• Age: 12 to 15
• Grade: 7 to 10
• Reading age: 12 to 15

2009 Silver Birch Award — Winner
2009 Red Maple Award — Shortlisted
2009 Best Books for Kids & Teens — Commended
2008 CLA Book of the Year for Children Award — Longlisted

For Tara and her brother, Suraj, the year their mother and grandfather fled the village of Morni in the middle of the night has been a nightmare. Their new stepmother is cruel and deceptive, and the village itself is lacking a healer. What’s more, men of the village have been disappearing, often returning in a strange, altered form.

When a new healer, Zarku, a mysterious man with a third eye possessing strange power, suddenly appears in Morni, all are mesmerized by his magic – all except Tara, who sees through his evil disguise.

With nothing but her own courage and wit, Tara tries to find her missing mother and grandfather, the true healer, in time to save her village. But along the way she must enlist the help of the god Ganesh and the lord of death, Yama, or she, like others before her, will fall victim to Zarku’s third eye.

Kathleen Grainger, OCT, B.Ed., B.ES Dip. IRM

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An excellent introduction to Hindi culture.

Dryden Observer

... an exciting fantasy novel ... a page-turner; and the descriptions of the village, the clothes, the food and the gods lend authenticity and unique interest.

Penny Draper

In her first novel, author Mahtab Narsimhan combines elements of classic fairy tales, such as Hansel and Gretel, with Indian mythology for a highly original and entertaining fantasy adventure readers will enjoy the lushly described Indian setting as well as the cultural references to Hindu gods and celebrations, making this a solid middle grade read suitable for literature circles or book club discussions.

Rachel Steen

... public and school libraries with a large fantasy collection will find this title — with its unique setting and beautiful prose — a must have.

…a great choice for an entertaining and captivating read.

Mahatab Narsimhan has done a really good job giving mythology an engrossing modern plot. Read it for a quick adventurous read.

The Guardian

This is a wonderful adventure story, that not only succeeds in being a great tale in its own right, but also fills a gap in Canadian publishing for young people.