No Purchase Necessary
-
- $11.99
Publisher Description
A 2025 Book Page Best Middle Grade Book | A 2025 Imagination Soup Best Middle Grade Book | 2026 Texas Library Association Lone Star List Selection
A funny, poignant MG debut about a boy whose life spirals out of control when he wins a prize in a stolen candy bar.
Ajay Anthonipillai has a million-dollar problem.
Ajay has lived his life dutifully following the rules set by his Tamil parents. Rules like, “straight A’s only” (rule #3), “no such thing as a no-homework day” (rule #5), and “never watch scary movies” (rules #10). But moving to a new school gives Ajay a new rule to follow: get on seventh grade all-star Jacob Underson’s good side.
When Jacob asks him to steal a Mercury bar from Scary Al’s convenience store, Ajay feels this is his chance to finally “get cool” and gain real friends. Maybe even stop eating lunch alone. But Jacob rejects the stolen chocolate bar, leaving Ajay to unwrap it and discover that it contains Mercury’s Twenty-fifth Anniversary Grand Prize: one million dollars!
Faced with an extreme dilemma, Ajay will have to bear the weight of his actions and battle his conscience in deciding whether to claim the prize that may change the life of his family forever.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Marianayagam meditates on powerful messages surrounding family, identity, and finding friends in unlikely places in this bittersweet debut. Seventh grader Ajay Anthonipillai has always lived by his Sri Lankan parents' rules: "straight As only," "always dress nicely," and no scary movies, among others. After transferring to a different school, Ajay instates his own rule: get on popular bully Jacob Underson's "good side." When Jacob, who reads as white, asks Ajay to steal a Mercury chocolate bar from a convenience store, Ajay feels this is his chance to finally "get cool," but Jacob rejects the stolen goods. Then Ajay unwraps it and learns that he's won Mercury's 25th Anniversary Contest grand prize: $1,000,000. Collecting that money could dramatically improve his family's lifestyle. But can Ajay claim the reward when he doesn't believe he earned it fair and square? Mixed-media formatting—including Ajay's handwritten journal entries and excerpts from his school assignments further showcase his internal struggle balancing morality with life-changing opportunity. The racist bullying that Ajay endures depicted alongside his own frustrations with his immigrant parents' expectations allows for a natural-feeling exploration and unfurling of Ajay's broadening world perspective. Ages 8–12.
