The Pandavas call on old friends, make new allies, and face fearsome trials as they embark on a mission to stop the Sleeper from accessing the nectar of immortality, but ultimately Aru must decide who deserves immortality–the devas or the asuras–and an unexpected answer comes from an unexpected place.
Intermediate (ages 9-14)
Material appropriate for intermediate age groups
The Sheep, The Rooster, And The Duck
In 1783 France, ten-year-old Emilie works as Benjamin Franklin’s caretaker, but after he finds himself in the middle of a sinister plot, he helps France’s undercover guardians, a sheep, a roster and a duck save the world.
Kiki Kallira Breaks A Kingdom
Kiki has always relied on drawing to soothe her many anxieties, but when she unwittingly falls into the lavish kingdom based on Indian mythology that she has illustrated, she must find the courage to confront the evil god there who intends to destroy the real world.
Seven Golden Rings
In ancient India, a boy named Bhagat travels to the rajah’s city, hoping to ensure his family’s prosperity by winning a place at court as a singer. Includes author’s note about binary numbers.
Trapped In Terror Bay
In 1845, Sir John Franklin’s expedition set sail for the Arctic from England in search of the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Not only did they not succeed, his two ships — HMS Erebus and HMS Terror — and their entire party of 129 men vanished, their fate a mystery that remained unsolved for decades.
Red, White, And Whole
Reha feels torn between two worlds: school, where she’s the only Indian American student, and home, with her family’s traditions and holidays. But Reha’s parents don’t understand why she’s conflicted–they only notice when Reha doesn’t meet their strict expectations. Reha feels disconnected from her mother, or Amma, although their names are linked–Reha means “star” and Punam means moon–but they are a universe apart. Then Reha finds out that her Amma is sick. Really sick. Reha, who dreams of becoming a doctor even though she can’t stomach the sight of blood, is determined to make her Amma well again. She’ll be the perfect daughter, if it means saving her Amma’s life.
Love: The Mastiff
A loyal Australian hunting dog finds himself alone in the outback when his master is bitten by a poisonous snake. He must venture across the dangerous outback to find his way home alone.
The Global Ocean
Though we think of Earth’s five oceans as separate and distinct, they are actually a linked system of circulating water that is one single ocean — the global ocean. This comprehensive and accessible overview explores the global ocean’s enormous influence on the planet, as well as humans’ often-detrimental influence on the ocean. But it also highlights some of the many ways people are working to restore and heal the global ocean — from everyday actions to large institutional projects — making the message of urgency as hopeful as it is accurate. Filled with fascinating information, stunning visuals and plenty of calls to action, readers will be inspired to discover what they can do to help heal Earth’s most important feature and, ultimately, our planet.
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team
A unique account of the amazing Thai cave rescue told in a heart-racing, you-are-there style that blends suspense, science, and cultural insight. On June 23, 2018, twelve young players of the Wild Boars soccer team and their coach enter a cave in northern Thailand seeking an afternoon’s adventure. But when they turn to leave, rising floodwaters block their path out. The boys are trapped! Before long, news of the missing team spreads, launching a seventeen-day rescue operation involving thousands of rescuers from around the globe. As the world sits vigil, people begin to wonder: how long can a group of ordinary kids survive in complete darkness, with no food or clean water? Luckily, the Wild Boars are a very extraordinary “ordinary” group. Combining firsthand interviews of rescue workers with in-depth science and details of the region’s culture and religion, author Christina Soontornvat–who was visiting family in Northern Thailand when the Wild Boars went missing–masterfully shows how both the complex engineering operation above ground and the mental struggles of the thirteen young people below proved critical in the life-or-death mission. Meticulously researched and generously illustrated with photographs, this page-turner includes an author’s note describing her experience meeting the team, detailed source notes, and a bibliography to fully immerse readers in the most ambitious cave rescue in history.
Aru Shah And The End Of Time
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?