A book that every privileged girl should read. Vall's best day of her life is the one where she discovers that she is not actually related to the coal carrying poor people of Jharia and she decides that she can do whatever she likes. She decides to stow onboard a coal truck heading away from her horrible " uncle", the dust and the nearby leper colony and try to make it to Kolkata. Unfortunately the truck drivers spot her and take her to a brothel to be cleaned up but luckily her "magic feet" and the white patches on her skin save her. ( We, the reader realise she has leprosy, that is why she cannot feel anything that cuts or burns her feet.
Valli then makes do on the streets with an interesting philosophy p.53-54...everything we have is "borrowed" - our bodies, even food and as long as we give what we take to others then everything will be right in the world. She survives for a couple of years and then meets a woman doctor who offers her a possibility of a new life.
Great story full of hope and vivid images of the underbelly of life in the Indian capital - Debra Ellis does it again. ( )

"The Best Day of My Life" is a simply written book giving the reader a deeper insight into the world of leprosy. The narrator of the story is a young Indian girl, Valli. She is homeless, streetwise, tough and intelligent, with an authentic voice, thus making her a wonderful protagonist. At first, Valli sees others with leprosy as monsters, not realising that she is suffering from the same illness. However, as she learns more about the disease, and with the help of Dr Indra, she begins to look beyond the disfigurements and see the real person. As Valli battles daily against hunger and those in authority, she is also shown kindness by strangers which she gradually learns to pass on to other people struggling with poverty.

As usual Ellis shows little sentimentally in her story writing, instead she once again educates the reader about the plight of children in third-world countries. Her research is thorough and the story compelling. This is another winner for the author and would be a worthy book for Year 7s to study. ( )