By Varsha Bajaj
4RBooks: 6/6, grades 5-8
Amazon rating: 4.7/5, grades 5-6
Good Reads: 4.20/5
Common Sense Media: Not yet reviewed
179 pages
Synopsis:
Meena, known as Minni, lives with her parents and older brother in the poor section of Mumbai, India. Her days follow a similar routine. She goes to school with her best friend Faiza while her dad runs a tea shop, and her mom works as a maid for a rich family. Her brother works at a restaurant and dreams of becoming a chef one day. There is a daily struggle to get enough water for each day as they must stand in line at a communal tap.
One evening Minni and her brother Sanjay see someone stealing water from the community. The thief sees Sanjay so he must move away to be safe. At the same time, Minni’s mother is sick and moves in with family who will take care of her. Minni must now take her mother’s position with the rich family while continuing with her studies, helping her father, and taking a computer class on Sunday’s.
Feeling overwhelmed, Minni finds help and support from her community. She also stumbles upon a secret that could change her life, and the lives of everyone else. Some creativity and courage will be needed to follow through and potentially put an end to the “water mafia” and their control of the most vital resource.
Parental Guidance: medium-low
Minni and her family live in the “slums” of Mumbai, India. It’s a sparse and
hard life.
Minni and her family are considered “lower caste.”
Minni’s brother Sanjay is sent away for fear that he will be targeted and
endangered for something he saw.
A young man known to Minni and her brother is found dead, supposedly
from drinking bad alcohol but the insinuation is foul play.
Recommendation:
This is an excellent story, one of the best I’ve reviewed for the blog. It’s a simple story on one level, but there are many layers to this book, each one very well crafted. The core story is Minni and her family, struggling to survive while hoping and planning for a brighter future. The insights into the daily living of a poor family in a poor neighborhood of Mumbai held my interest and sparked my curiosity.
The relationship between Minni and her best friend, Faiza, (one Hindu, the other Muslim) is well drawn, as are the relationships between all the women in the neighborhood. Minni’s struggles to fill her mother’s shoes tug at your heart and should resonate with children who have major responsibilities at home. Her life and neighborhood are a fascinating juxtaposition to the life of the rich family that Minni’s Ma, and then Minni, works for, including their 12-year-old daughter, protected but isolated.
Then you add the intrigue of the “water mafia:” the impact on the family, Sanjay being forced to leave, and Minni figuring out who it is and using her position to report him. The necessity of clean water for the world’s people is an underlying theme, but not pushy or preachy.
It’s less than 200 pages with short chapters so an easy read, but well worth it. Great as a solo read, group read, or as a class project. It should lead to great discussion about India specifically, and poor communities around the world in general.
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