From the time she was a little girl, Nia has dreamed up adventures about the Javanese mythical princess, Dewi Kadita. Now fourteen, Nia would love nothing more than to continue her education and become a writer. But high school costs too much. Her father sells banana fritters at the train station, but too much of his earnings go toward his drinking habit. Too often Nia is left alone to take over the food cart as well as care for her brother and their home in the Jakarta slums. But Nia is determined to find a way to earn her school fees. After she survives a minibus accident unharmed and the locals say she is blessed with 'good luck magic,' Nia exploits the notion for all its worth by charging double for her fried bananas. Selling superstitions can be dangerous, and when the tide turns it becomes clear that Nia's future is being mapped without her consent. If Nia is to write a new story for herself, she must overcome more obstacles than she could ever have conceived of for her mythical princess, and summon courage she isn't sure she has.

 

This book was recognised by the Junior Library Guild.

This book has been graded for interest at 9-12 years.

There are 224 pages in this book. This book was published 2019 by Pajama Press .

Michelle Kadarusman is a Canadian/Australian/Indonesian author of novels for children and teens, including the award-nominated The Theory of Hummingbirds. Founder of the former literacy charity Raising Readers, Michelle also works with books at her day job with the Scotiabank Giller Prize. Michelle lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her family and one very noisy dog.