The Golden Necklace by Mitali Perkins
Sona, a 12-year-old Nepali girl, lives with her mother and brother. They are doing their best to earn enough money to survive. The mother picks tea leaves on a plantation run by a horrible man. This man doesn’t pay his workers enough, and he is cruel to his niece, Tara. This man wants Tara’s gold. This gold was meant to be her inheritance. He is going to have her married off so he can claim the gold as part of the marriage agreement. He also has issues with Sona’s brother. He is just an awful man. Tara happens to be friends with Sona. One day, Tara’s gold is stolen. Sona is terrified that this horrendous man will accuse her brother, so she is determined to prove it wasn’t him, and of course, get Tara back the gold that is rightfully hers!
I was impressed with all that Sona did to help her friend and her brother. She is kind to all and very thoughtful and respectful. This was an excellent book to learn about other cultures and lives. Sona has to travel twice a day to bring home buckets of water to her family. If she is late, she might not be able to get any! There is also talk about all the different languages in the area, and why it is essential to learn them. It is also a great book to know about being kind. At one point, Sona works on learning a few words in a new language so she can speak respectfully to someone. It sounds so simple, but putting in that effort can go a long way when you need help.
I hope I can get kids reading this book. I have talked about books in translation and how they help build readers’ worldview. Even though this is not in translation, I think readers will still learn a lot about a life different from their own.
Four out of Five Magical Coffee Cups
Literary Coffee 