July 26, 2021
Nine-year-old Kabir Khan has known nothing but the Chennai prison where he was born. But when a new warden arrives, he’s forced to leave it—and the mother he believes innocent of the crime for which she was imprisoned. With the help of a Kurava teen named Rani and her talking parrot, Kabir narrowly escapes a man who plans to sell him into slavery. Focused on proving his Hindu mother innocent and finding his father—a Muslim man who went to work in Dubai to finance his mother’s defense—Kabir and Rani travel to Bengaluru, encountering danger, disappointment, and hope along the way. As the two navigate a water shortage and the journey, Rani teaches Kabir about the caste system and how to make it on the streets, while Kabir shares his own knowledge through singing and storytelling. Twining themes of perseverance, friendship, and prejudice (“Funny to think rich people... build fancy cages to live in. Probably because they’re afraid of poor people like us”), Venkatraman (The Bridge Home) renders the gripping circumstances surrounding Kabir and Rani’s journey with a keen attention to character and plot, making for an immersive reading experience. Ages 10–up.
November 1, 2021
Gr 5 Up-Social norms and caste systems are explored in depth in Venkatraman's latest. Kadir is a boy born behind bars. Accused of stealing from the people she worked for, Kadir's mother was thrown in jail without a trial. In jail she learned she was pregnant; for the last nine years, Kadir has known only life in prison. Suddenly, Kadir is deemed too old to stay and is thrust out into a world that he has never known. On the hunt to find his father and free his mother, Kadir has to tackle countless obstacles to stay alive on the streets of Chennai, India. This novel is for readers who are seeking realistic fiction that tug at the heartstrings. The story is authentic, and the emotion behind Kadir and his mother's relationship will induce tears. This is a true window book for many readers unaware of caste systems and the struggles within them. Venkatraman takes these complex topics and makes them heartfelt and resonant. VERDICT A well-rounded story of a boy and his struggle to survive alone in the world. A suggested read for lovers of timely tales of children surviving all odds, and a suggested purchase for middle school libraries where realistic fiction and adventure circulate well.-Elizabeth Pelayo, St. Charles East H.S., IL
Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
November 1, 2021
Born in prison in Chennai, India, to a Hindu mother falsely accused of stealing from her employer, Kabir has known only a harsh life behind bars. Upon his ninth birthday, he is released to the outside world. He wants nothing more than to find his Appa's (father's) family in the neighboring state of Bengaluru (Bangalore). All Kabir knows of his father is that he is Muslim; Appa didn't tell anyone of his marriage to Amma; and he stopped writing to them after he left India to work in the Gulf. When Kabir befriends Rani, a Kurava (Roma) girl, they team up to find Kabir's paternal grandparents, and the pace of the plot quickens. Short chapters and paragraphs guide the story to its bittersweet conclusion for both Rani and Kabir. As in The Bridge Home (rev. 1/19), Venkatraman portrays children's experiences of poverty and other social issues; here, she explores Hindu-Muslim animosity, how the Indian caste system predetermines social status, and how biased institutions interact with (and ultimately fail) those of lower caste. This earnest, heartfelt adventure will transport many readers to a different setting while guiding them to draw parallels with contexts closer to home. An author's note addresses the Roma community in India, water shortages, and incarceration rates in relation to caste. Julie Hakim Azzam
(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from September 1, 2021
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* Nine-year-old Kabir has only known a life limited by Indian prison walls. His mother, incarcerated for a crime she didn't commit, gave birth in confinement and has raised him with the help of other inmates--his "Aunties"--and an encouraging teacher. Kabir longs for life beyond that narrow, grim world, but when he suddenly finds himself cast out by the new prison warden, he has no idea how to navigate the noisy, bustling city around him. After nearly being sold into servitude by an unscrupulous guardian, Kabir goes on the run. Rani, a more experienced homeless child, generously takes him under her (and her parrot's) wing. Remaining hopeful through it all, an indefatigable Kabir decides to seek out his father's relatives, despite scant details to go on. Rani is willing to humor him, and the pair sets off to find his kin and figure out a way to free Kabir's mother. Through Kabir's observant eyes, Venkatraman (The Bridge Home, 2019) thoughtfully and gently explores a troubled justice system, interstate conflicts over increasingly common water shortages, and a frustrating caste system. It's a difficult world, but there are plenty of kindnesses and minor miracles to soften the rough edges. An optimistic and earnest tale of the power of hope and the gift of family in all forms.
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Starred review from July 15, 2021
A young boy is forced to leave the Chennai jail that is the only home he's ever known. When Kabir is deemed too old to stay and is sent out into the world all alone, separated from his wrongfully imprisoned mother, he decides to search for the family of the father he has never met to try to save his mother from her unjustly long sentence. Armed with faith, instinctive wits, and the ability to run fast, Kabir escapes danger and meets Rani, a teenage girl from the marginalized Kurava, or Roma, people who is traveling with her parrot. She teaches Kabir, who has a Hindu mother and a Muslim father, about caste dynamics and survival on the streets. She accompanies him to Bengaluru, where Kabir eventually meets his paternal grandparents. Along the way, their experiences reveal the invisibility of low-caste people in Indian society, tensions between neighboring states over water supplies, and the unexpected kindness of helpful strangers. Kabir's longing for freedom and justice underscores bittersweet twists and turns that resolve in an upbeat conclusion, celebrating his namesake, a saint who sought to unify Muslims and Hindus. Kabir engages readers by voicing his thoughts, vulnerability, and optimism: While his early physical environment was confined within prison walls, his imagination was nourished by stories and songs. This compelling novel develops at a brisk pace, advanced by evocative details and short chapters full of action. A gritty story filled with hope and idealism. (author's note) (Fiction. 8-12)
COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
July 1, 2021
Born in prison in Chennai, India, to a Hindu mother falsely accused of stealing from her employer, Kabir has known only a harsh life behind bars. Upon his ninth birthday, he is released to the outside world. He wants nothing more than to find his Appa's (father's) family in the neighboring state of Bengaluru (Bangalore). All Kabir knows of his father is that he is Muslim; Appa didn't tell anyone of his marriage to Amma; and he stopped writing to them after he left India to work in the Gulf. When Kabir befriends Rani, a Kurava (Roma) girl, they team up to find Kabir's paternal grandparents, and the pace of the plot quickens. Short chapters and paragraphs guide the story to its bittersweet conclusion for both Rani and Kabir. As in The Bridge Home (rev. 1/19), Venkatraman portrays children's experiences of poverty and other social issues; here, she explores Hindu-Muslim animosity, how the Indian caste system predetermines social status, and how biased institutions interact with (and ultimately fail) those of lower caste. This earnest, heartfelt adventure will transport many readers to a different setting while guiding them to draw parallels with contexts closer to home. An author's note addresses the Roma community in India, water shortages, and incarceration rates in relation to caste.
(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)