Book Uncle and Me

Nine-year-old avid reader Yasmin is horrified when her friend Book Uncle, who runs a free lending library on a street corner in her neighborhood, is told he must shut it down. She enlists the help of her friends, her teachers, members of the community, and the media (her best friend Reeni's mom works at the TV station) to fight the ban by influencing the outcome of her city's mayoral election. When she is ultimately successful, she finally understands the meaning of a story Book Uncle had insisted she read: a story about how doves, caught in a net, escape from a hunter when they all fly up into the air together, carrying the net with them. The election plot is contrived, but it is appropriately child-sized, and young readers may be inspired by the book's message of community activism and the power of participation. They will surely be charmed by Yasmin's upbeat personality and determination. The book, first published in India in 2012, takes place in an unnamed modern Indian city; Krishnaswami effortlessly evokes everyday life there, naturally incorporating details of food ("I help Umma to put out rice and egg curry and crunchy fried yams and grated carrots with mustard seeds on top"), transportation ("The traffic is so busy now that the bus can only go very, very slowly. The driver is not happy this afternoon...He yells at cars, scooters, autorickshaws, other buses and even a man driving a herd of goats across the road"), family relationships, local commerce, and more to paint a vibrant and immediate picture of Yasmin's world. martha v. parravano

Nine-year-old Yasmin is horrified when her friend Book Uncle, who runs a free lending library on a street corner in her neighborhood, is told he must shut it down. She enlists friends, teachers, and the media to fight the ban. Krishnaswami effortlessly evokes everyday life in this Indian import, incorporating details of India's food, transportation, commerce, and more to paint a vibrant picture of Yasmin’s world.