ONE SUMMER IN POLERU cover
Books for Young Adults

ONE SUMMER IN POLERU

byNanda Kishore Rajanala

When Renu fights to save her village school from demolition, she stumbles onto a land-deal racket and a murder in this young adult mystery set in rural India.

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Language
English
Binding / Format
Paperback
ISBN
9798885750073
Pages
—
Published
—
Category
Books for Young Adults

Overview

The government school in Poleru village once stood as a gurukul during the Chola period. Now the authorities have earmarked it for demolition. Renu is not prepared to let that happen — and when she and her friends Lakshmi, Mary, and Sweta mount a public protest to save it, they accidentally pull on a thread that unravels something far more dangerous: an illegal land-deal racket run by powerful people. Then a politician connected to the racket is murdered.

Nanda Kishore Rajanala builds a tightly plotted young adult story around a village girl whose courage outpaces her caution. Inspector Prasad, honest and methodical, works the murder investigation while Renu and her friends navigate threats they did not go looking for. The Buffalo Garu's wisdom, passed to Renu at the start of summer, turns out to be exactly what she needs.

One Summer in Poleru works as a mystery, a story about friendship under pressure, and a reminder that the youngest voices in a village are sometimes the only ones willing to name what everyone else can see.

A government school in Poleru village is destined to be demolished by the authorities. The school was once a gurukul during the Chola period and a testimony to the rich history of the then prosperous cluster of villages in the kingdom. What would Renu do to save her humble school? Well, the Buffalo Garu gives he the wisdom to believe in herself and gather the courage to act. As the summer begins, Renu and her band of energetic friends - Lakshmi, Mary and Sweta, resolve to save the school. An innocent act of public protest leads the girls to unwittingly expose an illegal land-deal racket run by some powerful people. Things get worse when a politician linked to it gets brutally murdered. Inspector Prasad, an honest and patient man of the law, investigates the maze of connections that rattles the quaint village. Curiosity, grit, honesty, and selfless human bonds work in unison to save the school...and braving the odds, Renu protects Poleru.

Author

Nanda Kishore Rajanala photo
Nanda Kishore Rajanala

Nanda Kishore Rajanala took to storytelling to express his fascination for nature and the adventures of life in the realms of class, religion, race, culture and society at large. He enjoys assimilating and challenging the various dogmas in today's society through his writings. He also writes occasionally about his experiences in contemporary India while celebrating the rich cultural history of the nation. His first formally published book, One Summer in Poleru, is set in a rustic Indian village with a young girl as the protagonist. Readers have appreciated the book for its visual storytelling style and charming portrayal of various characters. It has also been generously compared to "Malgudi Days", for those who relate to and love that brand of storytelling. If you are looking for a light read on a lazy weekend with a strong taste for anything Indian, go for it! He primarily writes for young adults and the inner child in you. He lives with his wife and two children in Bengaluru, India.

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