No Purchase Necessary
Written by Maria Marianayagam
Published by HarperCollins
ACTIVITIES
All activities will be added by Nov. 15th
BOOK SYNOPSIS
Ajay Anthonipillai has a million-dollar problem.
Ajay has lived his life dutifully following the rules set by his Tamil parents.
Rule #3: Straight As only
Rule #5: There is no such thing as a no-homework day.
Rule #10: Never watch scary movies.
However, moving to a new school gives Ajay a new rule: to get on seventh-grade all-star Jacob Underson’s good side.
When Jacob asks him to steal a Mercury bar from Scary Al’s convenience store, Ajay feels this is his chance to finally “get cool” and stop eating alone. But Jacob rejects the stolen chocolate bar, leaving Ajay to unwrap it and discover that it contains Mercury’s Twenty-fifth Anniversary Grand Prize…one million dollars.
Faced with an extreme dilemma, Ajay will have to bear the weight of his actions and battle his morality in deciding whether to claim the prize that may change the life of his family forever.
MARIA MARIANAYAGAM
Maria Marianayagam is a Tamil Sri Lankan-Canadian engineer turned children’s book author. She was born in India and grew up in Nigeria and four provinces across Canada. She fell in love with children’s books (again!) after becoming an Amma (mom). Maria enjoys writing lyrical picture books centered on STEM, faith, and South Asian culture, as well as high-concept middle grade grounded in culture.
Her debut picture book, The Amazing Power of Girls (Sourcebooks eXplore, 2024) was named a Children’s Book Council Teacher’s Favorite, CCBC Best Book, and endorsed by the presidents of Girls Inc. and Actua Inc. Her debut middle grade novel, No Purchase Necessary (HarperCanada/HarperCollins, 2025) received four starred reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal, ALA Booklist, and BookPage, as well as glowing reviews from The Horn Book and Publisher’s Weekly.
When Maria is not writing, she can be found travelling the world, devouring books, and spending time with her wonderful family. She resides in Alberta, Canada, with her husband and three amazing daughters.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Website: https://marianayagam.com
Instagram, Bluesky, X, Threads: @msmarianayagam
Facebook: @maria.s.marianayagam
Email: maria@marianayagam.com
BIBLIOGRAPHY
– BABY VIRTUES: Baby Hope & Baby Courage, WorthyKids/Hachette, February 2024 (Board Books)
– BABY VIRTUES: Baby Love & Baby Faith, WorthyKids/Hachette, Dec 2024 & Feb 2025 (Board Book)
– NO PURCHASE NECESSARY, Harper Canada & HarperCollins US, January 2025 (Middle grade novel)
– WAIT ‘TIL YOU’RE OLDER, Sourcebooks eXplore, June 2025 (Picture Book)
CURRY MEANS MORE, Astra Books For Young Readers, August 2025 (Picture Book)
– A TRIP BACK HOME, Astra Books for Young Readers, Spring 2026 (Picture Book)
– OUR SKY, OwlKids, 2027 (Picture Book)
