remedied the better, for both literary and multicultural reasons. Readers aged 11 through 16 will certainly be delighted with Maya Running. Not only is its language beautiful, but it has an engaging plot and interesting characters. Better still, the story seamlessly combines elements of sharp realism, dreamy fantasy, and striking Indian myth. Protagonist Maya is contending with all of the challenges that make adolescence a trial: looking for a boyfriend, balancing her schoolwork, negotiating for power with her parents, trying to be cool. As well, though, she must contend with her dissonant feelings of duality: she feels neither completely Canadian nor truly Indian. Banerjee handles this tricky theme both with sensitivity and vigour, and she creates an identity conflict to which all second generation Canadians will surely be able to relate and with which every teen should be able to empathize. Just when Maya thinks she's got things figured out, her beautiful, glamorous cousin Pinky arrives from India. Pinky sweeps Maya's friends, parents, and crush off their feet, launching May into seething discontent. In desperation, Maya wishes on a golden statue of Ganesh, the Indian elephant-headed god who ômakes obstacles disappear.ö The resulting situation is very much a case of ôbe careful what you wish for, you might get it.ö In order to bring her small universe back from chaos and into alignment, Maya must put things right. She goes on a long journey only to discover back at home that she had the power to fix things all along. This story works so well in so many ways. As a piece of literature, it is excellent. As a treatise on multiculturalism, it can help to build bridges and empathy. As an allegory of identity-development and growing up, it will be of psychological use for young adults. Maya Running stands out among the crowd of usual lukewarm YA offerings; Banerjee's new novel is red hot. Highly Recommended. Rating: **** /4. Grades 6-11. , Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, of Canada), 2005. 209 pp., cloth, $22.95. Ages 11 to 16.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2005 (Vol. 73, No. 2))
I'm not sure what I'm made for, and I'm not sure how Indian leftovers got into my lunch box." Though born in India, Maya has grown up in Manitoba, and loves its landscapes and its snow. She's the only non-white person at her middle school, which seems to get her pegged for anything "exotic," and yet she's also clearly not Indian enough for her relatives. She makes a desperate plea to a statue of Ganesh, who turns the tables on Maya's world, changing her and her family and friends to what in her imagination should be perfect. Realizing what a nightmare her "perfect" world is, Maya goes on the run to track down Ganesh and get things back to normal. This otherwise engaging first novel takes quite a turn half-way through as it departs into fantasy, which is awkwardly resolved. Most readers will hold on for the ride and will at least enjoy Maya's humorous voice and her familiar situation of being different. 2005, Wendy Lamb/Random, 224p, $15.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 10 to 14. © 2005 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Claire Rosser (KLIATT Review, January 2005 (Vol. 39, No. 1))
This is the first novel by Banerjee, and it is a delightful one. She creates the character of Maya Mukherjee, and places her in Manitoba in 1978, as the only Southeast Asian in her middle school. Maya’s parents are highly educated, loving, and understanding--they are talking about moving to California, which would mean the family’s situation would change drastically. Maya doesn’t want to go, especially since she is attracted to Jamie Klassen, a handsome boy at school, who is wild and troubled. She can’t really process her own Indian heritage and how it influences her life. Enter her cousin, Pinky, who comes for a visit from India, bringing with her a small Hindu elephant god who grants wishes and speaks directly to Maya. The little god Ganesh changes Maya’s life entirely by letting her see what life would be like if all “obstacles to her happiness were removed.” So, when we get what we want, are we truly happy? Maya at first is ecstatic; Jamie likes her, her parents decide not to move, she can understand Bengali, she loses her awkwardness and learns to dance, she has a closet filled with beautiful clothes, her hated braces are off her teeth…you get the picture. This journey to find out what she truly does want, now that her immediate wishes have been granted, takes her to India, where she meets her extended family, is reunited with Pinky, and slowly feels more integrated, not just different. All told, it is a wonderful story that could be about any young person trying to figure out who he or she is; and how an adolescent can emerge from a nurturing family, part of that family, but also an individual. Perfect for multicultural collections. Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: J--Recommended for junior high school students. 2005, Random House, Wendy Lamb, 209p., $15.95. Ages 12 to 15.

Suzanne Libra (Library Media Connection, March 2005)
Maya was born in India, but has grown up in Manitoba. She loves her eccentric physicist father and her strong-willed mother, although she wishes they were a little more lenient. She also wishes she was more Indian or maybe less Indian and that the bully who insults her skin tone and food would just disappear. Maya gets her wishes when Ganesh, the Hindu elephant god appears. Her parents begin to turn into compliant ghosts and Jamie, the boy of her dreams, follows her around professing love, but she knows it's not real. It takes a trip to India, stealing the statue from the market, and a lot of Jelly Bellies to get her life back to normal. In this novel infused with magical realism, the author deals with the universal wishes and hopes of teenagers and the specific problems of immigrants who don't quite fit in. Maya is a believable and fun character. Some students may have a little trouble with the 1978 time frame- characters listen to records, play Pong, and have Farrah Fawcett hair, but those differences fade under Maya's ageless problems of braces, the wrong hair, and a crush on the wrong boy. With its humor, magic, and realism I would recommend it to many students and teachers for units on multiculturalism, Canada, or for literature circles. Recommended. 2005, Wendy Lamb Books (Random House), 224pp., $15.95 hc. Ages 10 to 15.

Wendy L. Hogan (Resource Links, October 2005 (Vol. 11, No. 1))
Fanciful but predictable. When Maya asks the Hindu Elephant God, Ganesh, for a wish, she knows he is a “remover of obstacles”. Like other girls her age many things bother her, all seemingly catastrophic, and Ganesh appears to be the answer to her problems. Maya and her parents have emigrated from India to Manitoba. Although they give the impression that they have adopted the customs of Canada, her parents have remained very traditional. Maya faces a much more complex dilemma. At times, her culture is often cumbersome. For example, when a rich, seductive aroma floats from her school lunch, everyone is reminded of her differences. At other times, she is irritated by the fact that she cannot understand the language her parents speak with other Hindus: In fact, at these times she yearns to have a stronger connection to her heritage. She dresses in jeans and a trendy parka, but is self-conscious about the colour of her skin, the braces on her teeth, her blemishes, and her slight build. Nonetheless, she fantasies about being Jamie’s girlfriend. Just as they are getting friendly, she learns that her cousin, Priyanka (Pinky) is coming from India to go to her school. Although this offers her an opportunity to renew her ties with distant traditions, Maya knows that Pinky is beautiful and self-assured: Surely, her cousin’s presence will reduce her chances of Jamie becoming her boyfriend. Predictably, Pinky attracts everyone with her Indian charm, including Jamie. Maya experiences jabs of jealousy and envy until she discovers that Pinky has transported a golden statue of Ganesh in her suitcase. Maya becomes convinced that, in order to have it all, she just needs to ask Ganesh; for the same gracefulness and assurance that Pinky demonstrates; for her cousin to be eliminated as a rival for Jamie; for her braces and blemishes to disappear; her slender body to become more curvaceous; and for her parents to become “more Canadian”. Predictably, Maya discovers that things are not always what they seem. After her wishes are granted, she finds that she tires of some of the changes. Having her parents obey her every wish and command is just bizarre. In addition, Jamie’s constant attention is almost smothering her. In search of normalcy, she is mysteriously relocated overnight to India with her father in search of the missing elephant God and cousin Pinky. Her struggle to find Ganesh and her subsequent reunification with Pinky, amounts to good triumphing over evil. When Maya and her father return to Manitoba and the status quo is regained, the family decides to move to the United States where a highly desired job awaits her mother. For Maya, the move means letting go of her teenage consternations and is symbolic of her newfound acceptance and belief in her future. Although the story begins on a realistic note, the denouement was rather long and predictable. Essentially, then, the story is rather forgettable. Category: Fiction Grades 7-12. Thematic Links: Families; Cultural Conflict; Peer pressure. Resource Links Rating: A (Average, all right, has its applications), Gr. 7-9. 2005, Wendy Lamb Books/Random House of Canada, 209p., Hdbk. $22.95. Ages 12 to 15.

Hope Morrison (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, March 2005 (Vol. 58, No. 7))
Middle-schooler Maya Mukherjee is the daughter of an Indian father and a half-Indian, half-British mother, and in 1970s Canada this makes her an outsider with a feeling of enormous vacancy: "For rent, for lease, room inside Maya." When her glamorous cousin Pinky comes over from the subcontinent for a visit, Maya borrows Pinky's statue of Ganesh, the Hindu elephant god, and slowly begins to reveal her insecurities and deepest longings to the "Remover of Obstacles"; to her complete shock, the statue comes to life and grants every one of her wishes. This eloquently composed "Be careful what you wish for" tale provides a winning balance of identity fiction and fantasy. Maya's internal monologue is insightfully written, and the poignancy of her pubescent longings gone awry (her parents completely lose their identity as they robotically do whatever Maya wants them to do, and her dream boy becomes stalker-like in his devotions) speaks silent volumes to readers. Banerjee's is a promising new voice on the middle-grades literature scene, and this is a compelling and imaginative examination of being caught between worlds and of learning to accept the beauty of life's flaws and challenges. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2005, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2005, Lamb, 209p, $17.99 and $15.95. Grades 5-8.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2005)
When Maya's glamorous cousin Pinky arrives in Manitoba from India, everyone, including Maya's boyfriend, finds her fascinating. Pinky lends Maya her statue of the Hindu elephant god Ganesh, grantor of wishes, and Maya begs him to help her. Her wishes come true in most unexpected ways as she struggles to learn self-acceptance. The fantasy element is amusing but a bit jarring. Category: Older Fiction. 2005, Random/Lamb, 211pp, 15.95, 17.99. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.

Janie Barron (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews, (Vol. 18, No. 2))
In this delightful story set in the 1970s, Maya is the only brown-skinned middle schooler in her tiny town of Manitoba. Born in India and raised in the land of moose and snow, she feels as if she doesn’t fit in anywhere. She longs to fit in and wants the respect of her fellow classmates--one in particular, Jamie Klassen. He is the local boy with the John Travolta strut. Her cousin Pinky arrives from India to visit. Pinky also brings with her a statue of an elephant god, Ganesh, granter of all wishes. Maya believes everything she wishes for will be granted. The Ganesh comes to life and only speaks to Maya. He turns her world into a magical adventure of self-discovery. It not only changes her but her family, friends, and Jamie as well. However, things are not going as she expected. Maya must travel back to India to set things right again. Fiction. Grades 6 and up. 2005, Wendy Lamb Books, 209p., $15.95. Ages 11 to 16.

Barbara Johnston (VOYA, February 2005 (Vol. 27, No. 6))
Maya would like to change some things-her father's annoying habits, her mother's strict rules, and her own straight-as-a-stick body. Born in India, Maya loves living in rural Manitoba, but she is unsure how to blend into Canadian culture. There is no question, however, about her attraction for handsome Jamie Klassen, and Maya is surprised to discover its mutuality. When Maya's cousin Pinky visits from India, she dazzles Jamie while performing Kathak dances in her colorful sari. Maya turns to Pinky's golden statue of Ganesh, the god who removes obstacles. Ganesh comes to life, requests jelly belly candy, and Maya feeds him and pleads for changes. When Maya does not find the answers for which she was searching, Maya and her father travel to India where Maya seeks Ganesh's help again. Along the way, Maya discovers real insight into her family, her self, and her future. Banerjee incorporates her life experiences into this imaginative tale and paints vivid scenes of life in a town along the Winnipeg River. The setting is 1978, and through school bully Brian, Banerjee also underscores the ugly prejudice that was commonplace. Brian liberally labels with the "N" word everything strange and foreign. Without preaching, Banerjee wisely allows her readers to judge his folly. Likeable characters, broad humor, and a mild love story guarantee appeal to middle schoolers. Although a few plot threads are resolved superficially, this book is an enjoyable read and has a contribution to make to multicultural collections. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P M (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8). 2004, Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, 224p., $15.95 and PLB $17.99. Ages 11 to 14.