Steeped in mystery and adventure, this brisk and beautifully crafted middle-grade debut set in modern-day India explores the complexities of the sibling bond.
When her older brother, Karthik—Kay-Kay, the golden child of the family—heads to camp for two weeks, Lena’s parents begin showering her with all the attention she craves. For a time, she’s the golden child and secretly wishes her brother wouldn’t come home. But when the scheduled train arrives and Karthik isn’t on it, Lena is stricken with guilt and fear for her beloved Kay-Kay. Her brother has vanished without a trace, and the police view him as a runaway. Incredulous, Lena undertakes a search of her own—reading mysterious poems left in his backpack, interrogating his fellows from the train, retracing his route, and encountering shadowy strangers along the way.
Convinced Kay-Kay is still alive even when the rest of her family has given up, Lena steadily unearths her brother’s secrets as her determination to bring him home leads to a heart-stopping discovery. Perhaps Kay-Kay isn’t a golden child after all? Set in a vividly evoked modern-day India, this character-driven middle-grade mystery tackles rich themes—from the sibling bond to self-worth—in a taut and suspenseful adventure.
Set in modern India, this is an amazing story of friendship, love and belief between siblings, while also highlighting the terrible pressure parents can (unknowingly) put onto children, and how sometimes we don't really know the people we're closest to. All this and a fantastic story as well!
Lena's determination and bravery were amazing to read; she just never stopped even when she was lonely and afraid and it would have been easier. The people she met along the way were vivid and interesting as well. The only slight problem I have with the story, highlight to read: by the time they find Karthik he's been unconscious in a ravine for nine or ten days. He should definitely be dead and probably eaten by something. I understand that's too grim for this age group, but the timeline should have been altered!
I can overlook that for a story this beautiful and heartfelt, though, and I really enjoyed reading it. I learned a few things about India and I look forward to reading more from Dev in the future.
Bringing Back Kay-Kay publishes on the 4th of April, 2024. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
Awesome review
ReplyDeleteThank you! Glad you liked it.
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