Deepa just wants to lead a normal life. She missed 6th grade because of being diagnosed with leukemia. In remission now, Deepa is ready to move forward with a new school year in 7th grade. Turns out to be not so easy.

Of course her caring parents have rules to keep her staying healthy. They are plenty irritating for her but that’s not all. She has no groups to hang out with at school and a mean girl is always causing her problems. She still has her best friend Renée but even she has changed in not telling Deepa everything like good friendships depend on.

At home their is her friendship with Uncle Jai, who is a house doctor helping diagnose what other doctors have missed. He’s a true genius in solving medical mysteries. The often amusing character trait for him are his lack of people skills. Deepa offers to be his partner since she knows all about the challenges of being sick.

Her uncle reluctantly agrees to let her help. One with a music superstar and the other with a 17-year-old tennis phenom. It’s not easy being a medical detective and she has to depend on lies along with endangering her own health before realizing the mistakes she’s made.

Deepa’s first person narration throughout the 41 chapters is engaging. Honest and funny at times, she is one you will not forget. There was a bit too much friend drama, but young readers will probably not care. The mystery of the tennis star’s illness and her discovering a better way to deal with her own diagnosis help make DEEPA M.D. a special story.

Pages: 256 Book Birthday: May 19, 2026

FIVE MORE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: DEEPA M.D. by Priya Swaminathan

1. Learning about medical diagnosis and the challenges brought forth in being a cancer patient are brought forth with utmost clarity.
2. The banter between Uncle Jai and Deepa were hilarious at times. Sometimes, Deepa was more of an adult than her uncle.
3. Of course Deepa has no medical background to diagnose a patient’s illness, but her detective skills and an understanding of those that are sick make her and Uncle Jai a great team.
4. Deepa nnd her family are Indian American and the rest of the cast are diverse. It’s a welcome part of the way the story turns out.
5. A unique story line given the lack of medical type mystery books for middle grade.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Priya Swaminathan lived the dream of making movies and TV shows for twenty years before deciding to become a children’s author. In addition to writing, she is embarking on a new journey into medicine by studying nursing at UCLA. She lives in Los Angeles with her family and hopes that someday she’ll convince her husband to get a dog.

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