Seeking Hakka Bakka

When eight-year-old Mandolin MacDu 's beloved father tells her about "hakka bakka," a Hindi term meaning the place where you belong in life, it sounds great to her. With a mother she never knew, she sometimes doesn't know who she really is or where she belongs.

When her father dies suddenly in an accident, Mandolin is left to live with her un-caring grandma, Hopscotch-and feeling more lost and out of place than ever. Her father was everything to her, and with him gone, she feels she has nothing. Hop-scotch certainly doesn't help the situation. A heartless, bitter woman, Hopscotch does nothing but pester young Mandolin. Then, Mandolin has an idea: What about her mother? What had ever become of the woman who gave birth to her? Perhaps by nding her Mandolin can discover her place in the world.

Over the course of twenty- ve years-and several continents-Mandolin seeks her unknown mother. In order to see where she is going, Mandolin must discover her heritage and connect with her mom. With the help of her father's spirit and a mother's love, she just might nd hakka bakka.