THE SECRET OF THE KELIMUTU VOLCANO

Buvaraghan, Riya Sanjay, and Eesha Sanjay present an illustrated middle-grade story of an Indonesian girl who must avert a natural disaster.

On Indonesia’s Flores Island, there’s a volcano called Kelimutu. When Aisha was born, it erupted and destroyed Moni, her hometown. A wise magician prophesied that it would happen again on Aisha’s 10th birthday in 1956—now one week away. Aisha’s mother, Zaha, is a healer who received her powers when she and her mother, Dewi, rescued a woman’s baby; the grateful woman gave them a magical amethyst pendant—much to her older son’s chagrin. Aisha’s younger sister, Liya, also has healing powers, but Aisha, so far, has no magic. Aisha dreams that she has a mission to return four gems to the crown of the statue of Garuda, a golden eagle deity, to save Moni from another disaster. On her birthday, Aisha takes Liya to explore Kelimutu and the nearby lakes, and Aisha discovers that she, too, has powers when she touches a clear lake, turning it green, and then retrieves an emerald from it. Members of a nomadic tribe, the Bajau people, visit Moni; Dewi doesn’t trust them, but Zaha tells her daughters to ignore their grandmother’s prejudice. Soon, Zaha’s amethyst goes missing, and Dewi’s house is robbed; finally, the Garuda statue is stolen from its secret place. The mystery that leads to a quest, during which Aisha discovers her powers and wins the townsfolk’s love and respect. Amid this novel’s mystery and magic, details about Indonesian culture and tradition emerge against a beautiful island setting: “The island scenery varied from low-land savannah to volcanic rainforest. Red-flowered flame trees between the palms made the view spectacular.” The loving relationship between three generations of female healers—grandmother, mother, and daughters—is shown to be warm and nurturing, yet also nuanced: Aisha is revealed to be a bit jealous of her younger sister, and Zaha disapproves of her mother’s suspicions. A few pages feature exquisite illustrations of the characters and settings in vivid color, credited to JV Graphic Designing.

An engaging tale of a girl’s discovery of her power and calling.