My book recommendation this month is actually two books (it’s the first month of this series and you’re already getting a bonus!), the first two in the Pandava Quartet by Roshani Chokshi: Aru Shah and the End of the World and Aru Shah and the Song of Death. The third book in the series, Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes, released in 2020, but I haven’t read it yet, so I will focus my recommendation on the first two books.
The Pandava Quartet is a collection of middle grade books, but I still wanted to include them in my recommendations series because they are just unapologetically fun and chock full of mythology. I haven’t read a lot of middle grade, so I can’t say how they compare to others in their genre, but I truly enjoyed them and therefore, you get this post.
Synopses from Goodreads
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?
But, for better or worse, she won’t be going it alone.
Along with her soul-sister, Mini, Aru will team up with Brynne, an ultra-strong girl who knows more than she lets on, and Aiden, the boy who lives across the street and is also hiding plenty of secrets. Together they’ll battle demons, travel through a glittering and dangerous serpent realm, and discover that their enemy isn’t at all who they expected.
Recommendation
I am trying to consciously expand my mythology knowledge base beyond Greek and Roman traditions, and these two stories gave me a really fun introduction to the complex world of Hindu myths. The gods and settings created a vivid, engaging world for me, and I am a sucker for a well-built world.
I also enjoyed the protagonist, Aru, and her sidekick, Mini. Their personalities are so different, yet each of the characters is strong in her own non-stereotypical way. They each get super cool celestial weapons, but they have to figure out how to use them and, realistically because they are still kids and untrained, they don’t always do so correctly. I really appreciated that Chokshi gave them each their own brand of agency and allowed them to explore it throughout the books, each growing into their own identities as the books progressed.
The adventures in these books were also so fun. It was pure joy to tag along with Aru and the rest of the characters on their quests, and to occasionally cringe with them when something so typically middle-school-awkward happened. Take away the fantastical setting and you have an endearing pre-teen who’s just trying to figure out her place in the world. And that heart is what really made the stories so lovable for me.
If you like settings that feel like falling into a vibrant painting in your mind, adventure and danger without death and gore, and a cast of capable yet realistically fallible characters seasoned with a dash of snark, check out Roshani Chokshi’s Pandava books. I can’t wait to read the next one!
