Top Secret Anniversary

Priya is back and planning another party. This is her third event, and she has learned a lot about running a business. She is very self-aware and outlines the things she likes and dislikes about party planning, with many of the things she does not like being linked to her emotions and feelings. Mitali Banerjee Ruths does an excellent job in assuring readers that doing your best and being happy with it even if it isn’t THE BEST is perfectly ok. Staying calm when multiple things need to be completed is important, and being responsible requires dedication and hard work.

Priya is hired by her mother to plan an anniversary party for her and her husband. Priya is excited about the party, and, again, she will be donating all the money she makes from the event to support an endangered animal, with this time’s animals being manatees. The problem with planning is that Priya does not know what kind of theme to have. She realizes she doesn’t know how her parents met or fell in love, but she learns from her grandma that the couple met at the mall in a suit store and then bumped into each again at the mall a few weeks later. They ate pretzels in the food court on their first date. Priya knows immediately she wants to incorporate suits and pretzels into her party and gets to work making her to-do list.

Priya enthusiastically makes DIY decorations with her best friend Melissa, drops off invitations and secretly prepares for the party on Saturday, but it is difficult to keep a secret from her dad. As she crosses items off her to-do list, Priya even makes new rules for herself and her business. One new rule she adds is ‘listen to ideas from your team’ in response to Melissa’s idea to create a giant photo frame for pictures. Although Priya is young, she is developing leadership skills and building on working as a team in her entrepreneurial role.

On the day of the party, as Priya makes pretzels with her grandma and brother, and, though hers turn out a little wonky, she is happy with the outcome. She realizes that making pretzels took a lot more time than expected and that she still has a lot left to do. Her friends help hang up the suits and place the heart decorations on the walls just as the guests arrive. Soon Priya’s parents appear, both are surprised, even her mom who knew there was going to be a party.

The party happened so quickly, everything went smoothly and Priya is proud of herself and very happy with the outcome. Afterward, when she posts about the party on her social media, she gets lots of compliments and even another job.

Colour coded speech bubbles make it easy for young readers to decipher which character is speaking. The series continues with the diary format which is vivid and interesting for new readers. Aaliya Jaleel’s illustrations contain plenty of little details that add to the story. Priya’s grandma is always wearing a sari, with her hair partially covered, and Priya wears kurta style tops and narrow pants, a popular Indian style. Each character has an individual style that is continuous throughout the book and series.

At the end of Top Secret Anniversary, there are DIY activities, based on Priya’s creations for the party, that readers can easily do at home, as well as follow-up questions. These discussion questions encourage young readers to engage with the story in a fun and thoughtful way.