Om Shanti, Babe by Helen Limon (Children's, 10 years +, 9/10)

 

September 2012, Frances Lincoln

224 pages, Paperback

Review copy

Themes: escape, finding yourself, making mistakes, holding suspicions, India, caring for others, making the most of what you've got, going through a phase of being misunderstood, making plans and changing plans, learning some hard home truths, breaking down illusions, passion for life, very mild teen romance, a little spirituality

Summary from Frances Lincoln

Cassia can't wait for her first visit to India - Bollywood glamour, new friends to admire her uber-cool street-dance moves…. But as she steps into real Indian life, NOTHING is as she expected...

Cass is with her mum in Kerala, on a buying trip for their Fair Trade craft shop, and everything seems to be going wrong. There's Mum's new romance with "call-me-V" Mr Chaudury for a start, her own prickly stand-off with pretty, fashion-mad Priyanka, and the devastating news that her mum's business may be on the rocks. But then pop idol Jonny Gold arrives at the beach to promote his new song,

Nayuleska's thoughts

Cass seems like with her parents' divorce and having no friends she has lost herself. It takes a lot of misinterpretation and assumptions for her new future to appear. She has to let go of the past, listen to wise advice from her Indian friends and take risks to change her own life. She is a bit of a self-centered teen for part of the book, which was both funny and frustrating to read. The ending felt a little too abrupt and not quite everything had concluded, but overall I was entranced by this 9/10 read.

You can find out more on Helen's website.

Suggested read 

For another Indian adventure check Jasmine Skies by Sita Brahmachari