A young Indian boy who's recently moved to America slowly finds friends and makes his new town a home in this charming middle grade novel perfect for reluctant readers from award-winning author Candace Fleming.

Nine-year-old Lowji Sanjana does not want to leave his home of Bombay, India, for Illinois in America. Even his one small hope of getting a pet is dashed when he finds out their apartment building doesn't allow it. Landlady Crisp stays very, very busy keeping the house in shape and she does not want to clean up after animals.

Still, Lowji tries to look for the silver lining, like his friend Jamshed told him. For one thing, American kids go on holiday for the whole summer! And Lowji's bape is still an amazing cook?with an embarrassing sense of humor?who sets up a garden to grow spices in their new home. But can Indian seeds really flourish in American soil?

With the neighborhood kids avoiding him, Lowji passes time with Landlady Crisp and advises her on her household woes: why not get a cat to catch mice, a dog to frighten potential burglars, and goats to trim the grass? Soon, the no-pets-allowed building is full of new animal friends! There may even be a human friend in Lowji's future, if he can just figure out who's been playing in the woods…