#481 - Mahalaxmi Will Go To Mysore

by Niyatee Sharma and illustrated by Suvidha Mistry

“Mahalaxmi Will Go To Mysore” by Niyatee Sharma and illustrated by Suvidha Mistry. Published by Duckbill. A heartwarming story of friendship between children of diverse economic backgrounds.

The protagonists Ira and Mahalaxmi are two feisty little girls studying in class two in Prithvi School. The story starts off with the children in their class, Gulmohar, being excited on a Monday morning. It is the day they had to get the signed permission letter from their parents for the upcoming class trip to Mysore. Ira was super excited as this was going to be their first overnight trip and she was eagerly looking forward to it. All the children submitted their letters while Mahalaxmi informed the teacher that she could not come for the trip. Her parents had not agreed. Ira was disappointed. When prodded by Ira, Mahalaxmi revealed that her father said that he could not spend money on unnecessary things like field trips.

Mahalaxmi was not from a similar background as the other children. She was in the school as part of the RTE (Right to Education) quota. She stood out from the rest of the class. Some of the children like Ira’s former best friend Aditi stayed away from her and did not include her in their play or during lunch. While Ira’s friendship with her strengthened, she was mocked by Aditi for spending time with Mahalaxmi. Ira wanted Mahalaxmi to be a part of the much awaited class trip somehow. What could she do? Monetary help was a complete no-no. That was not what Mahalaxmi or her parents would appreciate. It had to be done in a different way so that it wouldn’t hurt their self respect. Read the book to know what Ira and the other children of Gulmohar class do to try and take Mahalaxmi to Mysore.

The book was a refreshing take on a sensitive aspect that must be going on in schools currently. While RTE has been put in place in schools, many of those children must be struggling to fit in and feeling left out. The story portrays one such instance where empathy and inclusiveness are at the forefront. It is friendship above all else here. My nine year old and I couldn’t put the book down once we started reading it. The narrative was gripping and we couldn’t just wait to know what Ira and her classmates would end up doing for Mahalaxmi to be able to go on the trip. Given that my son had recently been on a school trip, he found the excitement and anticipation of the children towards the trip quite relatable. He wondered though as to how children from the second grade were being taken on an overnight trip. The class name Gulmohar made him quite happy as his school has classes named after flowers and there is a Gulmohar class too :) The friendship between Ira and Mahalaxmi and the small joys that they found learning new things from each other was so endearing. The story has themes of friendship, self respect, inclusiveness, diversity, problem solving, teamwork, kindness and empathy. The book is part of the “Hole Books” series which is meant for children who have begun reading chapter books independently.

P.S - Some of the other hole books that we have read are “Nisha Small : The Knot of Gold”, “Chitti’s Travelling Book Box”, “Petu Pumpkin Tiffin Thief”, “Mira the Detective” and “A Pinch of Magic”.

Recommended Age

The book is apt for children aged 7 and above.

Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Penguin India (Duckbill), for review. Thank you to Mansi, from Penguin, for sending across the book!