11 November,2024 08:42 AM IST | Mumbai | Nandini Varma
Lily in a gown at the palace. Illustrations Courtesy/Lee-Roy Lahey
Seventh grader Lily Ray is a curious kid who loves vlogging about nature and gumboots. One day, while spending time in her scientist mother's lab, she tests her DNA and finds out that she shares a microscopic part of her genes with the royal family of Bagradoo. When she writes to King Khair of Bagradoo about her discovery, he is delighted to host Lily at his palace during her summer break. Amrita Gandhi's debut children's novel, Royal-ish (HarperCollins India), is full of Lily's adventures at the island kingdom, as she vlogs about its local plants and creatures and experiences several unusual happenings.
An illustration of Lily with a backpack while on her trip
A digital diary, built by her mother, accompanies her everywhere, often answering at the most inappropriate times. Young readers get a taste of mystery, with fantastical elements such as walking crocodiles, blue illuminated pinecones, and the island's unique sea wonder, "the ponypups." A young minister and the king's cousin scheme to take over the royal throne; the big fat ledger goes missing; Lily discovers a half-moon pearl; bizarre events keep readers on the edge of their seats at all times.
By including no more than a couple of illustrations in each chapter, Gandhi's book fires the imagination of young readers. They get snapshots from Lily's explorations but not more than that. One of the most important highlights for this writer was discovering that Lily wasn't drawn as an overambitious child who takes on the task of saving the world. She is an ordinary kid, who is smart, fun, gets scared, and stumbles frequently. She has interesting hobbies. Having been invited by royal families and written about it during her career as a lifestyle host, Gandhi provides palatially striking characteristics to Princess Pashmina, King Khair, and the Dowager Queen. Adding to that, Professor Quill, who protects all knowledge, takes the cake, and his conversations with Lily make the book joyful to read.
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