What is it like to be the mother of one who gets enlightenment? How does one watch a young prince walk away from responsibilities towards something impractical and incomprehensible? The Girl Who Became a Buddha is a beautiful story that shifts the spotlight from Siddhartha to Pajapati, his foster mother. Author Maria Denjongpa creates vivid pictures of Pajapati, a feisty, rebellious girl who grows to be a queen and dares to ask questions. She is one who eventually seeks (and finds) enlightenment herself. As I read The Girl Who Became a Buddha, I was drawn into Pajapati's world. I love that her spiritual journey--and that of others in the story--is never once preachy. On the contrary, we meet practitioners of all kinds. A courtesan may be drawn to Buddha's path just as much as a queen. Every human is a bundle of contradictions and flaws, searching for answers in their own way. … [Read more...]
‘Carri-On’, Ruddy!
I remember the first time I visited Tadoba. Our guide, Vishwas, told us that being a forest guide is much like being a detective. You have to listen, look for detail, pay attention, and follow the clues. And the ruddy mongoose in the story--a naturalist and a sleuth--does just that. As with Sea ice? Now you don't!, the depth and breadth of research took my breath away. Page after page, I was awestruck by everything Rohan Chakravarty and his sleuth Naturalist Ruddy draw our attention to. Birds, spiders, ants, lizards--everything catches Ruddy's eye, and everything becomes a marvellous mystery for us to uncover. Parts of the book invite the reader to engage in an investigation with Ruddy, revealing gems of information in the best possible way. As an educator, I'm constantly on the lookout for texts that make nonfiction writing fun. I've worked with Sad Animal Facts and How Do … [Read more...]
A Time to Dance
I went back to a novel in verse after a long time with A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman. It's a lovely tale of grit and ambition, about finding one's path and learning what it is to be a dancer. More than once, I had a pebble in my throat as I read Veda's story of discovery and rejoiced in the way she discovers and defines herself. Veda's mother doesn't want her to dance. She would rather her daughter spent time on more useful, lucrative things, like mathematics. But Veda knows what she wants, and her father and grandmother support her, celebrating her wins and urging her towards excellence. And then, Veda suffers a nightmarish accident. She wakes up to discover that her leg has been amputated from the knee down. Her dreams come crashing down around her, and worst of all, her dance teacher Uday Anna counsels her to choose another path. What follows is a journey of … [Read more...]
Top 3 Young Adult Books -2025
I can't remember how many young adult books I read in 2025, but there were just three books that stood out to me. The White Lotus I've recommended The White Lotus to more readers than I can count! A powerful work of historical fiction, what makes it stand out is the way in which the feisty protagonist Arali stands out without seeming oddly anachronistic. She develops slowly and believable, with circumstances shaping ehr character. Although I don't read mystery much, everything about the story drew me in--the sensitive storytelling, the believable characters, and the compelling plot. Book review With the Fire on High Elizabeth Acevedo's storytelling is stunning. I love how she tackles difficult subjects head-on, layering courage with love as she touches upon a range of themes. With the Fire on High is about a … [Read more...]
Queen of Water
I’ve been waiting to read Queen of Water, the fourth book in Devika Rangachari’s Queen books! I just finished reading it, and it didn’t disappoint. While I did enjoy Queen of Ice and Queen of Fire more, this one also drew me into a world of political intrigue, mistrust and loyalty, where women must fight their own quiet battles to be seen and heard. Queen of Water takes us back to the Chola dynasty, introducing to us Kundavai, the one who advised both Rajaraja I and his son Rajendra. We see the world through her eyes as she observes things playing out around her. Wilful and determined, her character comes alive to us. What sacrifices did she make to become the powerhouse she was? How did she balance her loyalty to her family with her newfound love? Just like with the other three books in the series, it is remarkable how human Kundavai and the others seem in this work of … [Read more...]
Punching the Air
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Verse can do what prose cannot. I cannot imagine a book as powerful as Punching the Air being written in prose. It is stark and vivid, detailed and hard-hitting all at the same time. Amal was just sixteen when he was convicted of a crime he did not commit. Even though the protagonist Amal isn’t identical to the author Dr Yusef Salaam, what he goes through is based on the latter's incarceration. Yusef Salaam came, eventually, to be known as one of the exonerated five. Together with Ibi Zoboi, he crafts an unputdownable story that left me both angry and hopeful. Amal means ‘hope’, but when he is in prison for no reason except the colour of his skin, it is hard to hold on to hope. Every emotion rages through the story, and the way the writers play with format, word choice and alignment made the story all the more impactful. Amal oscillates … [Read more...]
You Bring the Distant Near
You Bring the Distant Near has been on my TBR for a few years now. Yet, I never got around to reading it because I often don't enjoy sagas that span generations. The cover says, 'Five girls. Three generations. One great American love story.' I wondered if I wanted to read a book spanning generations. Plus, the cover made me wonder if I would be reading yet another American immigration story. I suppose the answer is 'yes and no'. It is an immigration story, yes, but it is both simpler and more nuanced than many others that I've read. You Bring the Distant Near is about finding your place in the world, whether or not your identity spans continents. In some ways, it's simplistic because it feels like finding your "happily ever after" is a straightforward, uncomplicated journey. Yet, the very simplicity of it was a breath of fresh air. I liked that it was not charged and … [Read more...]
Beverly, Right Here
I never came across Kate DiCamillo’s work as a child. I haven’t read so many of her more famous books—not The Tale of Desperaux or Mercy Watson or any of those. I did read Because of Winn-Dixie with my book club, though, and we loved it! And now, I read Beverly, Right Here, another book that aches with tenderness and vulnerability. It takes a while to get into the story because Beverly, at the beginning, isn’t a likeable character. Life has taught her to shield herself from love because things you love go away. Like her dog Buddy. The story opens with her burying Buddy and deciding that there’s nothing left for her in her town. So she gets a ride—with someone she doesn’t like—and strides off into an unknown future with no plans and no money. And Beverly, right here, begins to discover herself. Determined not to commit to anything, Beverly refuses to think about anything … [Read more...]
The White Lotus
The White Lotus by Aditi Krishnakumar is a gripping work of historical fiction that, like the best kinds of stories, stays with you and makes you think. Layered and sensitive, it is perfectly paced, immersing you in the life and times of a village in south India in the early 20th century. Fourteen-year-old Arali is looking forward to a life with her husband Sundaram. He is everything she could want in a husband—gentle, caring, and honourable. When he dies the day before her life as Sundaram’s wife is set to begin, she is shattered. And from the pieces, a new Arali emerges—one who is brave, strong, and determined to seek out the truth. What I found most impressive about The White Lotus is how seamlessly the characters grow through the story. The Arali at the beginning of The White Lotus is an excited bride with no ambition beyond living with the man she’s grown to love. … [Read more...]
With the Fire on High
With the Fire on High is my third book by Elizabeth Acevedo, and the first in prose. I loved it! Just like The Poet X and Clap When You Land, it meets difficult, controversial situations head-on, with courage and optimism. Emoni Santiago's life is not easy. Her mother died in childbirth, and her father, whom she calls Julio, is an escapist. He fled to Puerto Rico at the first available opportunity, leaving Emoni to be raised by his mother, Emoni's 'Buela. When Emoni finds herself pregnant in her freshman year, she knows she must decide what to do, and live with the decision she makes every day. And she decides to keep her baby. Yet, courage and love are only one part of the story; another significant part is the magic of food, the kind you may find in a book like Chocolat. Emoni's fingers are magical and the food she makes, guided by instinct, makes people cry, warms them up, or … [Read more...]
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