Book: Rani Lakshmibai
Author: Sonia Mehta
Pages: 48
Read On: Paperback Edition
Publisher: Penguin
How Long it Took Me To Read: 1 hour
Plot Summary: The story of Lakshmibai is one of courage and innate female power. Find out how the tomboy Manikarnika grew up to be the famous ruler of Jhansi-a wise queen, a much-loved leader of her people and a brave soldier who fought fiercely for her kingdom and gave her life in battle.
Third in a series of illustrated books created for young readers to get to know our world heroes better, this engaging biography, peppered with little-known facts, takes the reader through the action-packed life of the queen of Jhansi, her trials and her triumphs.
General Thoughts: This book was sent to me by the good folks at Puffin India for a review. I was so excited to read about one of my personal heroes and I read the book as soon as it arrived.
Things I Liked:
1. Rani Lakshmibai is a such an amazing role model and one whose bravery and courage and legendary spirit will remain timeless. I love that this book exists so that younger readers can dive in her life story and get acquainted with a hero like here.
2. The book is written simply and is perfect for young readers to follow along. I also liked the writing style of the author which makes it seem like a story and not a long history lesson-which might put off some readers. It also has several interesting facts and historical and social contexts within the pages which make this a much more well-rounded read.
3. The book also has some illustrations within it and that always adds a little something extra to the reading experience.
4. Even though I knew a lot of about Rani Lakshmibai before going into this book, I still learned so many new things, especially about her life before marriage and who she was as a person. I feel like history textbooks sometimes don't delve into this and this book gave me a much more in depth look in her life.
5. The book does a great job of telling a lot about Rani Lakshmibai's life. Not just her life after getting married into the royal family of Jhansi but also her childhood and her own family, her friends and even her character and personality.
6. The book provides fantastic historical context of the time period and tells us what was going on in India and the 1857 Revolution as well. This is great because this story and this slice of history is incomplete without proper context.
7. Though aimed at younger readers this is a great read for adults as well. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. I didn't find it childish or over simplified. On a side note, I think this is a great book to pick up if you are already excited about Manikarnika- the film starring Kangana Ranaut about Rani Lakshmibai. I, for one, cannot wait to see it on the big screen. This is a great read for before the film releases.
Rating: 4.5/5
I loved this book and highly recommend it. And this series by Puffin- Junior Lives- sounds like a great idea. They also have books on Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa.
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