The Conch Bearer

The Conch Bearer demonstrates very effectively through it's 12-year old hero Anand, the demons and conflicts that most people face in real life when they are learning to trust their instincts, believe in themselves, reach out for assistance and look for the answers within. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni also demonstrates through the young heroine Nisha (who is critical to Anand's eventual success) that not only are women just as smart, resourceful and capable but that no one achieves success solely through their own efforts. Anand eventually realizes these facts and accords Nisha the trust, love, and gratitude she is due as a loyal friend who would selflessly give her life to ensure his success. My family thoroughly enjoyed this very satisfying and magical book. I also liked that Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni demonstrated the spiritual, mental and physical effects of poverty in a very accessible way bringing to mind the way Charles Dickens handled the themes of poverty in his books. Children younger than 10 years old would most probably not be able to grasp the more subtle underlying themes of spiritual and character development on their own.

Great book for kids.Highly recommend!My niece loved it! Will be buying the sequels for her.

I am a thirty year old college student and in a Children's Literature class I was assigned to read a children's book about a different culture. After searching the internet, I came across this book. I was skeptic to purchase this book because of the title but the story's description and previous comments changed my mind. After I started this book I could not stop, the author's vivid details pulled me right in. I loved it, this is a great book for young and old readers. I considered buying the other volumes but now that the class is over, my reading material has shifted to economics and accounting.

Fantastic book! I use this, in addition to the excerpt from Divakaruni's website as an introduction lesson to teach tone. Students love the thrill! It is also a fantastic multicultural piece to allow students to learn about a culture different from their own that is relatable.

My daughter enjoyed the book. It was a summer reading homework book recommended by her high school.

My daughter 3rd grade) and I are just finishing this book up. It's filled with great lessons about honesty loyalty and compassion!!

I purchased this for my granddaughter and she loved it. I read it first and didn't want to give it to her.

Great book. We got it yesterday and my husband is already almost done with it and wanting the second one!

One of my most favourite books. Im 22 so wouldn't really class this as just a children's book. I loved it and so did my boyfriend and he's 25. Its so imaginative! One of the best stories I've read in years, after this I bought the remaining two books in the series. What a great Author, I will follow her work forever now.Highly recommend this book

Great thank u.my daughter been looking 4 this for 10 years.

Absolutely gripping. So mouthwatering, beautifully depicted and enthralling! I read it to my year 6 class and they were hooked! Fantastic!

Not as good as Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's adult novels, which are more compelling and have greater originality of tone, this is a pleasant fantasy about a boy's quest to safely return a magical conch shell to the mysterious Silver Valley. While the Indian setting does come to life, the dialogue was marred for me by intrusive Americanisms (e.g. 'wash up' instead of 'wash yourself') and an absence of Indian-English. Perhaps the author was afraid her younger readers might be put off by more authentic dialogue? The fantasy elements are not particularly original but well-managed and the book's messages about judging by appearances and the dangers of power are true any time, anywhere. An enjoyable read, but not an essential one. Her adult books are more compelling.

This is an amazing story full of magic and mysteries. It is clearly a different story compared to the other books of the author but I loved it.