Nikhil Out Loud
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Lambda Literary Award Winner for LGBTQ+ Middle Grade
From the acclaimed actor and Stonewall Honor–winning author of The Best at It, Maulik Pancholy, comes a new middle grade novel about a gay Indian American boy who learns the power of using his voice. For fans of Merci Suárez Changes Gears and Better Nate Than Ever.
Thirteen-year-old Nikhil Shah is the beloved voice actor for Raj Reddy on the hit animated series Raj Reddy in Outer Space. But when his mom temporarily moves them to the small town in Ohio where she grew up to take care of Nikhil’s sick grandfather, Nikhil feels as out of orbit as his character.
Nikhil’s fame lands him the lead in the school musical, but he’s terrified that everyone will realize he’s a fraud once they find out he has stage fright. And when a group of angry parents start to protest having an openly gay actor in the starring role, Nikhil feels like his life would be easier if only he could be Raj Reddy full-time.
Then Nikhil wakes up one morning and hears a crack in his voice, which means his job playing Raj will have to come to an end. Life on earth is way more complicated than life on television. And some mysteries—like new friendships or a sick grandparent or finding the courage to speak out—don’t wrap up neatly between commercial breaks.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Actor Pancholy (The Best at It) draws upon his experience as a voice actor in this sophomore novel about a queer 13-year-old advocating against homophobia. When Indian American voice actor Nikhil Shah's grandfather, Nana, becomes ill, the rising eighth grader and his mother travel from Los Angeles to Ohio to help. Though Nikhil is able to remotely record his lines for his lead voice role in animated TV series Raj Reddy in Outer Space, which recently garnered him a Kids' Cartoon Award, his future on the show feels uncertain when his voice begins to change. Loath to confide in his mother, who is navigating tensions with her Gujarati parents, Nikhil throws himself into new friendships with musical theater–loving DeSean, who is Black, fashionable Korean American Monica, and shy Mexican American skateboarder Mateo—on whom Nikhil quietly crushes. After Nikhil is cast as the school musical's lead, and mentions that he's gay during an interview for the school newspaper, protestors descend on the production, but the cast provides public heartwarming support as Nikhil considers options around using his voice. Told in Nikhil's earnest, compassionate narration, this look at authenticity and representation richly layers themes of family and community, and the support needed to grow into oneself. Ages 8–12.
