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The Misadventures of a Diamond Thief
A typical rather rebellious teenager, an overbearing helicopter mom, a grumpy pompous father, and so on, except that they are not humans but gem-stealing djins! The timetravelling young djin has to save the family honour by stealing a fabled diamond, but he himself only wants to be a chef! Written with a lot of humour and imagination, this plot makes for a rollicking read, while also giving glimpses of Nawabi old Hyderabad, where the main action is set.
The Book of Emperors – An Illustrated History of the Mughals
A beautifully written and illustrated book, where each Mughal emperor is made human and complex. Their beliefs, desires, strengths, weaknesses, conflicts, and crises are described with compassion and honesty. The miniature-inspired illustrations bring the era to life, including the markets, hunts, arts and music of the times. Some of the lesser-known Mughals are also introduced, giving a sense of continuity and fleshing out the large scope of the era.
Teacher Amma – Who was Sugathakumari?
A well-rounded biography of Sugathakumari — a poetenvironmental activist from Kerala — with great selections of incidents from her life and heart-warming illustrations. The development of Sugathakumari’s character and aspirations, along with key historical events in the environmental movements in Kerala are brought alive through her conversations with a young tribal girl, Muruki.
Sabu loves the sea, and it feels like the sea loves him too. But one day his world is turned upside down by a raging cyclone. His family and the whole fishing village is evacuated to shelters. After it is over, Sabu has to get over his fear and mistrust of the sea, and learn to live with it, and even love it again. The evocative illustrations take us on this journey with him, to the tentative reconciliation in the end.
Persian Nights – An Indian Child in Iran
A nostalgic memoir of a young Indian girl who moves from India to Iran with her family, at a time when Iran was still a modern and forward–looking society. While she settles into a routine and lives a regular child’s life, calling Tehran her home; the country around her starts changing as religious fundamentalism increasingly takes hold of society. The graphic novel format helps the reader to visualize her world, and understand the universal values that make us more alike than different from each other.
This is the story of Adi, somewhere on the autism spectrum, bullied in school, loved by his family. Narrated from the perspective of several characters, and with an undertone of humour, the convoluted life of the Krishnan family unravels crisis to crisis. Adi, with his interest in snakes, love for reading, is delightfully etched.
Laxmi Panda – The Story of Netaji’s Youngest Spy
A tightly written account of a preteen girl, Laxmi, who eventually joins the Indian National Army (INA) of Netaji Bose in Burma. The book is based on the life of Laxmi Panda, a hitherto unknown figure of Odiya origin. Laxmi gets involved in daring espionage and a challenging escape from Burma into India. While this book is a historical witness to the times where a different side of India’s story of independence is told — one fought from foreign soil — it also reads well as a piece of excellent storytelling.
Two sisters who love to play football, pitted against a conservative village! This book is based on a real football academy for girls in rural Tamil Nadu. Rukku and the other girls battle families and villagers who think football is not for girls. Rukku’s dreams, her fights and the support from older women will gladden your heart.
