School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-Anand's compassionate gesture of sharing his tea with an old man in a Calcutta market leads to radical changes in the 12-year-old's life. The stranger is a member of the Brotherhood of Healers and invites the boy to join him on a dangerous journey to return a magical conch shell to its proper home in the far-off Himalayas. Along with Nisha, a sweeper-girl who insists on joining them, Anand and Abhaydatta travel to the mountains pursued by the evil Surabhanu, a power-hungry ex-member of the brotherhood. Anand struggles in his own mind, doubting Abhaydatta's motives and the existence of magic, jealous of Nisha's comfortable relationship with the old man, and occasionally succumbing to Surabhanu's tempting illusions. When he finally reaches the Silver Valley, more challenges await him before he can enter. In the end, he faces the most difficult choice of all-to stay in the world of magic he had always dreamed of or return to his family. This quest adventure has an exotic flavor: the journey from a crowded Indian city through rural villages and the high mountains, a magical background from traditional Indian tales, and deliciously detailed description of Indian foods. Honesty, loyalty, and compassion are the virtues demanded by the Healers; Anand's actions show that he has all three. Readers can sympathize with his struggles and long for his success. This traditional story in fresh new clothing should appeal to middle graders.-Kathleen Isaacs, Edmund Burke School, Washington, DC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
A 12-year-old living in India offers a beggar his ration of tea and pooris and finds himself on a mission to return a sacred conch shell to a Himalayan community of Magic Healers. In a starred review, PW called this "an exotic novel in which fantasy threads intertwine with spiritual teachings. Young readers can only hope for more from this master storyteller." Ages 8-12. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Intermediate) Twelve-year-old Anand has been the man of the household since his father left two years ago to find a job--then disappeared. A hard-working, underappreciated servant for a tea stall owner in Kolkata, Anand dreams constantly about magic. His kindness toward an old man serves as catalyst to shift this novel from reality to fantasy. With precise language that respectfully evokes an Indian setting both mundane and mysterious, Divakaruni moves us from the marketplace to the land of myth. The old man, Abhaydatta, belongs to the Brotherhood of Healers and is returning to its home a miraculous conch that will restore power to the forces of good. Gentle Anand becomes devoted to the conch (""he wanted to belong to this tiny, beautiful thing, to serve it forever"") and is soon named Conch Bearer. As if to leaven the serious high purpose entrusted to the boy, Divakaruni gives Anand a feisty companion, a street urchin who repeatedly proves both her worth and her peskiness. Nisha's straight talk provides humor; less successful is the too-cute if occasionally pointed speech that the dignified conch adopts when communicating with Anand. Divakaruni reserves the essential meaning of the quest until the trial is almost over, and at the end of their perilous adventures Anand is faced with a poignant decision that will both deeply sadden and cheer readers. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Pakoras instead of stew. A stock quest fantasy stars Anand, a 12-year-old who has worked at a Kolkata (Calcutta) tea stall since his father disappeared two years ago. A moment of kindness to a hungry old man is rewarded when--surprise--the oldster is revealed as Abhaydatta, a powerful mage requesting Anand's help on a dangerous mission. Abhaydatta's magical conch is sought by the wicked wizard Surabhanu, and Anand must take the conch safely to the Silver Valley. Joined by the savvy street-sweeping girl Nisha, the adventurers begin their journey across a modern yet fantastical India. To defeat Surabhanu, they must vanquish the usual foes: megalomaniac villains, frightening monsters, and the weaknesses of their own hearts. A rather bland tale, but the unusual setting might be intriguing spice for lovers of the genre. (Fiction. 10-13) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 5-8. In modern-day India, a boy named Anand perseveres in difficult circumstances. His father is gone, his sister has had a breakdown, and he and his mother struggle to keep a shack's roof over their heads. Anand is kind to an old man, Abhaydatta, a healer who is charged with bringing home an irreplaceable conch shell, stolen from his brotherhood. What follows is a classic quest story in which Anand and feisty, orphaned Nisha eventually continue the quest for the shell on their own. Faced with all the conventions of the genre, they undergo various trials, and Anand makes choices that change his life. Fantasy lovers will recognize familiar elements; certain touches are reminiscent of the Harry Potter books (the evil one takes the shape of a snake) and C. S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (tempting food controls a child). With so many fantasies being published, what's special about this one? It's the unique setting, along with the elegance of Divakaruni's writing. The slums of Kalcotta are so richly created that readers can almost smell them, and the pure beauty of Anand's destination is a shimmering Shangri-La come to life. The characterizations have the same lucidity, real to the core, yet cloaked in magic. This speaks directly to children, in a very enticing voice. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2003 Booklist
