‘Pashmina’ Book Review by 11 year old Ditya J Nair from Bangalore

Hi there book lovers, your friend Sara here! If a book is written for kids, shouldnt we ask the kids to tell us how they liked it? That is exactly what we do in this wonderful section –  ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers’! Thanks for pouring in all your wonderful entries.

Here is a delightful review by 11 year old Ditya J Nair, studying in 6th grade in The Samhita Academy, Bangalore.  Ditya has a keen interest in books, music, and travel. She is an avid reader, enjoys playing her guitar and writes her experiences on her own blog. Her review is of a book recommended to her by  Kahaani Box Library- Bangalore.

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Book-Pashmina

Author & Illustrator- Nidhi Chanani

Publisher- HarperCollins Children’s Books.

When I first saw this book, I was amazed. Of all the books that I have read, this one probably had the simplest cover page. However, it did speak a lot in itself.

Pashmina is about an Indian-American teen Priyanka Das, who has never seen  her homeland India. She doesn’t know about her father and her extended  family. When she finds a Pashmina in the attic, she wraps herself in it. What  she sees next is a world filled with beauty and diversity. Along with it, there is a  mysterious shadow trying to tell her something. She feels the need to go to  India to find answers to her endless questions.

Priyanka, who prefers to be called Pri, is the lead character in this book. She is  an amazing cartoonist and is very close to her uncle Jatin. I loved Pri’s curiosity  and her interest in drawing and driving.

The central idea according to me is the curiosity of a girl to find out more  about other members of her family and her homeland. She lives in a little world comprising of her mom, uncle, and aunty. The shock that each of them faces because of her sudden desire to visit India gives the story a nice twist.

Nidhi Chanani’s illustrations are amazing. Her writing style is simple and narration is to the point and ideal for a graphic novel. I loved the way she has  shown the curiosity of Priyanka in the cover page itself.

My favorite part of the book was her interaction with kids in the slum during  her visit to India. The happiness of the children on meeting her and her  appreciation of their skills was shown very well in the story.

It left me feeling happy and motivated about how someone can bring a change in the life of less fortunate children. In most books I have read, the story is always about kids who lead a different life with hardships and I always have a takeaway. Pashmina too has a takeaway ready for its readers.

‘Nobody can stop you from making a decision, it is your thing.’

Lastly, if I could change something in the book, then I would make Priyanka’s character have a couple of friends who have her back. Now when she will find the  Pashmina, she doesn’t need to keep the secret to herself. She would let her friends know and they would decide to accompany her to India.  And her mom doesn’t forbid her citing safety concerns.

The best age group for this book is 10 + years

I would give this book a rating of 4 on 5.