Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava Series #1)

by Roshani Chokshi

Overview

Best-selling author Rick Riordan introduces this fantasy adventure by New York Times best-selling author, Roshani Chokshi, inspired by the great epics she grew up on.

Named one of 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time by Time magazine!

Twelve-year-old Aru Shah has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she'll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from her latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder that Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur?

One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru's doorstep to catch her in a lie. They don't believe her claim that the museum's Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. Just a quick light, Aru thinks. Then she can get herself out of this mess and never ever fib again.

But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon whose duty it is to awaken the God of Destruction. Her classmates and beloved mother are frozen in time, and it's up to Aru to save them.

The only way to stop the demon is to find the reincarnations of the five legendary Pandava brothers, protagonists of the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, and journey through the Kingdom of Death. But how is one girl in Spider-Man pajamas supposed to do all that?

A New York Times best-seller.

Endorsed by Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, soon to be a series on Disney+.

Enjoy the entire Aru Shah Pandava series!

• Aru Shah and the End of Time (book 1)
• Aru Shah and the Song of Death (book 2)
• Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes (book 3)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781368023566
Publisher:	Disney Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/19/2019
Series:	Pandava Series , #1
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	26,198
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.50(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	630L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Roshani Chokshi (www.roshanichokshi.com) is the author of the instant New York Times bestselling novel, The Star-Touched Queen, and its companion, A Crown of Wishes. She studied fairy tales in college, and she has a pet luck dragon that looks suspiciously like a Great Pyrenees dog. Aru Shah and the End of Time, her middle grade debut, was inspired by the stories her grandmother told her as well as Roshani's all-consuming love for Sailor Moon. She lives in the south and says "y'all," but she doesn't really have a Southern accent. Her Twitter handle is @roshani_chokshi.

Editorial Reviews

PRAISE FOR ARU SHAH AND THE END OF TIME

"Readers will be delighted by this adventurous dive into Hindu mythology and the chance to cheer along a heroic young protagonist. Chokshi makes it easy to connect with Aru by showing her learn from her mistakes (with the help of a sarcastic sorcerer pigeon). This series starter also doesn't skimp on important lessons about friendship, family, and love."—Booklist

PRAISE FOR ARU SHAH AND THE END OF TIME

*"Using Hindu mythology as the foundation, Chokshi has created an exciting adventure around a coming-of-age tale. Just as "Percy Jackson" led tweens to a deeper exploration and appreciation of classic Greek mythology, Chokshi's tale will likely inspire a similar demand for traditional Indian mythology. An enthralling start to a series that Riordan fans and anyone in the mood for a high-octane adventure will love."—School Library Journal (starred review)

PRAISE FOR ARU SHAH AND THE END OF TIME

* "In her middle-grade debut, Chokshi spins a fantastical narrative that seamlessly intertwines Hindu cosmology and folklore, feminism, and witty dialogue for an uproarious novel for young readers. Chokshi comes into her own in this novel, reminding readers of the power of language and of stories."—Kirkus (starred review)

PRAISE FOR ARU SHAH AND THE END OF TIME

* "This series kick-off . . . also the first book from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, expertly channels the humor and action that have made Riordan's own work so successful. Aru commands the spotlight . . . and Chokshi weaves an engrossing adventure that will leave readers anticipating the next installment."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From the Publisher

In stories like the Harry Potter books or The Lord of the Rings, the beginning of the quest is a passive selection: Harry and Bilbo are chosen, plucked from their ordinary lives because it's "time." There's something refreshing, then, about watching Aru Shah barrel into her quest like a blindfolded bull, stopping the world on its axis because there are lessons she needs to learn…Just as her heroine learns to wield a bow and arrow, Chokshi has her own weapons: a skill for crackling prose…and a main character who, despite her lies, is both endearingly funny and self-aware…Most of all, Chokshi is wise enough to let Aru experience Hinduism, not explain it…With Aru at the helm, this roller coaster through Hindu culture never feels forced or pedantic, but instead like a new kind of myth—where a hero takes a hammer to the world to shine a light through its cracks.

The New York Times Book Review - Soman Chainani

★ 12/18/2017
This series kickoff, which is also the first book from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, expertly channels the humor and action that have made Riordan’s own work so successful. Twelve-year-old Aru Shah lives with her mother in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture in Atlanta. Aru’s tendency to bend the truth gets her into trouble when three of her classmates dare her to light a supposedly cursed lamp called a diya, which awakens the demonic Sleeper. With the help of her guardian, a pigeon named Subala, Aru learns that she is the reincarnation of one of five Pandava brothers, each the child of a different god. Aru meets one of her “soul-related” siblings, smart but timid Mini, and they head off to stop the Sleeper from reaching Shiva, Lord of Destruction. With her quick wit and big personality, Aru commands the spotlight (“I’m an A student,” she boasts to a doubtful Subala. “In the sense that she was a student whose name started with an A”), and Chokshi (The Star-Touched Queen) weaves an engrossing adventure that will leave readers anticipating the next installment. Ages 8–12. Agent: Thao Le, Sandra Dijkstra & Associates. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 03/01/2018
Gr 3–6—Seventh grader Aru should never have lit the ancient lamp. When she put the lighter to the wick, the world froze and she released the awful Sleeper. Aru is suddenly launched into the world of the gods and surrounded by mythical characters come to life. Aru discovers she is a Pandava, born with the soul of one of the five brothers featured in the Mahabharata. She also has a soul sister, Mini, to assist her in this quest—highly unusual for a Pandava. Aru and Mini must enter the Kingdom of Death to find out the secret that will destroy the Sleeper. Rick Riordan writes the introduction to this book that has a similar tone and pacing to his popular "Percy Jackson" series, but Chokshi brings her own sensibility and style. Using Hindu mythology as the foundation, Chokshi has created an exciting adventure around a coming-of-age tale. A glossary provides readers with a basic introduction to the various traditional stories that Chokshi drew from. Just as "Percy Jackson" led tweens to a deeper exploration and appreciation of classic Greek mythology, Chokshi's tale will likely inspire a similar demand for traditional Indian mythology. VERDICT An enthralling start to a series that Riordan fans and anyone in the mood for a high-octane adventure will love.—Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA

School Library Journal

This audiobook of two middle-schoolers’ adventure of a lifetime begins with their finding out that they are reincarnated Pandava brothers, straight out of the Hindu epic poem the MAHABHARATA. Narrator Soneela Nankani is given a wealth of material to mine. Aru, having been taunted into lighting a cursed lamp, awakens the Sleeper, a demon that will freeze the world if Aru, Minnie, and her sister, Pandavani, cannot stop him before time runs out. Their only advisor is a supercilious parrot. The narration makes it easy to differentiate the girls through their character traits: Aru is determined and Minnie is brave. Lighter moments involve Minnie’s hypochondria. The abundant cultural references are deftly handled in a narrative that will leave listeners eagerly awaiting the heroine’s next quest. E.J.F. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2018 - AudioFile

This audiobook of two middle-schoolers’ adventure of a lifetime begins with their finding out that they are reincarnated Pandava brothers, straight out of the Hindu epic poem the MAHABHARATA. Narrator Soneela Nankani is given a wealth of material to mine. Aru, having been taunted into lighting a cursed lamp, awakens the Sleeper, a demon that will freeze the world if Aru, Minnie, and her sister, Pandavani, cannot stop him before time runs out. Their only advisor is a supercilious parrot. The narration makes it easy to differentiate the girls through their character traits: Aru is determined and Minnie is brave. Lighter moments involve Minnie’s hypochondria. The abundant cultural references are deftly handled in a narrative that will leave listeners eagerly awaiting the heroine’s next quest. E.J.F. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2018 - AudioFile

★ 2018-02-03
Aru Shah of Atlanta, Georgia, is a seventh-grader and social misfit. While her classmates jet set around the world, Aru spends her holidays at home with her curator mother in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture. But one day, three of Aru's classmates show up at her doorstep and dare her to light the cursed Lamp of Bharata. When Aru lights the lamp, she releases the Sleeper from his slumber and must—with the help of her newly found soul sister, Mini, and their pigeon sidekick, Subala, or "Boo"—go on a quest to stop the Sleeper from awakening the Lord of Destruction, who will, in turn, end the world. Aru and Mini's adventures range from discovering that they are the reincarnations of the Pandava brothers (demigods and the protagonists of the Hindu epic poem the Mahabharata) to slaying demons and shopping at the Night Bazaar (effectively disguised as Costco). In her middle-grade debut, Chokshi (TheStar-Touched Queen, 2016, etc.) spins a fantastical narrative that seamlessly intertwines Hindu cosmology and folklore, feminism, and witty dialogue for an uproarious novel for young readers. For readers of Indian origin, especially, the novel presents a culture that is not often seen—or accurately represented—in mainstream children's and young adult literature.Chokshi comes into her own in this novel, reminding readers of the power of language and of stories. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews