Neela by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni: Book Cover

    Neela: Victory Song (Girls of Many Lands Series #1) by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Troy Howell (Illustrator)

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    (Paperback)

    • Age Range: Young Adult
    • Pub. Date: September 2002
    • 208pp

      Reader Rating: (7 ratings)

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      Product Details

      • Pub. Date: September 2002
      • Publisher: American Girl Publishing
      • Format: Paperback, 208pp
      • Age Range: Young Adult
      • Lexile: 740L 

      Annotation

      In 1939, twelve-year-old Neela meets a young freedom fighter at her sister's wedding and soon after must rely on his help when her father fails to return home from a march in Calcutta against British occupation.

      School Library Journal

      Gr 5-8-Neela, 12, lives in India, where 200 years of British rule has turned sour. When she befriends an underground freedom fighter, Samar, her interest in India's struggle begins to consume her every thought. Her father has joined Mohandas Gandhi's peaceful "civil disobedience" movement, and she becomes determined to help him and Samar fight for her country's freedom. Meanwhile, her mother has brought her news of an offer of marriage, a lucky catch as the boy is from a wealthy and cultured family. Refusing to rush into an engagement, she steals away from home, disguised as a boy, and heads for Calcutta. Neela has several adventures and close calls, but she finds both men and is instrumental in getting them safely home. A strong female protagonist and historical subject matter are limited by a predictable plot. A hinted-at romance between Samar and Neela never emerges and the drama of the country's political tension is watered-down by far-fetched heroics. For a title that focuses on the mystical and exotic flavor of India, lead readers to Suzanne Fisher Staples's Shiva's Fire (Farrar, 2000).-Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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      Biography

      Award-winning author and poet Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni was born in India and came to the United States at 19. She put herself through Berkeley doing odd jobs, from working at an Indian boutique to slicing bread in a bakery -- nowadays, she's enjoying the raves for her latest novel, Queen of Dreams.

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      Customer Reviews

      Neela: Victory Song (Girls of Many Lands Series #1)by Anonymous

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      January 11, 2006: This book is amazing.It really helps you understand what people like Neela had to go through for indapendance. I am 100% Indian and just moved from India and thought that this is a great book. You could get the exact picture of what was going on in the same colour to.

      Neela: Victory Song (Girls of Many Lands Series #1)by Anonymous

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      November 27, 2005: I'm half Indian and when I saw this book I thought it was going to be just like every other book but it was much more! This book was so good and exciting!


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