The Samosa Rebellion
by Shanthi Sekaran (Author)
Critically acclaimed author Shanthi Sekaran makes her middle grade debut with this timely and stunning novel in which a young boy and his friends must rescue his grandmother from a relocation camp after their country's descent into xenophobia. Perfect for fans of The Night Diary and Front Desk.
Before his grandmother moved from India to the island of Mariposa, Muki Krishnan's life was good. But now? He has to share his bedroom with Paati, his grandmother, who snores like a bulldozer and wakes him up at dawn to do yoga.
Paati's arrival coincides with even bigger changes in Mariposa. The president divides citizens into Butterflies--families who have lived in Mariposa for three generations--and Moths, who, like Muki's family, are more recent immigrants. The changes are small at first. But then Muki and his friends find a camp being built to imprison Moths before sending them away. Soon after, his Paati is captured and taken there.
While devising Paati's escape, Muki discovers that a secret rebellion is underway, and as he digs deeper, he realizes that rescuing Paati will be the fight of his life.
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Publishers Weekly
On the fictional Pacific island nation of Mariposa, unsettling new developments coincide with one child's grandmother arriving from India: men in hard hats with clipboards now patrol the streets, winged cameras zig and zag past windows, and Muki Krishnan, 12, has preparatory school assignments focusing on patriotism. When the president of the island divides residents into Butterflies, mainly white families who have lived in Mariposa for three generations, and Moths, or more recent immigrants--often people of color--and Muki stumbles upon an ominous new construction, Muki begins to fear for his Indian family, especially for his yoga-practicing Paati. Muki's mother tries to shelter her son from events, but Muki gains information from his classmate and ally Tinley Schaedler, whose white father oversees imprisonment and deportation. As neighbors begin to turn on neighbors, Muki must find a way to resist. Part age-appropriate parable about fascism, part quest adventure, this dystopian middle grade debut by Sekaran (Lucky Boy) draws from events both historical and current to craft a startlingly resonant narrative; Muki's family life especially, including the intergenerational relationships, the food, and the family's neighborhood store, is richly imagined. Ages 8-12. Agent: Lindsay Edgecombe, Levine Greenberg Rostan. (Sept.)
Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JUV039250 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emigration & Immigration
JUV039120 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Prejudice & Racism
JUV074000 - Juvenile Fiction | Diversity & Multicultural
