The Golden Necklace: A Darjeeling Tea Mystery

Gr 4-6–Sona, a 12-year-old Nepali girl who lives in Darjeeling with her mother and brother, dreams of being a teacher and helping the village where she lives. She has the opportunity to win a scholarship to the Darjeeling International School, but must first pass an English proficiency test. Life is hard for her small family; her mother spends long, hard days picking tea leaves, while her brother owes money to the tea plantation manager. If Sona doesn’t pass this test, she will be doing that painful work, too. One thing that brightens her day is seeing her friend, 18-year-old Tara, the niece of the plantation manager. Unfortunately, he has promised her hand in marriage to an equally despicable man. Their goal is to seize the expensive golden jewelry Tara inherited from her parents. When the precious jewels go missing, Sona worries that the thief might have been her brother, so she gets to work helping her friend and making sure her brother’s name is cleared. This is a good book for older middle grade readers. Sona is a brave protagonist who uses her smart thinking to help others. The exciting story also introduces readers a look at a different country, the culture, and distinctions between social classes. Joshi’s black-and-white illustrations provide emotion and detail to supplement the text. The illustrator does an exceptional job capturing the expressions of the characters.