HJBRL (Based on the Novella by Sukumar Ray)
by Charbak Dipta Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books A timeless example of nonsense literature, HJBRL (first published in Bengali as HaJaBaRaLa) showcases the genius of Sukumar Ray. A world where handkerchiefs become cats, and a crow does accounting, nothing is as it seems. Featuring a wild array of characters that inexplicably come and go and give […]
Ancient Indians
by Tony Joseph; adapted for children by Devika Cariapa; illustrated by Rajiv Eipe Publisher: Juggernaut Books A high-speed adventure across deep time – full of beasts, battles and the biggest origin story of all. Once upon a time, India had no people at all, at least not people as we know them today. Just giant […]
The Thief of Taxila: A Silk Road Mystery
by Veena Muthuraman Publisher: Talking Cub Books In the bustling bylanes of ancient Taxila, where scholars debate philosophy and traders exchange silk for gold, danger lurks in the shadows. Xuan, a reluctant scribe from distant China, finds himself entangled in dangerous intrigue. The sacred relics of the Great Buddha and a priceless royal amulet have […]
Birds on the Brain
by Uma Krishnaswami Publisher: Duckbill Books Reeni is wild about birds! So when she and her best friend, Yasmin, have to do a survey for a school project, asking their neighbours what they know about birds is an obvious choice. They are shocked to learn that no one—not one single person!—has heard about Bird Count […]
From Makaras to Manticores: Around India in 100 Mythical Creatures
By C.G. Salamander Sheena Deviah (Illustrations) Publisher: Hachette Some 260 well written, designed and illustrated pages take the reader through the widths, depths and breadths of India and its coastlines and examine 100 mythical creatures. The creatures may exist in myths and legends, in folklore, as images in paintings, maps and statuettes, or in the […]
Bipathu and a Very Big Dream
By Anita Nair Publisher: Puffin BooksBipathu and a Very Big Dream addresses BIG themes of gender bias, inclusivity of people with disabilities, and power imbalance based on economic class all without dwelling on them. The story is set in a village in Kerala where Hindus and Muslims coexist within the Malayali identity. Bipathu is poor, […]
Meera Mukherjee: Breaking Moulds
By Vaishali Shroff Shivam Choudhary (Illustrations) Publisher : Art1st Meera Mukherjee: Breaking Moulds is the story of Meera’s first fascination with art begins as she watches her mother create enchanting alponas at the entrance to their home. The story follows her journey to Europe where she learns artistic styles of modern masters. She eventually returns […]
The Ghost of Malabar
Author: Soumya Ayer Illustrator: Isha Nagar Publisher: HarperCollins India A spooky tale… set in Fort Kochi, once a seaside town with a long colonial history! Twelve-year-old Edwin blames his father, a wayward fisherman for everything rotten in his life. But when he encounters Velu his life is catapulted from rotten to outright chaotic. Velu is […]
The Train to Tanjore
Author: Devika Rangachari Publisher: Duckbill Tanjore, 1942 There are few excitements in Thambi’s quiet life. There is the new hotel, disapproved of by elders, which lures him with the aroma of sambar with onions. There are visits to the library to read the newspaper, and once in a while, a new movie at the Rajaram […]
Misfit Madhu 🏆
Author: Divya Anand Illustrator: Vedushi Sinha Publisher: Puffin Madhu is a shy middle-grade developer who spends her holidays creating her dream app, ‘School Santhe’. Soon, the app goes viral…and so does she! And why not? After all, an app where everyone at school can trade stuff is the app they’ve all been waiting for! Madhu […]