Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
2011
217p.
In 1919, independent-minded fifteen-year-old Rosalind lives in India with her English parents, and when they fear she has fallen in with some rebellious types who believe in Indian self-government, she is sent "home" to London, where she has never been before and where her older brother died, to stay with her two aunts.
Loved the theme of the power of nonviolence, and the multiple layers of liberation struggles (personal and political) which Rosalind encounters. The beginning was slow and the characters were lacking in color, but the setting descriptions were wonderful, particularly in conveying how Rosalind perceives England when she encounters her "home" for the first time. And for some reason as I neared the end of the book, I could suddenly imagine a vivid and inspiring movie based on the book. I think the themes and setting and the gradual growth of the characters have a haunting power which can grow on you.
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