South Etobicoke raised Saira Batasar-Johnie’s first novel Dear Divya is receiving good reviews from readers.

Dear Divya tells the story of a teenage girl growing up and experiencing life during her first years in high school.

Batasar-Johnie grew up in South Etobicoke where her family still lives. The book draws upon the life of a young girl growing up in Toronto.

The 102-page story depicts the challenges faced by an Indo-Guyanese girl, Anjali Singh, who at 14, is entering her first year of high school and how she copes with self-discovery. She is determined to change her reputation and social status in her new setting.

“As the school year begins, Anjali finds herself having to navigate a new world of having Brown, Black and Asian friends for the first time meeting boys and transitioning to new friendships” she writes. “Anjali proudly looks to her older sister Amara who is breaking intergenerational rules.”

Batasar-Johnie by day is a Child and Youth Care Worker, a mom, wife, daughter, sister and friend.

She is passionate about relating the history of  our Indo-Caribbean community and “hopes to educate young people with her words and inspire them to continue their journey of understanding themselves in this world.”

“I still can’t believe I survived my first year of high school without you. We had so many plans,” Batasar-Johnie writes. “I do think about you and hope you know I haven’t forgotten you. I miss laying in bed pretending to do our makeup because now I actually wear makeup.”

She graduated from Humber College in 2011 with a Honours Diploma in Child and Youth Work. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care Degree at Toronto Metropolitan University, formerly Ryerson. She has a Master of Arts in Child and Youth Care.

Dear Divya was released last August and is available online on Amazon. The paperback retails for just over $10. The work has received an five-star rating from readers.