Books with author Padma Venkatraman

As a young girl, Caroline Herschel suffered from typhus, severely stunting her growth, as well as her parents’ expectations of what she could grow up to be. Luckily, Caroline’s brother William, one of the most renowned astronomers of his time, decided to take his sister under his own wing. William became famous for his discovery of the planet Uranus and for his improvements on telescope designs, but not without the help of his beloved sister. Caroline worked as his indispensable partner during the most productive part of his career. In addition to being William's “computer,” responsible for accurately keeping tabulations of their nightly sky sweeps, Caroline also went on to make several discoveries of her own. She worked tirelessly to find comets and chart the paths of new ones. Caroline Herschel is a long neglected figure in the history of astronomy, and this new biography introduces her and her life's work to a new generation of readers.

During World War II and the last days of British occupation in India, fifteen-year-old Vidya dreams of attending college. But when her forward-thinking father is beaten senseless by the British police, she is forced to live with her grandfather’s large traditional family, where the women live apart from the men and are meant to be married off as soon as possible. Vidya’s only refuge becomes her grandfather’s upstairs library, which is forbidden to women. There she meets Raman, a young man also living in the house who relishes her intellectual curiosity. But when Vidya’s brother makes a choice the family cannot condone, and when Raman seems to want more than friendship, Vidkya must question all she has believed in. Padma Venkatraman’s debut novel poignantly shows a girl struggling to find her place in a mixedup world. Climbing the Stairs is a powerful story about love and loss set against a fascinating historical backdrop. Read Padma Venkatraman's posts on the Penguin Blog.

Fifteen-year-old Vidya dreams of going to college - an unusual aspiration for a girl living in Britishoccupied India during World War II. Then tragedy strikes, and Vidya and her brother are forced to move into a traditional household with their extended family, where women are meant to be married, not educated. Breaking the rules, Vidya finds refuge in her grandfather's library. But then her brother does something unthinkable, and Vidya's life becomes a whirlwind of political and personal complications. The question is, will she be strong enough to survive?

During World War II and the last days of British occupation in India, fifteen-year-old Vidya dreams of attending college. But when her forward-thinking father is beaten senseless by the British police, she is forced to live with her grandfather's large traditional family, where the women live apart from the men and are meant to be married off as soon as possible. Vidya's only refuge becomes her grandfather's upstairs library, which is forbidden to women. There she meets Raman, a young man also living in the house who relishes her intellectual curiosity. But when Vidya's brother makes a choice the family cannot condone, and when Raman seems to want more than friendship, Vidkya must question all she has believed in. Padma Venkatraman's debut novel poignantly shows a girl struggling to find her place in a mixedup world. Climbing the Stairs is a powerful story about love and loss set against a fascinating historical backdrop.

Padma Venkatraman’s inspiring story of a young girl’s struggle to regain her passion and find a new peace is told lyrically through verse that captures the beauty and mystery of India and the ancient bharatanatyam dance form. This is a stunning novel about spiritual awakening, the power of art, and above all, the courage and resilience of the human spirit. Veda, a classical dance prodigy in India, lives and breathes dance—so when an accident leaves her a below-knee amputee, her dreams are shattered. For a girl who’s grown used to receiving applause for her dance prowess and flexibility, adjusting to a prosthetic leg is painful and humbling. But Veda refuses to let her disability rob her of her dreams, and she starts all over again, taking beginner classes with the youngest dancers. Then Veda meets Govinda, a young man who approaches dance as a spiritual pursuit. As their relationship deepens, Veda reconnects with the world around her, and begins to discover who she is and what dance truly means to her.

Fifteen-year-old Vidya dreams of going to college— an unusual aspiration for a girl living in Britishoccupied India during World War II. Then tragedy strikes, and Vidya and her brother are forced to move into a traditional household with their extended family, where women are meant to be married, not educated. Breaking the rules, Vidya finds refuge in her grandfather’s library. But then her brother does something unthinkable, and Vidya’s life becomes a whirlwind of political and personal complications. The question is, will she be strong enough to survive?

From the acclaimed author of Climbing the Stairs comes a fascinating story set on a remote island untouched by time. Uido is ecstatic about becoming her tribe's spiritual leader, but her new position brings her older brother's jealousy and her best friend's mistrust. And looming above these troubles are the recent visits of strangers from the mainland who have little regard for nature or the spirits, and tempt the tribe members with gifts, making them curious about modern life. When Uido's little brother falls deathly ill, she must cross the ocean and seek their help. Having now seen so many new things, will Uido have the strength to believe in herself and the old ways? And will her people trust her to lead them to safety when a catastrophic tsunami threatens? Uido must overcome everyone's doubts, including her own, if she is to keep her people safe and preserve the spirituality that has defined them. Drawing on firsthand experience from her travels to the Andaman Islands, Padma Venkatraman was inspired to write this story after meeting natives who survived the 2004 tsunami and have been able to preserve their unique way of life. Uido's transformation from a young girl to tribal leader will touch both your heart and mind.

3 lazy sons are about to discover that hard work presents a golden outcome.Growing Gold provides a touching story about a struggling farmer and his wife who work very hard each day in order to grow their food and support their family. Unfortunately, their three sons are very lazy and do not help their parents at all. The boys just sit and dream about gold all day as the parents struggle. Frustrated, the clever mother devises a plan to get her sons to appreciate the value and reward of hard work. She tells her sons about the gold buried under the ground in their fields and that they must work the fields in order to pull the gold up from the ground. Her story works as her sons learn about the value of hard work when they are rewarded with a field of gold.This Indian folktale about a mother and son will teach readers about the importance of resourcefulness, respect and responsibility. August House Publishers provides an animated version of Growing Gold as well as free lesson plans!

In this timeless story from India, a farmer's three lazy sons don't want to work. They sit around dreaming of finding a fortune of gold. When their mother tells them of gold buried in a field, they ask her how to bring the gold to the surface. Through clever suggestions, their mother explains how to tend the fields as they discover the true riches offered by hard work. By taking responsibility for their actions and learning to be resourceful, the boys gain valuable life lessons.