# Count Me in - Hardcover

by **Varsha Bajaj** (Author)

**An uplifting story, told through the alternating voices of two middle-schoolers, in which a community rallies to reject racism.**

Karina Chopra would have never imagined becoming friends with the boy next door--after all, they've avoided each other for years and she assumes Chris is just like the boys he hangs out with, who she labels a pack of hyenas. Then Karina's grandfather starts tutoring Chris, and she discovers he's actually a nice, funny kid. But one afternoon something unimaginable happens--the three of them are assaulted by a stranger who targets Indian-American Karina and her grandfather because of how they look. Her grandfather is gravely injured and Karina and Chris vow not to let hate win. When Karina posts a few photos related to the attack on social media, they quickly attract attention, and before long her #CountMeIn post--"What does an American look like? #immigrants #WeBelong #IamAmerican #HateHasNoHomeHere"--goes viral and a diverse population begin to add their own photos. Then, when Papa is finally on the road to recovery, Karina uses her newfound social media reach to help celebrate both his homecoming and a community coming together.

### Author Biography

Varsha Bajaj (varshabajaj.com) also wrote the picture books _The Home Builders_ and _This Is Our Baby, Born Today_ (a Bank Street Best Book). She grew up in Mumbai, India, and when she came to the United States to obtain her master's degree, her adjustment to the country was aided by her awareness of the culture through books. In addition to her previous pictur books, she wrote the middle-grade novel _Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood_, which was shortlisted for the Cybils Award and included on the Spirit of Texas Reading Program. She lives in Houston, Texas.

**Number of Pages:** 192

**Dimensions:** 0.9 x 8.3 x 5.5 IN

**Publication Date:** August 27, 2019

**Accelerated Reader:**

**Quiz Name:** Count Me in

**Interest Level:** Middle Grades, 4-8

**Reading Level:** 4.4

**Point Value:** 5

## Details

- **Price:** 17.99 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 17.99 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Count Me in - Hardcover

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