Verse Novel ‘All That Chandni Knows’ Examines Ambition, Family Secrets
India-West News Desk
NEW YORK, NY – ‘All That Chandni Knows’, a debut middle grade novel in verse by Khushboo Patel, will be published on March 31, 2026, by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers. Set in India in 1999, the book follows a 12-year-old girl balancing academic ambition, first love, and a family secret that threatens to upend her carefully ordered world.
The story centers on Chandni, a high-achieving student preparing for admission to India’s most prestigious girls’ boarding school. With her parents respected doctors and her position secure among friends, Chandni’s future appears mapped out—until a painful truth within her family begins to surface. As selection day approaches, she must weigh her own aspirations against loyalty to those closest to her.
Written in free verse, the novel explores friendship, family responsibility, and moral choice, using Chandni’s perspective to examine broader social pressures tied to gender, religion, and cultural expectation. An author’s note concludes the book, reflecting on recurring patterns in history and offering reassurance to young readers navigating similar uncertainties.
The book has received early critical recognition across trade and youth literature outlets. Booklist called it “emotionally resonant,” noting that Patel “expertly weaves humor and heart into Chandni’s emotional tale” in a starred review. School Library Journal described its themes of growing up and managing relationships as “universal and relatable to middle grade readers.”
Kirkus Reviews praised the novel as “a poignant, character-driven exploration of fraught relationships centering on an appealing protagonist,” while Publishers Weekly highlighted its “straightforward free verse” and its treatment of how social and cultural expectations shape identity and relationships. In Teen Vogue, the book was described as “a gem of a novel-in-verse,” commending its handling of issues including colorism, women’s safety, patriarchy, and religious tension.
‘All That Chandni Knows’ is Patel’s first novel for young readers. The hardcover edition is priced at $18.99 and is recommended for ages 10 and up.
