Renee Kirchner (Children's Literature)
Thirteen-year-old Lowji Sanjana moves from Bombay, India with his parents to suburban Illinois at the beginning of summer vacation. His apartment in India did not allow pets and he hopes that he will be allowed to get a pet in America. Unfortunately his new landlady, Mrs. Crisp does not allow pets either. Lowji convinces his landlady that animals are the solutions to all of her problems. She adopts a cat to chase mice and a dog to stop burglars and a goat so she won’t have to mow the grass. Finally Lowji has pets. One day he discovers foot prints, about his size, in the woods. Could they belong to someone his own age? Ms. Fleming’s story about Lowji is light on plot and somewhat predictable. Lowji’s voice comes through in the novel and the reader knows how it must feel to be a stranger in a new country. We feel his loneliness and hope for a better life. This book might make a good introduction to an immigration lesson in social studies. After reading the book, a class could have an open discussion of what it must feel like to be an immigrant. 2005, Antheneum Books for Young Readers, $15.95. Ages 7 to 11.

Susie Wilde (Children's Literature)
Nine-year-old Lowji Sanjana faces a huge life change in this novel. He has always lived in Bombay, India, happily surrounded by loads of family and friends. Now he must move to America. His best friend Jamshed tries to help him find the silver lining. Maybe he can get the pet he has always wanted. But his new life in Hamlet, Illinois, does not bring him a pet or new friends. Everything seems strange and confusing. The small Bombay markets where you bargain are replaced by All-Mart where you find everything under one roof at fixed prices. And there are so many strange idioms. But Lowji is such a winning, cheery character that we know he will win friends soon and by book’s end, he does. Throughout the book are details of Indian food, life, culture, religion, and language. These are used sparingly enough in a book filled with strange characters, interesting observations, and a young boy for whom we want happiness. 2005, Atheneum, $15.95. Ages 8 to 10.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 2005 (Vol. 73, No. 3))
Lowji has lived in Bombay with his Ma and Bape for his whole life. He loves his life in the big city in his modern high-rise apartment building, but he does not like one of the rules: NO PETS. When his mother gets a high-tech job in suburban Illinois, he moves away from his best friend, his school and his grandparents. Though he's disappointed to find that apartment rules are much the same anywhere, Lowji, always looking for the silver lining, comes up with a plan that leads to the addition of a working cat (for the mice) and dog (to discourage burglars) and even some goats (to mow the grass). There's nothing stereotypical about this family-the mother has the high-tech job and the father will find a job as a chef someday. Many interesting details of Indian food, clothes and culture are sprinkled comfortably through the story, including a discussion of the tenets of Zoroastrianism and Hinduism. This early-chapter book introduces a likable, lively boy, and readers will wonder how he fares in American schools. Let's hope for a sequel or two. (Glossary) 2005, Anne Schwartz/Atheneum, 160p, $15.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 7 to 11. © 2005 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Hope Morrison (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, March 2005 (Vol. 58, No. 7))
Nine-year-old Lowji isn't too excited about his family's move from Bombay, India, to suburban Illinois, but he's doing his best to look for the silver lining. At the forefront of Lowji's hopes is the possibility of having pets in his new apartment, a privilege that had been denied him in his urban high-rise. Unfortunately for Lowji, the new landlady, Ada Crisp, similarly refuses animals in her three-flat building. Over the course of this short novel, Lowji convinces "Landlady Crisp" that pets can help her solve all her problems: a cat can stop the mice problem, a dog can protect the home from the recent influx of robberies, and goats work well in place of the broken lawnmower. Predictable chaos ensues as the landlady agrees to Lowji's menagerie. The first-person narration keeps the youthful perspective firmly in the forefront, and Lowji's observations on Hamlet, Illinois, are consistent with a kid point of view. A few eccentric side characters (the bulging man in the Ironman t-shirt who works at the bowling alley and keeps a pet pig, for one) add color to the tale; unfortunately, the oversimplified language is choppy at best, and the narrative flow tends to falter. Events are hinted at in early chapters then abandoned until much later, a technique that, rather than building intrigue, creates disjunction in the story. Lowji is, however, an extremely well-meaning and likable kid, and the upper elementary set willing to forgive the uninspiring storytelling will find friendly literary company here. Review Code: Ad -- Additional book of acceptable quality for collections needing more material in the area. (c) Copyright 2005, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2005, Schwartz/Atheneum, 152p, $15.95. Grades 3-5.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2005)
Nine-year-old Lowji is sad to leave Bombay for small-town Illinois--until he realizes that he'll finally be able to get a pet. Unfortunately, his new place has the same no-pets rule as his old apartment. Likable Lowji finds a way around that rule in this humorous story told in short chapters that make this book accessible to readers new to novels. Glos. Category: Younger Fiction. 2005, Atheneum/Schwartz, 152pp, 15.95. Ages 5 to 9. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.

Janie Barron (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 18, No. 3))
Just weeks after his ninth birthday, Lowji learns he is moving across the ocean--to America! Lowji is from old East India and is trying to adjust to his new life in suburban America. He is not used to living in such a small apartment where you can’t have pets. In America, everything is different--clothes, foods and faces, and no pets allowed? Lowji’s landlord, Mrs. Crisp, will not hear of having pets in her apartment complex. Every time he asks, the answer is no. Mrs. Crisp says she is the one responsible for all the repairs for the apartment, mowing the lawn, and people not taking care of their dogs. One day, a burglar tries to break in, and Lowji convinces Mrs. Crisp to get a dog so she won’t have to install new locks in all the apartments. But that was going to be extra work for her, for she would have to walk, feed, and bathe the dog. She just doesn’t have that extra time. Lowji also suggests getting some goats to eat the grass and a cat to catch the mice--that would be fewer jobs she would have to tend to. Getting all of those animals is even more of a problem for Mrs. Crisp. Eventually, Lowji adapts to his new life in America and becomes a good helper to Mrs. Crisp and finds a true friend. Fiction. Grades 3-5. 2005, Anne Schwartz/Atheneum, 152p., $15.95. Ages 8 to 11.