Madras, 1944 While World War II rages in Europe and the Japanese army draws closer to India, Raji and her sisters are sent off with their mother to stay in Manikoil, her mother's family village. But with her brother now a soldier in the British Indian Army and refugees fleeing from Malaya, Burma and other eastern countries back to India, Manikoil is no longer the peaceful haven it once was. And while there is hope of Independence in the air, Raji is uncertain whether it will come to pass-and what it will truly mean for her and her family. The Songs of Freedom series explores the lives of children across India during the struggle for independence.

Sarchi, 1921 When Dak Chacha comes to visit, Luxmi feels only joy and excitement. But this time, there is something dark underfootChacha is worried and there are policemen coming to search their house. Luxmi learns that both Dak Chacha and her mother are involvedin their own small waysin the struggle for liberation from the unjust laws and practices that the British regime forces on all of them. This makes her determined to be part of it too. Even if that means undertaking a risky mission which no one else is able to do . . . The Songs of Freedom series explores the lives of children across India during the struggle for independence.

Something strange is afoot in the kingdom of Pür. The most favoured suitor at Princess Vasundhara's swayamvara has disappeared ... A reclusive sorceress has emerged from the Eastern Isles ... The Inter-Realm Ambassador is furious ... A long-lost stone with dark powers must be found ... The Sprites are preparing for rebellion ... When dignitaries from all the Mortal Realms-and a few from the Inter-Realm-gather in Rajgir for a stressful swayamvara, only mayhem can ensue! Can Meenakshi and Kalban uncover Tara the Starchaser's dark legacy and prevent a war between the Realms? Book III in the Meandering Magicians series

Calcutta, 1928 As the student protests gather momentum all across Calcutta, and police atrocities grow, ten-year-old Bithi wants to join in the struggle for freedom. But living in a society where her best friend is to be married and just the fact that she is going to school is regarded with disapproval, how can Bithi play a substantial part? How can she fight those who are dearest to her? Discouraged but not daunted, Bithi schemes and plots and lies and is drawn into unexpected danger-all for the sake of fighting injustice in all its forms. The Songs of Freedom series explores the lives of children across India during the struggle for independence.

Returning to 1960s' India after decades beyond its borders, Ved Mehta explores his native country with two sets of eyes: those of the man educated in the West, and those of the child raised under the Raj. Travelling from the Himalayas in the east to Kerala in the west, Ved Mehta's observations and insights into India and some of its most interesting figures - including Indira Gandhi, Jaya Prakash Narayan and Satyajit Ray - create one of the twentieth century's most thought-provoking travel memoirs.

Tanjore, 1942 There are few excitements in Thambi's quiet life. There is the new hotel, disapproved of by elders, which lures him with the aroma of sambar with onions. There are visits to the library to read the newspaper, and once in a while, a new movie at the Rajaram Electric Theatre. More disagreeably, there are fortnightly visits from his uncle to lay down the law. When Gandhiji announces the Quit India movement, Tanjore is torn apart by protests. The train station-the lifeline of the town-is vandalized. Mysterious leaflets are circulated, containing news that newspapers do not publish. And inspired by the idea of a free India and his own dreams of being an engineer, Thambi must find the courage to do what he believes is right-even when it endangers all he holds dear. The Songs of Freedom series explores the lives of children across India during the struggle for independence.

Something strange is afoot at the Royal Academy of Science, Magic and the Arts ... A standing statue sits down with a meditative smile ... A demigod is caught smuggling the Nectar of Immortality into the Mortal Realm ... Traders in Madh find their goods have been turned into djinn gold ... An illegal portal into the Inter-Realm has opened and no one knows who has done it ... A strange creature has been sighted in the vaults under the Academy ... Will Meenakshi and Kalban be able to get to the bottom of it all before the creature in the vault gets too powerful to control? Or is this a cover for something much more sinister—something that will destroy the city of Madh?