Word Travelers and the Taj Mahal Mystery

by Raj Haldar, Neha Rawat (Illustrator)

Overview

Are you ready for adventure? The first book in a new action-packed series from bestselling author Raj Haldar follows two best friends as they race to different parts of the world to solve mysteries and uncover lost treasures!

It's a Super Saturday sleepover! That means best friends Eddie and Molly-Jean (who prefers to be called MJ) are going to play outside, create obstacle courses for MJ's newts, and watch their favorite movies—and then they'll travel to India to solve a mystery and help save a school—all before bedtime!

This action-packed mystery story is perfect for anyone looking for:

• A wild adventure around the world that middle school kids will love!
• A story of two best friends solving mysteries with a little magic!
• Cool, new knowledge tucked inside an epic chapter book!
• A journey to India to learn the Hindi roots of the English language

Magically travel around the world along with two best friends who decipher clues and uncover mysterious secrets. Can you help them find the golden key?

"Reminiscent of Mary Pope Osborne's "Magic Tree House" series…contains the same mix of fantasy, adventure, and cultural discovery. Etymology is the distinctive feature here, and its importance is reflected in every part of the text."—School Library Journal, starred review

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728222059
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	10/05/2021
Series:	Word Travelers
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	224,609
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	880L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Raj Haldar is the author of the #1 New York Times Bestselling picture book, P is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever. But, for close to a decade, he has been better known as Lushlife, the rapper, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. In that time, he's amassed a fervent global fanbase and released award-winning viral music videos that highlight his erudite lyrics. The Sunday New York Times describes his work as “an intoxicating mix of captivating rhymes with audacious, gorgeous production.” So it should come as no surprise that Haldar has made the leap into the world of children’s literature. His latest book entitled, This Book is Banned gives young readers a lighthearted entrypoint to begin understanding the dangers of book banning and censorship. His work has been featured by The Washington Post, Interview Magazine, VICE, Pitchfork, Village Voice, Mental Floss, BBC, SPIN and more!

Raj currently lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his wife and two young daughters.

Raj Haldar social media, music, books + more!

Neha Rawat is a children's book illustrator from India and a grand prize winner of the SCBWI Summer Spectacular Portfolio Showcase 2020.  She worked as a software engineer for 5 years before freelancing as an artist and creating custom illustrations, comics, and merchandise and eventually moving to children's books. In her spare time, Neha can be found petting, booping and belly rubbing dogs. Connect with her on instagram @NRBstudio.in

Editorial Reviews

"Fast-paced and fun, this word-lovers adventure will immerse growing readers in both a puzzling mystery and the origin of English words that come from India." — Imagination Soup

"A fast-paced mystery… reminiscent of Mary Pope Osborne’s "Magic Tree House" series…. Etymology is the distinctive feature here, and its importance is reflected in every part of the text. The cultural awareness implicit in the book’s themes is reflected in the diversity of its characters as portrayed in both text and illustrations. The work as a whole feels very child centered, and is likely to appeal to a broad range of readers. This winning series opener is full of fun and facts." — School Library Journal, STARRED review

"The characters are likable and realistic... and the reader is guaranteed a happy ending." — School Library Connection

From the Publisher

★ 10/01/2021

Gr 1–4—When Eddie and Molly-Jean discover an old book of etymology, they embark on a magical and educational adventure. After looking up the word "pajamas," the Awesome Enchanted Book (AEB) whisks the children away to India, the country of the word's origins. There they meet a boy searching for a lost family treasure to rebuild his school. What follows is a fast-paced mystery complete with a series of hidden clues, secret passageways, and even a dastardly moustache-twirling villain. Haldar, coauthor of P is for Pterodactyl and No Reading Allowed, brings his humor and love of wordplay to this first entry of a new early chapter book series. The premise is reminiscent of Mary Pope Osborne's "Magic Tree House" series and will likely appeal to its fans, as it contains the same mix of fantasy, adventure, and cultural discovery. Etymology is the distinctive feature here, and its importance is reflected in every part of the text. Bold words throughout the book can be found in the glossary, with entries containing pronunciation, definition, and origin. The main characters must learn about words to find the treasure, and in doing so they discover facts about Indian culture and its influence on the English language. The cultural awareness implicit in the book's themes is reflected in the diversity of its characters as portrayed in both text and illustrations. Rawat's rounded comic artwork enhances both the humorous tone of the writing and its accessibility for young readers. The work as a whole feels very child centered, and is likely to appeal to a broad range of readers. Eddie is white with red hair, and Molly-Jean has light brown skin and curly brown hair. VERDICT This winning series opener is full of fun and facts, and is recommended for first purchase.—Elizabeth Lovsin, Deerfield Public Library, IL

School Library Journal

2021-08-11
Two best friends have an etymological adventure.

Normally, Eddie, a White boy, and MJ, an Indian American girl, spend their sleepover Saturdays playing and watching movies. One special Saturday, however, they uncover Eddie’s grandfather’s tome on word origins. When they open what they call the Awesome Enchanted Book, it magically whisks them away to the Indian city of Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. There, they meet a young Rajasthani prince named Dev who needs to find his family’s ancestral treasure to rebuild a village school destroyed in a typhoon. But Dev isn’t the only one after the treasure: A mustache-twirling White man named Mr. Raffles wants that money too. Together, the three kids race to solve the word-related clues in order to find the treasure first. While this etymologically themed series opener’s premise is promising, its execution oversimplifies India's complexity. Dev, for example, comes from a Hindu dynasty even though the book takes place largely in and around a city and monument constructed by ancient Muslim rulers, who are never mentioned as such. Additionally, the words tufan (source of typhoon) and pajama are identified only as Hindi in the glossary despite their journeys through Arabic and/or Persian; the phrase Holy Cow is introduced with no explanation of its colonialist origins. These choices shortchange both readers and premise. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

This word-based adventure falters in its oversimplification of a complicated place. (Fantasy. 8-10)

Kirkus Reviews