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Books published by publisher Zubaan Books

  • Dear Mrs. Naidu

    Mathangi Subramanian

    Paperback (Zubaan Books, April 15, 2019)
    BRAND NEW, Exactly same ISBN as listed, Please double check ISBN carefully before ordering.
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  • The Beast With Nine Billion Feet

    Anil Menon

    (Zubaan Books, Nov. 26, 2009)
    It is 2040 A.D. The place is Pune, India. The future is here and now. Liquid computers. Flawless skin. Emotional cars. Illusion pods. It's a world full of tough questions and infinite possibilities. Why are Tara's new friends, Francis and Ria, so freaked out by the night sky? Is there strange and beautiful mother, Mandira, friend or foe? Where is their father? Is he a terrorist or genius? And what, exactly, is the beast with nine billion feet? As Tara and Aditya soon find out, there are no simple answers. They find themselves on very different tracks, caught up in a deadly game-- a struggle for power and control, a fight for the genetic code to life itself. In the 'here and now' of Anil Menon's brilliant and disturbing debut novel, the future itself is at stake.
  • Younguncle in the Himalayas

    Vandana Singh

    Paperback (Zubaan Books, Aug. 15, 2015)
    Vandana Singh’s first book, Younguncle Comes to Town, was an instant classic of children’s literature. Now, in this highly anticipated follow-up, Younguncle finds himself on an adventure in the mountains of India. In Younguncle in the Himalayas, our protagonist arrives with his family at the gloomy, mysterious Hotel Pine-Away and soon discovers that their mountain holiday is going to be anything but peaceful. As Younguncle chats with monkeys and debates the true nature of reality with an offbeat sect of the Quantum Banana spiritualists, the fate of the picturesque little valley hangs in the balance. Who is the strange Rat-girl who charms rodents out of the hotel? Can the children and their eccentric uncle thwart the schemes of the dangerous city-slicker Pradeep Daalmakhini? Can Younguncle help Daalmakhini’s intended bride escape a fate worse than death? Has our favorite adventurer finally met his match? “Enchanting . . . Singh is a most promising and original young writer.”—Ursula K. LeGuin, author of The Earthsea Trilogy “One of the best children’s books this year. . . . It has none of the self-consciousness you often find in adults who write for children, very plausible dilemmas and a delightful style.” —Business Standard
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  • Vikram and the Vampire

    Natasha Sharma

    Paperback (Zubaan Books, March 15, 2016)
    King Vikram has a devil of a dilemma! In order to gain power and wealth beyond his wildest dreams, he must deliver a corpse to the sorcerer Shaitanish. The only problem with this simple task is that this particular corpse is home to Betal—an impish storyteller of a vampire with tricks up his sleeve. Betal gives the King a series of riddles to solve as he rides along on the King’s back. If King Vikram solves the riddle, but forgets to speak his answer aloud, the vampire will continue to haunt him—spoiling his plans for innumerable riches! Nobody is quite as foolish as King Vikram and Betal runs circles around the poor man, quickly turning him into a royal punchline. Stories like this one of Vikram and Betal date back over a thousand years and in Vikram and the Vampire, Natasha Sharma brings the classic story to life in a hilarious and modern retelling. Children from eight to eighty will enjoy the tale of a dimwitted king and the tongue-twisting, punning vampire who is destined to outsmart him.
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  • Smitten

    Ranjit Lal

    Paperback (Zubaan Books, April 26, 2013)
    When fifteen-year-old Sarnir discovers that he's got new neighbours, he's horrified: he's left certain 'documents' in the hitherto empty flat, which ought not to get into the clutches of anyone especially not an attractive fifteen-year-old girl like Akhila Handal But to Samir's surprise and relief, Akhila is amazingly sporting about them, and pretty soon their friendship blossoms as Samir gets to know the family: the bouncy boxer dog, Akhila's younger brother, Sumit, who is 'a bit slow', and her strangely withdrawn mother. And most of all, her jolly, affectionate father who dotes upon his daughter Dotes, perhaps, a little too much... Told in the alternating voices of these two young characters, Akhila and Samir slowly come to realize that all is far from well in the Handa family, and an incredible and terrible suspicion begins to form... Smitten is a story that dares to talk about sexual abuse within the family. It is a story of love, and its opposite. Of bravery and cowardice. Of tough decisions and loyalties sorely tested. The book includes discussion points and questions to facilitate conversations, in the classroom or at home. With characteristic lightness and sureness of touch, Ranjit Lal tackles one of the great taboos in Indian society: a must for every school library and bookshelf.
  • The Beast With Nine Billion Feet

    Anil Menon

    language (Zubaan Books, India, Nov. 18, 2009)
    Set in Pune, India in the year 2040 AD, this novel, by one of India's best new speculative fiction writers, explores growing up in a world where grown-ups are not to be trusted. Thirteen-year old Tara and her troubled elder brother Aditya struggle with the controversial political legacy of their brilliant father,the radical geneticist, Sivan. When Tara makes two new mysterious friends Ria and Francis, from "a place near Sweden," the past catches up with the future. Why are Tara's new friends so freaked by the night sky? Is their strange and beautiful mother, Mandira, friend or foe? Why is she so interested in Aditya? Where is Sivan? And what, exactly, is the beast with nine billion feet? Tara and Aditya find themselves on very different tracks, caught up in a deadly game - a struggle for power and control, a fight for the shape of life itself. In the 'here and now' of Anil Menon's brilliant and disturbing debut novel, the future itself is at stake.Rich in ideas, sparkling with wit, and guaranteed to entertain, The Beast With Nine Billion Feet, marks a new era in Indian speculative fiction.
  • Jungu, the Baiga Princess

    Vithal Rajan, Srivi Kalyan

    Paperback (Zubaan Books, Aug. 15, 2015)
    When Sunil is sent to stay with his Uncle Vish, he doesn’t know quite what to expect. All he knows is that he’s going a long way from the city to the jungles of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, where it’s Uncle Vish’s job to protect the area’s tigers. Sunil soon befriends a tribal girl named Jungu, and through their friendship is forced to ask some tough questions. Jungu’s village is in the forest, but if the tigers are allowed to stay, she will have to move out. But where to? And don’t the Baiga villagers have a right to live there? Meanwhile, there’s a very real and dangerous gang of poachers operating nearby.Jungu, the Baiga Princess is a delightful tale of an unusual friendship that introduces readers to the magical world of the Baigas and reinforces the importance of protecting the natural environment. Vithal Rajan includes a compelling afterword that provides background on tribal rights and a brief history of the tribes of central India, the Forest Rights Act, and the dangers of development and deforestation. And the book is beautifully illustrated by naturalist Srivi Kalyan, whose drawings re-create Madhya Pradesh’s endangered ecosystem.
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  • The Dugong and the Barracudas

    Ranjit Lal

    Paperback (Zubaan Books, Dec. 15, 2015)
    One of India’s most popular young adult writers, Ranjit Lal is back—this time with the moving tale of Sushmita and the bullies who try to take her down. When Sushmita shows up for her first day at Rugged Rocks High with a sweet round face and innocent eyes, the principal is worried. “Putting that lovely child amongst our kids?” she exclaims, “it’s like putting a dugong into a tank of barracudas!” And she’s right to worry, because Sushmita is just a bit slower than her classmates. But we quickly see that Sushmita has special ways to fight back against bullies and soon she’s changed all of her classmates’ lives for the better. In Dugong and the Barracudas, Lal tackles questions of prejudice, bullying, and special needs with his signature blend of humor and insight, challenging young readers to step out of their own skins and see the world through someone else’s eyes.
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