There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment. With each entry, the series expands into deeper and richer experiences, delving into more complex themes of friendship and family without sacrificing any of the clever banter.

Chokshi’s ability to craft stories of adventure, humorous dialogue, strong South Asian female characters, and Hindu cosmology is pure magic.

Aru, Mini, Brynne, Aiden, and Kara must look inside themselves and find freedom in letting go, as distrust, jealousy, and betrayal could upend everything. If they win, Kubera will give them command of the only army that can defeat the Sleeper’s troops, who are marching to Lanka to find a certain weapon capable of destroying all godly defenses and rendering his enemies powerless. Two months have passed and much has happened since she last saw her companions: Travel to the Otherworld has ended, their mentors are missing in the city of gold, and its ruler, Lord Kubera, has summoned the Pandavas to compete in his trials three days hence. Needing to escape and get back to her other Pandava sisters, Aru agrees to bring Kara with her. And also words of warning.Aru Shah wakes up in the immediate aftermath of Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes (2020) to find herself imprisoned in the Sleeper’s lair, staring at his other daughter, Kara, a half sister she didn’t know about until this moment. Demons or no, they do provide helpful pamphlets, which we humans love so much. What we can tell you is that they are crucial to Aru and Kara’s journey to Lanka. Without hurting the books! Demon Hamsters?Īre they? You will have to read to find out. And this scene involving Aru and her new “sister” Kara is an early indication of what kind of tricky, split-second decisions these two are going to have to make to survive together. However, when they can fly off the shelves and coalesce into an ink-spewing guard-dragon, that’s a different story. We like to think of books as dangerous in the best possible way. The mildest of spoiler alerts is needed, but see below! Tiny Problem Because we’re such big fans of all things Pandava, we pulled a couple of our favorite moments from the opening chapters of Aru Shah and the City of Gold for special full-color treatment.

Aru shah and city of gold