Starry Henna Night

In Starry Henna Night, which is written like a diary, Priya, who is extremely organized, shares her to-do list for each day, including her feelings, thoughts, and action plans. She thinks about what she wants to do and asks for ideas when she is overwhelmed. There are illustrations, notes and facts included throughout the book to highlight and explain certain points.

Priya is hired to plan a party for Tara, a teenager. The problem is that Priya has never attended a teen party or knows what teenagers like. Although she is happy to be planning another party, she struggles to find a theme, and that situation makes her feel nervous and worried.

When Tara decides she wants a henna party, Priya uses a picture of her mom as a bride to explain what henna is, what it looks like and where it is applied. In tandem with the storyline, the little explanations throughout the story help readers understand new terms.

Once Priya and Tara decide on a theme, Priya plans for the money she makes from this party to be donated to an organization that saves pangolins. Pangolins, of which there are eight different species, live in Asia and Africa, have long tongues to eat ants and curl up into balls when they are scared. Priya loves animals and donates money to different organizations that help endangered animals.

Priya asks Neda Aunty to be the henna artist at the party, designs the invitations, and creates a cake plan. Priya enlists the help of her best friend to make decorations. As the big day gets closer, she still has doubts and realizes she forgot to ask Tara if any guests have food allergies. She reminds herself that, as the party planner, she is responsible for remembering these small details.

On the day of the party, decorating and setting up goes smoothly, but, once the party begins, Priya realizes she forgot about the music. She thinks quickly and asks all of Tara’s friends to add their favourite songs to a playlist. The party is a success, and Tara posts about how much fun they have on social media while also mentioning Priya’s party business. The mentions of social media and posting online are always positive, and Priya checks in with her parents about her social media usage regularly.

Starry Henna Night is the second book in “The Party Diaries”, the first being Awesome Orange Birthday. The text is easy to read and fast paced with illustrations on every page. Aaliya Jaleel’s vibrant artwork keeps readers engaged with the story. Her attention to detail, especially the intricate patterns of the henna, clothing and jewellery, draws the eye in and emulates Indian culture beautifully.

At the end of Starry Henna Night, there are instructions for DIY crafts that Priya made at the party and there are follow-up questions. These questions help readers evaluate and understand the story better. They also encourage readers to revisit sections and delve deeper into topics like pangolins, feelings and problem-solving in different situations.