How does a story of India begin? Does it begin with the three great rivers-the Ganges, the Yamuna, the unseen Sarasvati pouring her dreaming waters down from the snowy mountains to the hot, dry plain? This bewitching story within a story, set in magical India, explores the power of narrative to change the course of lives. Raka, the doomed young bride of a violent merchant, weaves a tale of rescue so vivid, it might just come true. She tells a servant boy the story of Farhad, a thief and unlikely hero, who must retrieve a famous jewel in order to save a kidnapped princess from a demon king. Farhad's unforgettable companion on the journey is a wisecracking white tiger with an unnatural fear of water. It is their unusual and funny friendship, and the final sacrifice that they must make, that is the heart of this grand, beautiful novel about summoning the hero within.F&P level: Z+ F&P genre: F

 

This book was recognised in the Fantasy / Sci Fi - YA category by the Cybils Award. The Cybils Awards is a group of readers passionate about seeking out and recognizing books that represent diversity, inclusion, and appropriate representation for children and teens. To accomplish that goal, the Cybils Awards works to recognize books written for children and young adults that combine both the highest literary merit and popular appeal.

There are 480 pages in this book. This book was published 2009 by Abrams .

Antonia Michaelis is the author of Tiger Moon and Dragons of Darkness, and has received a total of four stars for her Amulet novels. She has lived and taught in India. She is the author of several other award-winning books published in her native Germany.