Deepa, M.D. by Priya Swaminathan

I kept having to put this Middle Grade novel off but am so glad I could finally make the time for it!

Deepa is a precocious 12 year-old who missed out on her entire first year of middle school while she was being treated for leukemia. Now she’s determined to get back to being a regular middle schooler, and that means not letting anyone treat her like the “sick kid.”

Unfortunately, her parents have other ideas. Their rules and restrictions feel both stifling and embarrassing. Her best friend Renee tries to help, but already seems to have a whole other life separate from what they shared in elementary school. Renee’s new friend Lola is a mean girl who doesn’t seem to like Deepa, who’s already having trouble adjusting.

At least her life outside of school provides challenges that are more interesting than demoralizing. After getting roped into riding along on a house call with her physician Uncle Jai, Deepa becomes his partner in investigating the mysterious medical ailments of his patients. Uncle Jai is brilliant but not great with people, which is where Deepa steps in. She knows exactly what it feels like to be ill and at the mercy of doctors. Between the two of them, will they be able to not only help and heal others but also figure out how to make Deepa feel like she finally fits in at school?

There are so many amazing things to say about this delightful novel! I’m not the kind of book critic who enjoys doing comps, but this really does feel like 2026’s version of Kelly Yang’s superlative Front Desk. Deepa MD is smart and funny and entirely heartfelt, feeling like a genuinely comprehensive look at the life of a twelve year-old juggling a ton of responsibilities. Whether it’s dissecting middle school cliques, the pressure on high-achieving youngsters or the world of medical mysteries, this novel examines and integrates all these topics with both heart and realism, eventually connecting them all into a believable and utterly satisfying tapestry.

But perhaps my absolute favorite aspect of this book was the way Deepa’s cultural heritage was presented without a lick of self-consciousness. Priya Swaminathan explains what she needs to, but you never feel like she’s trying to make excuses for featuring characters who live differently from the mainstream. Instead, Indian culture is treated as a given, a part of Deepa’s life that might make her feel different but never lesser. It’s so rare to see a book so matter-of-factly display diversity without ever apologizing for it. There’s no guilt and no defiance — and neither should there be. The characters and situations in this book just are. As a person of color who reads a lot of books written by minority authors, many of which are unfortunately but understandably permeated by an anxious desire to be understood and accepted, I can’t even begin to tell you how wonderfully liberating and inspiring this attitude feels.

This was Ms Swaminathan’s first book after two distinguished decades in film and TV (among other things, she was the head of film development at Annapurna Pictures and helped launch Higher Ground Productions, President Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company.) She also just graduated from the UCLA School of Nursing in June! I am so impressed with her on every level, and sincerely hope I’ll be able to read more of her excellent writing soon!

Deepa, M.D. by Priya Swaminathan was published May 19 2026 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and is available from all good booksellers, including