Aditya Sharma’s Champs of Devgarh proves to be a quick and effortless read. Set in a small town called Devgarh, the book tells of the aspirations, struggles and shenanigans of the Star Eleven Boys who study at Holy Mission School. Cricket occupies much of their time and minds and the book charts their various highs and lows on and off the field. In typical high school-style, the highs tend to be ecstatic highs, where they thump their chests and punch the air, and the lows tend to be the “I-don’t-want-to-live-anymore” kind of lows, which seem to plague particularly those teenage years. They must deal with adult injustices, for instance, when nepotism trumps merit. And more importantly must realise that these setbacks are obstacles and not apocalypses.
At first, they must struggle to buy a cricket kit. They try all the tricks in the book, from the crooked to the clever. They win some matches and lose others. They find a good coach and then life takes a turn for the better. Exams must be dealt with summarily and efficiently. Sharma deals with all this with a light touch and few rough insights.
Of course, love makes a fleeting appearance as well. But we wouldn’t want to give all away just yet. Read the book yourself to find out more.
Set in medieval India, when circuses performed for emperors and courts were flush with treasures and secrets, Michaela Clarke’s
Sharat and his majestic white tiger Emira are the star attractions of his father’s circus. But when they come to the City of Jinnis, a broken promise returns to haunt them. Emira disappears leaving Sharat distraught. Uma, the witch, and Aya, the new friend, agree to help Sharat find his tiger. Things get complicated surprisingly quickly when Sharat leaves the circus in search for Emira. The tiger is revealed to be of noble blood and is key to restoring the city to its former glory. Access also seems easy in this mysterious place — Sharat figures out the lay of the land in one night. Friends and relations, once long-lost, find each other as soon as he arrives on the scene and everyone joins in to find Emira and their own place in the city of Shergarh. And of course, there is no dearth of magical devices — swords, amulets, pendants, flutes.
While the plot races along predictable lines at a breathless pace, the ride is, nevertheless, entertaining.