Aru Shah and the End of Time (A Pandava Novel Book 1) (Pandava Series, 1)

by Roshani Chokshi

Paperback, 2019

Call number

JF CHO

Publication

Rick Riordan Presents (2019), Edition: Reprint, 384 pages

Description

Fantasy. Juvenile Fiction. Juvenile Literature. Mythology. HTML:Best-selling author Rick Riordan introduces this adventure by Roshani Chokshi about twelve-year-old Aru Shah, who has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she'll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from her latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder that Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur? One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru's doorstep to catch her in a lie. They don't believe her claim that the museum's Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. Just a quick light, Aru thinks. Then she can get herself out of this mess and never ever fib again. But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon whose duty it is to awaken the God of Destruction. Her classmates and beloved mother are frozen in time, and it's up to Aru to save them. The only way to stop the demon is to find the reincarnations of the five legendary Pandava brothers, protagonists of the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, and journey through the Kingdom of Death. But how is one girl in Spider-Man pajamas supposed to do all that? Includes a bonus PDF of the book's glossary..… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member foggidawn

While showing off for some school friends (well, frenemies), Aru breaks a lamp that releases an evil being and sets in motion the end of the world. Fortunately/unfortunately, Aru is one of five reincarnated heroes from Indian mythology. She, along with one of her heroic sisters and a sassy pigeon

(don’t ask) must find their weapons and stop the Sleeper before he brings about the end of time. Oh, and they’ve only got nine days.

So, the idea here is that Riordan tackled some mythologies more familiar to Western culture (Graeco-Roman, Egyptian, Norse) in his humorous and fast-paced style, but is now bringing in #ownvoices authors to give similar treatment to myths from other parts of the world. In this case, it worked reasonably well, except that it felt like another author trying to write like Riordan — it felt branded, rather than a unique expression. As such, it also seemed just a little less funny, a little less sharp, than Riordan’s own books. I think kids will enjoy this series, and it’s great to see lesser-known stories sharing Riordan’s considerable spotlight. I’ll probably read on and see what happens to Aru when the other Pandavas show up. Recommended to those who have enjoyed Riordan’s many books and are looking for something similar.

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LibraryThing member abanmally

A fast-paced adventure in the vein of Rick Riordan (and bearing his stamp of approval in the foreword! Aru Shah lives with her mother above a Indian History museum. After Aru is caught in a lie by her classmates, she tries to prove one fib about a cursed lamp in the exhibit. But when she lights the

lamp, she unwittingly unleashed the Sleeper, bent on destroying the world. There is a lot of Hindu mythos but it never feel overwhelming and it's naturally integrated into the story. All in all, a great new series for elementary kids. Recommended for grades 4 and up

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LibraryThing member eduscapes

ARU SHAH AND THE END OF TIME is the first adventure fantasy in the Pandava quartet.

Aru Shah lives the Museum of Ancient Art and Culture where her mother works as an archeaologist. When Aru accidentally awakens an ancient demon known as the Sleeper, Aru must save her family and friends. Can she find

the five legendary Pandava brothers and journey through the Kingdom of Death in time?

Librarians will find the connections to Hindu mythology appealing to middle grade children who enjoy other books featuring mythology such as the Olympians and Magnus Chase books. The female protagonist, fast-paced storyline, and Indian cultural themes will appeal to a broad audience.

Published on March 27, 2018 by Disney-Hyperion. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

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LibraryThing member KeriLynneD

Pretty good for a middle grade book. It usually takes me awhile to get thru them but this one was pretty interesting! It reminded me a lot of the movie Night at the Museum.

LibraryThing member sgrame

12 year old Aru Shah has the bad habit of telling little white lies and finds it can get her into predicaments... like when it ends in her releasing a demon bent on bringing the end of time. In this first of the Pandava series, she pairs up with a spirit sister to find out who her "god" father is

and try to reverse the spell that holds her mother and much of the rest of the nation in a frozen state. This is a good read for those who like the Percy Jackson series and strong female protagonists. grades 4-7.

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LibraryThing member DGRachel

This is a fun middle grade novel that provides an introduction to Indian mythology. Aru Shah is a spunky seventh-grader with an active imagination that gets her in trouble. Her adventure is enjoyable to be part of and Roshani Chokshi’s writing is immersive.

In addition to the traditional

folklore, Aru Shah and the End of Time is full of modern pop culture references. I find this disappointing because it dates the book and I don’t think it will age well, which makes me sad. I’d love to see a middle grade book with amazing, fun female leads and an interesting, complex mythology like this one that was timeless.

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LibraryThing member acargile

This novel is book one of the Pandava Quartet.

Aru isn’t well liked at school; she lies a lot. She’s that weird kid that you know you should be nice to, but you think she should be a bit more normal and life would be easier for her. To impress some kids, she accidentally releases a powerful

being while proving the Lamp of Bharata is cursed. Oh dear! She learns that she is a secret warrior and there are others who will have to join her to defeat the force. Her mother has lied to her! No help there--mom is now frozen as are the three students she was showing the lamp to and everyone else in the near vicinity. She has a limited amount of time to get the being back where it belongs.

The Sleeper, aka God of Destruction, has been released. There were five Pandava Brothers who were legends. Aru is one “reincarnation”. She finds another, Mini, who also has the soul of one of these brothers. Aru, in her spider man pajamas, and tiny Mini do not seem like warriors, but the world is depending on them. The novel has them on a journey. They meet other gods, have adventures, must prove themselves, and then see if they can truly put the Sleeper to sleep again.

I need to admit that I had a hard time concentrating on this novel. It is solid 4th - 6th grade, although some 7th and 8th graders will find it fun. Maybe I wasn’t in the mood, but this novel isn’t really something that appeals to me, but it will appeal to many of you who like adventure and learning about other culture’s myths.

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LibraryThing member AlbaArango

Aru Shah is a 12-year-old girl with a tendency to tell elaborate lies in an effort to fit in at her new, upper-class school, and conceal the fact that she and her mom live at the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, where her mom works. But when three of her classmates show up at her home, Aru

feels compelled to do something impressive. So, she lights the cursed Lamp of Bharata and unwittingly releases the Sleeper, whose job it is to awaken the God of Destruction. Now it’s up to her to save the world.

What I liked: I love mythology and this book did not disappoint. I enjoyed reading about Hindu myths (so many books weave in Greek mythology, it’s nice to read about different deities). The side characters were fun and unique, and the storyline was fun and adventurous.

What I did not like: the main character. I just never connected to her like I normally do with main characters. For the first fifty pages or so, I actually didn’t like her, but I thought I would grow to like and connect with her as I did with Artemis Fowl (who I also didn’t like at the beginning of the first book), but it just didn’t happen for me.

Still, a good read for those who enjoy mythology.

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LibraryThing member bibliovermis

I have read a LOT of the various "Rick Riordan presents" fantasy series, and while they all have something going for them to various degrees, I think Aru Shah is my favorite. It has a lot of what made Rick Riordan's own Percy Jackson books fun and compelling, with the added challenge of skillfully

introducing an exhilarating number of characters and concepts to readers who may not have already read a thousand and one stories about them before. It's a great middle grade level book, with just the right amount of angst, danger, and personal and friendship growth to offset the starry-eyed, magical adventure.

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LibraryThing member ewyatt

Aru Shah has a reputation for being a liar, she just has an active imagination! When she lights a cursed lamp and lets out a demon known as Sleeper, she suddenly finds herself on a quest to save the world. She discovers she is a Pandava, a family of mythical siblings, frequently called on to save

the world over history. Mini is also.a Pandava and the two them team up and use all their wits and luck to save the world and unfreeze their families (and everyone else).
I found this an enjoyable page turner.

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LibraryThing member reader1009

diverse children's middlegrade fiction (grades 4th and up) - action/adventure with Hindu mythology with Indian-American protagonists #ownvoices.

"Rick Riordan presents," as a venture designed to promote and increase diverse authors and diverse character representation in children's literature (while

simultaneously providing exciting, appealing books for kids of all backgrounds) is something I can wholly support. This first installment was action-packed and full of humor (even some bird poop jokes) and strong characters that kids will appreciate. More, please.

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LibraryThing member Completely_Melanie

I think I would give this book a 4.5. I really enjoyed it. I read this with my 12 yr old son and he also really enjoyed it. This book is based on Indian mythology and is written in a way that I think anyone could really enjoy it. I love the fact that it is a bunch of 12 yr old kids that are going

to have to save the world. I think it also makes that book super easy for my son to relate to because this is all done through the eyes of a 12 yr old. My son could see a lot of himself in Aru.

Aru Shah has a big imagination which tends to get her into trouble by lying too much. When some kids at school discover her in yet another lie, they end up daring her to light this lamp. Aru knows better than to even touch the lamp, but she succumbs to the pressure. Of course by doing so, she releases a great evil upon the world the will bring forth the end of time if she cannot fix her mistake.

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LibraryThing member TheStarTrekkie

An amazing book filled with action, mythology, timey wimey wibbly wobbly, humor, GREAT characters, and a lot of other action packed adventure!

LibraryThing member yonitdm

A fun adventure with a very Percy Jackson feel. Aru Shah is a great heroine, smart sassy, and unrepentantly mouthy. I appreciate very much that the adventure arc had a satisfactory completion in this book while it's still left open for future books in the series.

LibraryThing member decaturmamaof2

So fun, and interesting

LibraryThing member sloth852

My kids are obsessed with this Hindu-mythology based series, & it is a great choice for kids that love Percy Jackson.

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