The Happiness Train
- Publisher : Hachette India
- Publishing year : September 2021
- Binding : Paperback
- ISBN : 9789391028114
- Imprint : Hachette India
- Age Group : Young Reader
- Language : English
Suraj and Radha never know when the colourful 'Happiness Train' will chug into their village, offering them a whole ne ...
Suraj and Radha never know when the colourful 'Happiness Train' will chug into their village, offering them a whole new world of fun and enchantment! 'Trains and tracks are evil,' says Amma, 'they carry people away.' But this train's musical whistle, the gorgeous pictures on the coaches, and its promise of faraway exciting lands and the raja who owns them – all make Suraj eager to leave his humdrum life at home and set out on adventures.
Ignoring Radha's warnings, he secretly boards the train.
Soon Suraj realizes that things are not as they seem and that he and the other runaway boys – Murali, Chhotu and Asad – are being carted away on a dark, dangerous mission. With no hope of escaping, they are close to giving up when help arrives from an unexpected quarter.
Is there a mysterious person on the train who can help them? How is the raja connected with the train? Has Radha forgotten all about Suraj? And does he finally get what he is looking for? Find out in this unusual story about family, friends, and discovering new routes to happiness and home.
Nandini Nayar is the author of over 40 books for children.
Her first book was Pranav’s Picture, published by Tulika in 2005. Since then, she has written 22 picture books for various publishers in India. Nandini likes to focus on the everyday events in a child’s life, creating stories that reflect the recognisable contours of a familiar world.
She has published over a dozen books for middle grade readers.
Apoorva’s Fat Diary, the first book in a four-part series about a plump girl, has been appreciated by children and adults for tackling issues like body-shaming, bullying and sexual abuse. Nandini does not flinch from presenting parents and adults in a less-than-flattering light, thereby creating characters who are flawed and therefore realistic.
Humour is a recurring motif in her books, as are the tensions within Indian families. Food is another motif in her books and she uses it in a variety of ways – as the means by which a mother and child bond in What Shall I Make?, as a vehicle for identifying family loyalties in The Curious Case of the Sweet and Spicy Sweetshop and as something that is instrumental in helping children establish their identities as in The Chicken that Started It All and The Great River Magic.
Nandini has also contributed entries on 21 Indian children’s authors and illustrators to the Oxford Encyclopaedia of Children’s Literature. She is a teacher by training and has worked on textbooks for both school and university levels.
Awards and Honours:
The House of Fourteen Cats, winner, Children’s Book Trust prize.
Mouse and Bear, winner, Children’s Book Trust prize (Forthcoming)
The Perfect Chair, winner, Children’s Book Trust prize (Forthcoming)
Rani Lakshmibai, Federation of Indian Publishers Award.
What Shall I Make? Honoured as “Outstanding Book” by the United States Board on Books for Young Readers.
Apoorva’s Fat Diary was judged the most popular book by secondary school children across India, who read it as part of the Leading Reading Schools of India 2016.
Author website – www.nandininayar.in
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