By Rashmi Sirdeshpande (author) Part of the Hari Kumar series
"Funny, heartfelt, and absolutely next-level, Hari Kumar is a superstar you won’t forget."
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Hari Kumar bursts onto the page with all the charisma of its ten-year-old hero - 75% Indian, 25% French, and 100% superstar-in-the-making. Hari dreams of becoming a Bollywood legend, and when a school filmmaking competition appears on the horizon, he’s convinced this is his lucky break. His ticket to stardom. The moment the world finally sees what he can do. What he’s capable of.
The book is told through Hari’s own journal - with doodles galore from the brilliant Mamta Singh. It’s an idea suggested by Mr Gill, his ever-encouraging learning support teacher - and it gives readers a front-row seat inside Hari’s brilliant, autistic, ADHD mind. His fizzy brain. His thoughts often travel at what he describes as “a zillion miles per hour”.
He’s clever, funny, larger than life, prone to hyperfocus and hyperfixations, sometimes forgetful, sometimes overwhelmed, but always, always full of heart.
And as Hari shares his story, he speaks directly to his fellow autistic, ADHD, and neurodivergent readers - and helpfully explains a few things to the neurotypicals along the way.
Hari’s world is richly drawn by the incredible Rashmi Sirdeshpande : there’s Nisha, his unstoppable 6-year-old sister; friends Lily and Raheem; and a new kid Cameron, who somehow becomes mates with Hari’s sworn rival, Martin. Add in a flurry of fabulous aunties, heaps of positivity, and a sprinkle of melodrama, and you get a story that’s as vibrant as the Bollywood films Hari is desperate to appear in.
Throughout, Hari’s unique voice shines. He defines the big words he sometimes uses, throws in Hindi translations (“Hari beta, Hindi speakers, bear with me!”), and embraces all the ways he feels the world intensely. His emotions are BIG. Sometimes so big it’s like someone has hit a giant red button inside him.
But with humour, honesty, and heart, he lets readers see how he processes it all, how he crashes, how he regroups, and how he keeps moving toward manifesting his best life.
This is a story about friendship, perseverance, teamwork, and believing in yourself even when things get messy or complicated. It’s about turning a dream into something real. Not through perfection, but through passion, creativity, and the courage to show the world who you really are.
This is for any young reader who sees even a flicker of themselves in Hari. In his energy, his imagination, his identity, his neurodivergence. And for everyone else, it’s an unmissable chance to understand a mind that fizzes at full volume. Full pelt. In all of its glory. I cannot wait to see more of Hari Kumar!
Meet HARI KUMAR, superstar-in-the-making, in this laugh-out-loud doodle-packed diary series for 8+ readers.
Read the full description
Hari Kumar: 10 years old, 75% Indian, 25% French, and 100% going to be a superstar. All Hari needs to make it big is a lucky break - a chance to get his name out there. And when that arrives in the form of a film festival competition at school, it's Hari's chance to shine.
But life isn't always like the movies. The new kid Hari thought would be his sidekick turns out to have the makings of a true villain, the crack team he's assembled have minds of their own, and censorship (in the form of the Deputy Head Teacher) is looming.
Can Hari keep things together and pull off an epic comeback, or will his film-making debut be cancelled before it's even released...?
Packed full of friendship, doodles and draaaaama, this series is perfect for fans of Tom Gates and Loki !
Rashmi Sirdeshpande is a lawyer-turned-storyteller, who was part of the Penguin Random House Write Now mentoring programme in 2018. As a British Indian child, she didn't get to see many children like her in the books she read, so she is now passionate about writing stories that children from these backgrounds can relate to.
Commenting on what inspired her to write Good News, Rashmi Sirdeshpande said: “I grew up loving comics, picture books, puzzle books and fact books. Anything that sparked that WOW feeling inside me. Anything that carried me away! Because books are the cheapest ticket to absolutely everywhere - real and fantastical. And I love that today especially, there really is something for everyone out there. I wrote Good News to give young readers the facts about the biggest challenges we face on this planet but also the facts about how far we've come already, how much amazing work is being done, and how we have so many reasons to be hopeful about the future. Good News is the hardest, truest, most important thing I've ever written and to see it shortlisted for this incredible award means everything to me. Everything.”
Photo credit Charlotte Knee
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Meet HARI KUMAR, superstar-in-the-making, in this laugh-out-loud doodle-packed diary series for 8+ readers. Hari Kumar: 10 years old, 75% Indian, 25% French, and 100% going to be a superstar.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Hari Kumar, Ultimate Superstar and determined it is suitable for children aged 7-10 years old
Hari Kumar, Ultimate Superstar features in the following genres: Featured Books for 7+ readers, Featured Books for 9+ readers, Books of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Fantasy / Magical, Funny, Romance / Relationship Stories, School Stories, Drama / Performing Arts, PSHE: Multiculturalism, Diversity and Inclusion, Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), Children’s / Teenage fiction: Comic (humorous) fantasy, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Friendship stories, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s / Teenage: General interest
Paperback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
Hari Kumar, Ultimate Superstar was written by Rashmi Sirdeshpande and published by HarperCollins Children's Books an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Hari Kumar, Ultimate Superstar has 233 pages
Yes it is part of Hari Kumar series
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.
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