Malhar wants to be a famous tabla player. But why do tabla players always sit to one side of the stage? Are they not important enough? Malhar wants answers--and he wants to sit in the middle!

Chitti loves reading. But there are just not enough books in her village and some of her friends think they are boring! Can Chitti make them change their minds?

‘A literary heavyweight’—Indian Express In these bold, wry and ebullient stories, Meera’s astonishing range of narrative techniques is on full display as she expertly lays bare the faultlines behind the façade of everyday life, sometimes with dark humour and sometimes with astoundingly bitter sadness.

A visitor mistakes Ritu’s bird call for an ostrich’s and wants to see the bird. But there are no ostriches on Henry Island! where will Ritu find one to show him?

Shubha wants to learn Chhau. But her father wants to only teach her brother Shayon. How will Shubha persuade him that she too deserves a chance?

Jasmine and Sheba want to spend the holidays finding homes for stray puppies. But to do so, they have to first solve a series of puzzles set by Sheba's father, Clockwala Uncle. Can they do this in time?

Set in 18th century Calcutta, the second city of the Empire is teeming with scandalous gossip and rumour. Abravanel Ben Obadiah Ben Aharon Kabariti, Sephardic Jew from Syria and trader in novelties, befriends the British officers and the local elite by day and records their escapades at night.

A great library is freedom. And that freedom must not be compromised. It must be available to all who need it, and that's everyone, when they need it, and that's always.'--Ursula le Guin Libraries. We love them. Tyrants tremble before them. There are children in the world desperate for them, and people who are willing to put their own lives at risk to save them. In this book, you'll discover the oldest libraries, and the largest ones. You'll find libraries in battlefields, in Antarctica and even in space. You'll come across libraries in boats, on the backs of donkeys and elephants, and in telephone booths. And you will meet amazing people who will do almost anything to take libraries to people who need them In this celebration of libraries, Shruthi Rao and Anuradha Jagalur bring together inspiring and fascinating stories to delight all those who love books and libraries