The Love Playbook

Eleven-year-old Tara Das finds her life disrupted by her parents' recent separation. She channels her energy into creating a matchmaking app to help rekindle her parents' relationship, drawing on coding skills learned from her father. Between managing her new middle school life and executing her matchmaking plans, Tara navigates complex friendships and family dynamics. Her best friend's sudden interest in romance and popularity creates additional challenges as Tara tries to maintain their connection. The app project leads Tara to interact with various people in her community, from elderly neighbors to her school's computer club members. She discovers that relationships - both romantic and platonic - rarely follow predictable patterns or algorithms. Through Tara's journey, the story explores themes of adaptation, acceptance, and the limitations of trying to control love and human connection. The narrative considers how children process family changes and the role of technology in modern relationships.

Readers appreciate the book's portrayal of middle school friendship dynamics and the Indian-American cultural elements woven throughout the story. The basketball storyline resonates with young readers who relate to sports team dynamics. Parents and teachers note the book's handling of complex themes like racism and microaggressions in an age-appropriate way. Multiple reviewers mention the protagonist's growth in standing up for herself. Common criticisms include a predictable plot and some characters feeling underdeveloped. A few reviewers found the pacing slow in the middle sections. Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (200+ ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (50+ ratings) Notable reader comments: "Handles serious topics without being heavy-handed" - Goodreads reviewer "The basketball scenes feel authentic" - Amazon reviewer "Would have liked more development of the side characters" - School Library Journal reader review

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🏏 Author Supriya Kelkar was inspired to write this story after noticing the lack of South Asian representation in middle-grade sports novels, particularly those featuring female athletes. 🎬 Before becoming a children's book author, Kelkar worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood and wrote several Hindi films. 🌟 The novel explores the cultural significance of cricket in South Asian communities while weaving in themes of friendship, family dynamics, and finding one's identity. 📚 The Love Playbook combines elements of both sports fiction and STEM themes, as the main character uses mathematical probability to improve her cricket game. 🤝 The book addresses important social issues like microaggressions and cultural stereotypes through the lens of middle school relationships and competitive sports.