Save Me A Seat

Being the new kid at school is never easy. It is especially difficult when you are coming from a different culture. It can be even worse when you think you understand people only to have that understanding flipper around. In Save Me a Seat, a bright elementary student moves from India to the United States. He speaks the same language, but people cannot understand him well. He also struggles with the different customs of the school. He sees one other Indian in the class, and seeks to befriend him, thinking he will understand. However, this other Indian is a born-in-America class bully. The new boy (Ravi) is upset when he is asked to go to the special ed teacher to help with his English. He also meets the American boy there (Joe). Ravi looks down on Joe because he is there. However, they end up becoming good friends.
The portrayal of Indian-American culture show many aspects (both good and bad) that I have seen. The struggles of kids to understand each other is real. Having the kleptomaniac bully get stuck with leeches in his pants may be over the top, but does feel satisfying.