Owlet, Not Out - Parag Honour List - 2020

An owlet, a cricketer, a wrestler, an all-important cricket match—and everything that can go wrong is going to go wrong
Ritesh, also known as Tubby, has joined the Jai-Hind International School in Delhi along with his twin sister, Smokey. Tubby is an astonishingly gifted cricketer and is soon in the school cricketing team. That is the easy part. The difficult part is being befriended by Jyotsna, better known as Patki, the soft-hearted, big-eyed, wrestling champion who sits next to him in class. Patki is determined to be his friend, even though all Tubby wants is to glower quietly and think about and practice cricket. But soon he finds himself accompanying Patki to a nearby ancient cemetery where they befriend the mynas, parakeets and an owlet called Owlet. Then, on the day of the most important cricket match of the year, to his great dismay, Tubby finds Owlet in grave danger.
What will he choose now: sports, fame and glory—or compassion, kindness and a chance to be a real friend? Ranjit Lal’s new novel about school, cricket and friendship is as funny as it is thought-provoking and will charm readers of all ages.