Sydney Taylor Award Winner
Jane Addams Children's Book Award Winner
National Jewish Book Award Finalist
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A 2022 ALSC Notable Children’s Book
An Amazon Best Book of the Month

PRAISE FOR HOW TO FIND WHAT YOU'RE NOT LOOKING FOR
by Veera Hiranandani

*"A splendid historical fiction tale of bravery and determination." —School Library Journal, starred review.

*"A powerful blend of important themes and everyday triumphs and sorrows." —Kirkus, starred review. 

*"...explores the benefits and costs of assimilation and the complexity of being both white and a religious minority in America then—and now." —Publisher's Weekly,starred review.

"In this moving novel about a turbulent time, Ari and her family discover that what is most important is not what you think you want." —Booklist

"What’s most striking about the book is how kind it is. People learn, forgive, try to do better. In a knee-jerk time (ours), it’s powerful to witness Ari’s realization that people can grow and change." —New York Times Book Review by Marjorie Ingall

 “Gorgeously written and deeply moving, with a main character you can’t help but love, How to Find What You’re Not Looking For deals with the hardest act in one’s fight for justice—confronting the prejudice of those who are closest to us. Hiranandani is a master.” —Adam Gidwitz, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Inquisitor’s Tale

Veera Hiranandani, author of the Newbery Honor-winning The Night Diary, earned her MFA in creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She is the author of The Whole Story of Half a Girl, a Sydney Taylor Notable Book and a South Asia Book Award finalist. A former editor at Simon & Schuster, she now teaches creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College's Writing Institute.