Status
Available
Publication
Nancy Paulsen Books (2019), 208 pages
Library's review
Venkatraman’s middle-grade debut tackles sisterhood, chosen families, and loss.
Eleven-year-old Viji and her sister, Rukku, flee their abusive father after he breaks Amma’s arm and kicks Rukku. They find themselves, overwhelmed, in the big city of Chennai, where they are temporarily employed by
A blisteringly beautiful book. (Fiction. 10-14)
-Kirkus Review
Eleven-year-old Viji and her sister, Rukku, flee their abusive father after he breaks Amma’s arm and kicks Rukku. They find themselves, overwhelmed, in the big city of Chennai, where they are temporarily employed by
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kind Teashop Aunty, who offers them bananas and vadais, and fall in love with a puppy, Kutti, who becomes their constant companion. The sisters meet Muthu and Arul, two boys who live under an abandoned bridge, and join them; Viji tells Rukku elaborate stories to reassure herself and her sister that they will be OK. Soon, Viji finds herself telling the young boys her stories as well; in return, the boys show the girls how to earn money on the streets: by scavenging for resalable trash in a very large garbage dump Muthu calls “the Himalayas of rubbish.” When tragedy strikes, it is this new family who helps Viji come to terms. Craftwise, the book is thoughtful: Venkatraman employs the second person throughout as Viji writes to Rukku, and readers will ultimately understand that Viji is processing her grief by writing their story. Viji’s narration is vivid and sensory; moonlight “slip[s] past the rusty iron bars on our window”; “the taste of half an orange…last[s] and last[s].” The novel also touches on social justice issues such as caste, child labor, and poverty elegantly, without sacrificing narrative.A blisteringly beautiful book. (Fiction. 10-14)
-Kirkus Review
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Awards
Texas Bluebonnet Award (Nominee — 2021)
Georgia Children's Book Award (Finalist — Grades 6-8 — 2021)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2021)
Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2022)
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee — 2021)
Mark Twain Readers Award (Nominee — 2022)
Sunshine State Young Reader's Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2021)
Golden Kite Award (Winner — Middle Grade Fiction — 2020)
Garden State Teen Book Award (Nominee — 2021)
Oregon Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — 2022)
SCBWI Crystal Kite Award (2020)
NCSLMA Battle of the Books (Middle School — 2022)
Virginia Readers' Choice (Nominee — Middle School — 2021)
South Asia Book Award (Winner — 2020)
Evergreen Teen Book Award (Nominee — Middle School — 2022)
Maud Hart Lovelace Award (Nominee — 2021)
Rhode Island Middle School Book Award (Nominee — 2021)
Maine Student Book Award (2021)
Malka Penn Award for Human Rights in Children’s Literature (Honor Book — 2019)
Walter Dean Myers Awards for Outstanding Children's Literature (Winner — Younger Readers — 2020)
Read Aloud Indiana Book Award (Middle Grades — 2021)
Kansas NEA Reading Circle Recommended Book (Junior — 2020)
Great Reads from Great Places (Rhode Island — 2020)
Notable Children's Book (Middle Readers — 2020)
Nerdy Book Award (Middle Grade Fiction — 2019)
Los Angeles Public Library Best of the Year (Teen — 2019)
Teacher Favorites Award (2020)
Penn GSE's Best Books for Young Readers (Selection — 2019)
Young Adult Favorites Award (2020)
Great Texas Mosquito List (2022)
El día de los niños / El día de los libros (3-5 — 2020)
Project LIT Book Selection (Middle Grade — 2020)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Kids (Fiction for Older Readers — 2019)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2019
ISBN
1524738115 / 9781524738112