| Anand is a normal poor teenager who lives on the streets of India. He is kind to everybody and works at a restaurant as a waiter. When an old man comes and orders something but does not have any money to pay for it and gets kicked out of the restaurant, Anand gives the man his lunch, bread and tea. The man thanks him kindly, and said that something good will fall upon him. The man cures his sister Meera, who couldn't speak. The man, Abadhyatta, asks Anand if he wants to come on a journey with him to the Silver Valley to return something special to the "Healers". Anand says yes, and when his mother finds out that Meera is cured, she lets him go. Abadhyatta said that he would meet Anand on the train station by dawn, and if he wasn't there, then Anand couldn't follow along.
Anand wakes up late the next morning, and doesn't find the man at the train station. He asks a street girl named Nisha if she saw him, and Nisha says that she will tell him only if Anand allowed Nisha to go. Anand reluctantly says fine, and Nisha tells Anand to follow her. They find him on the train, but along the way run into Surabhanu, an evil villain who also wants what Abadhyatta is bringing to the Silver Valley, a conch that with magical powers that can talk to whoever touches it last, also known as the conch bearer. Surabhanu tries to destroy the two children, but Abadhyatta distracts him and takes the children away. They arrive safely at their destination, and start to travel to the Silver Valley. They go through all sorts of forests, jungles, and mountain ranges with strange animals in them. Surabhanu also tracks them down and turns Abadhyatta into a squirrel, but he helps Anand and Nisha defeat and kill Surabhanu, a shapeshifter, with help from the magical conch. Anand becomes the conch bearer, and arrives safely at Silver Valley with a dizzy Nisha, himself, and a half dead mongoose, which is Abadhyatta. Before he can get into the Silver Valley, he has to answer a question: "Which of these three virtues is the most important: honesy, loyalty, or compassion?" Anand has an hour to think about it and answers with that he chose none of them because they all are connected and he thinks cannot fully exist without another. The answer is correct, and Anand is allowed into the city. The Healers heal Abadhyatta and Nisha, and Anand is given a choice of living forever in the Silver Valley and putting a spell on his family so that they won't remember him, or returning to his mother, father, and Meera back at home. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy story on current Earth Explore/1st contact/ enviro story Yes Explore: Lifeform altered? Yes Kind of alteration: Is this an adult or child's book? - Kid's book (ages 7-14) Descript. of chases or violence - 30 % planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20 % Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 30 % Main Character Identity: - Male Profession/status: Age: - a teen If magical mental powers: - can talk to animals Main Adversary Identity: - magical being Profession/status: Has magical powers? Yes Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - can cast all sorts of spells How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a lot How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting Terrain Earth setting: - general past A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a primitive/fantasy society Takes place on Earth? Yes Planet outside solar system? Yes Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript |
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