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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
Found this while cleaning N's room and decided to read it--we got it at a library book sale long ago. It's y.a., a quest story, and its non-Western setting made it immediately interesting. Divakaruni describes the settings, characters, and especially the bad guy in a way that drew me in. Often, I couldn't tell what a character would choose to do or what the right decision was, and that's unusual for a seasoned (jaded?) reader like me!
I'm interested that this is a series--our edition had no mention of that fact, but it certainly left room for more development! Recommended.
I'm interested that this is a series--our edition had no mention of that fact, but it certainly left room for more development! Recommended.
This was a cute book. I picked it up in the hopes that the Indian Folklore and themes would make it an interesting read. I was disappointed in that respect. Mostly, I found it simple, and a good choice for a very young reader.
I enjoyed this book, recommended by my son, but I am mostly not a fantasy novel reader, and so never felt fully caught up in the story line.
I listened to the audiobook of this charming story and enjoyed it very much. I did notice myself being a little bit sad that this Indian story was being narrated by a white man. It seemed a missed opportunity. That being said, I love Alan Cumming, the reader who did narrate the book, and he did a marvelous job. (Full disclosure, I would pretty much listen to Alan Cumming read the phone book.) So I'm also glad that he specifically was the reader. I contain multitudes. And I look forward to continuing this series.
Reasons I was worried about this book:
-The synopsis sounds like The Fellowship of the Ring. I haven't actually read that, and I barely remember the movie because I watched it during a period of seven-hour daily headaches, but yeah.
-The paperback cover kind of sucks, especially compared to the hardcover my friend was reading.
-In addition to making it sound like Frodo in India, the synopsis also makes the book sound like a dime a dozen.
But:
-It's refreshing to see a middle grade fantasy that's not rooted in the western tradition and yet isn't full of stuff that screams THISISDIVERSITYIT'SGOODFORYOUKIDSBECAUSEYOUWOULDN'TOTHERWISEWANTTOREADABOUTBROWNPEOPLEUNLESSIT'SMEDICINE.
-It's kind of classic at the same time.
-The old man who is kind of Gandalf is a
-It's not the most special thing ever, but it's really solid and would be a great thing to recommend precisely because it's very solid and yet gets diversity points, so it would be the perfect type of book to recommend without actually pointing out the diversity (because of the above all caps).
-The synopsis sounds like The Fellowship of the Ring. I haven't actually read that, and I barely remember the movie because I watched it during a period of seven-hour daily headaches, but yeah.
-The paperback cover kind of sucks, especially compared to the hardcover my friend was reading.
-In addition to making it sound like Frodo in India, the synopsis also makes the book sound like a dime a dozen.
But:
-It's refreshing to see a middle grade fantasy that's not rooted in the western tradition and yet isn't full of stuff that screams THISISDIVERSITYIT'SGOODFORYOUKIDSBECAUSEYOUWOULDN'TOTHERWISEWANTTOREADABOUTBROWNPEOPLEUNLESSIT'SMEDICINE.
-It's kind of classic at the same time.
-The old man who is kind of Gandalf is a
Spoiler
mongoose!-It's not the most special thing ever, but it's really solid and would be a great thing to recommend precisely because it's very solid and yet gets diversity points, so it would be the perfect type of book to recommend without actually pointing out the diversity (because of the above all caps).
Recommended to me by a teaching partner years ago, I plucked this one off my own classroom shelves to book talk as one of the books that receive no love. I enjoyed the quest-like journey Anand goes on to discover who he truly is and the real reason he is put on earth. I loved the setting and cultural references and think my students desperately need to read The Conch Bearer, and others like it, to expand their knowledge around their comfortable circle.
...We live here too, and here. He touched his forehead and his chest. And the landscapes of the mind and heart are inexhaustible.
If I can figure it out myself by using my human intellect, then you aren't allowed to tell me.
You see, everything's connected in the universe. It's something like a giant spiderweb, except the webbing is made of the most beautiful material, like threads of light that sing. Sometimes bad things-or things that seem bad-have to happen so the wrongs elsewhere can be righted or other good things come to pass. Sometimes an action is set in motion, and it must be allowed to run its course. To stop it forcibly would wrench the design of the web.
...We live here too, and here. He touched his forehead and his chest. And the landscapes of the mind and heart are inexhaustible.
If I can figure it out myself by using my human intellect, then you aren't allowed to tell me.
You see, everything's connected in the universe. It's something like a giant spiderweb, except the webbing is made of the most beautiful material, like threads of light that sing. Sometimes bad things-or things that seem bad-have to happen so the wrongs elsewhere can be righted or other good things come to pass. Sometimes an action is set in motion, and it must be allowed to run its course. To stop it forcibly would wrench the design of the web.
I’d give this a solid 3.5 stars. it’s a well written middle grade book that I would recommend for my students, or for other kids I know about that age - I know there’s more in the series, and I think it’s unique and definitely interesting! I’m not going to continue it, as it didn’t draw me in that much, but a solid read for 8-12 year olds for sure.
Kind of like an Indian Harry Potter. Pretty fun and it also had some interesting themes of loyalty, compassion, and sacrifice.
Decent story of a boy who lives in a shack with his mother and his sister who has suffered some sort of trauma. He is chosen to help an old man bring a mystical conch back to its rightful place. Along the way, they get a fellow traveling companion, and they must battle an evil that wants to control the conch.
A story we've seen before but this time with a better connection to the universe.
A story we've seen before but this time with a better connection to the universe.
i fear i just lost interest...wish i had read this as a child, might go back to it one day <3