Born Behind Bars

Nine-year-old Kabir Khan has known nothing but the Chennai prison where he was born. But when a new warden arrives, he’s forced to leave it—and the mother he believes innocent of the crime for which she was imprisoned. With the help of a Kurava teen named Rani and her talking parrot, Kabir narrowly escapes a man who plans to sell him into slavery. Focused on proving his Hindu mother innocent and finding his father—a Muslim man who went to work in Dubai to finance his mother’s defense—Kabir and Rani travel to Bengaluru, encountering danger, disappointment, and hope along the way. As the two navigate a water shortage and the journey, Rani teaches Kabir about the caste system and how to make it on the streets, while Kabir shares his own knowledge through singing and storytelling. Twining themes of perseverance, friendship, and prejudice (“Funny to think rich people... build fancy cages to live in. Probably because they’re afraid of poor people like us”), Venkatraman (The Bridge Home) renders the gripping circumstances surrounding Kabir and Rani’s journey with a keen attention to character and plot, making for an immersive reading experience. Ages 10–up. (Sept.)