The Door Is Open: Stories of Celebration and Community by 11 Desi Voices
CCBC Review:
Eleven short stories set in fictional Maple Grove, New Jersey, feature diverse young South Asian protagonists. In the opening entry, “Check Yourself,” a chess tournament is where Chaya encounters her nemesis, a boy who not only beat her in the tournament the year before but who she overhead making racist comments about Indian people just before their match. That chess tournament takes place at the Maple Grove Community Center, which is featured in each of the interconnected stories. It’s the site of a coveted badminton class, a dreaded cooking class, and a wedding at which one young attendee is bittersweet and another dances happily. Individual family dynamics shine in these enjoyable offerings, while community becomes a central theme when the center’s funding is threatened, building to a closing story in which civic engagement and activism take center stage. ©2025 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 9-12
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format:
Short Stories
Subjects:
Community
Families
South Asian People
Diversity subjects:
Asian
Christian
Muslim
Other Religion
Publisher:
Little, Brown
Publish Year: 2024
Pages: 328
ISBN: 9780316450638
CCBC Location: Fiction, Khan