The Serpent's Secret: Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond

I saw Sayantani Dasgupta speak on a panel at TLA and bought her book for our library as soon as I returned home.  I haven't read it yet, but put it in the hands of one of my best book reviewers, Izzy. She came in first thing this morning with her thoughts.

First her summary:

"Kiranmala is just regular sixth grader in New Jersey but then on Halloween her parents are nowhere to be found.  Then two boys dressed up as princes point out that there is a demon (aka rakkhosh) right behind her, destroying her house.  They  fight the rakkhosh and escape it when it becomes unconscious. They go to the Transit Corridor in search of her parents and Kiranmala can't go through unless she passes the Transit Officer.  She is able to solve the riddles to get through but she finds out that you aren't supposed to live when you go to the Transit Officer.  So she has to run away and finds herself in a strange city in a different dimension. She's still searching for her parents.  Eventually the two boys find Kiranmala and are surprised to see that she is alive. Together the three of them go to the castle to find Tuni.  They have been told that Tuni can figure out basically anything but you first have to figure out what his poem means. Tuni tells them a poem which they figure out that Kiranmala's parents are in a well of darkness. Will she find her parents?  Read the book to find out!"

Why did you like it?

I liked it because it was a fantasy with some action.  And it was believable, too!  That's hard to do with a fantasy book! 

 

I don't know about you, but I am going to put this book at the top of my ever growing TBR pile for sure! Thank you, Izzy!

Sidenote: Izzy LOVES Adam Gidwitz and Adam was on the same panel at TLA!  Coincidence that she liked this book, too, then?