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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.
* Bank Street Best Children's Books of the Year *
About the author
Shanthi Sekaran is a novelist and television writer who lives in Berkeley, California. Lucky Boy, her most recent book for adults, came out in 2017. The Samosa Rebellion is her first middle grade book. When she’s not writing, she plays soccer and the ukulele. She has two kids and a cat named Frog.
Summary
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.
* Bank Street Best Children's Books of the Year *
Additional text
“The Samosa Rebellion is an extraordinary, thoroughly engrossing read. Warm and charming in its exploration of family and friendship, it’s also sharp and clear-eyed in its depiction of a country’s frightening slide toward an anti-immigrant nationalism.”
