Language: PG (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ESSENTIAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Seven-year-old Chellamuthu gets into a lot of trouble for stealing money, playing with elephants instead of getting his sister’s medicine, and generally not being where he should be. When his father tells Chellamuthu to stay put, he isn’t very surprised to come back and find his son is gone. But this time, Chellamuthu has been sold to an orphanage, and he might not ever make it home again.
Chellamuthu is a real boy who was kidnapped and then adopted by an American family who renamed him Taj. This book tells his story of being denied his family, his language, and his culture and his journey to rediscover who he is and where he came from. Taj’s story is miraculous. I couldn’t believe how things came together – though after much struggle and effort on Taj’s part – and I rejoiced with him and his families after every triumph.
Chellamuthu/Taj and his biological family are Indian, and Taj’s adoptive family is American. The other characters are Indian, American, and English. The language rating is for non-English swearing; the mature content rating is for alcohol use, illegal activity, and implied sexual abuse; and the violence rating is for child abuse.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen
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