Rusty and the Leopard

Rusty's adventures in the Doon valley and the Garhwal hills Rusty, having run away from his guardian's home, is now trying to define his identity as he lives with the Kapoor family, tutoring their son Kishen and occupying the room on the roof. Soon, he becomes close to Kishen and, in the company of Meena Kapoor, begins to come into his own as an individual. Then tragedy strikes—Meena's death devastates Rusty and he leaves Dehra Dun. Rusty and Kishen take to the open road and their adventures accumulate as they tramp through the Doon valley and the Garhwal hills. His time on the road allows Rusty to decide what he really wants to do and by the end of the book he is preparing for a trip to London, dreaming of becoming a writer. Full of incident as well as introspection, this is a book older children will thoroughly enjoy.