Description: "A compelling true story that will have readers cheering out loud while the pages fly by." --School Library Journal (starred review)
In this riveting true story of courage and resilience during the coronavirus outbreak, a bold girl on a bicycle races against time across India to save her father and control her own destiny. With a mysterious virus infecting people the world over, spreading faster than science can keep up, India is in lockdown. Train, plane, and bus services have been suspended to check the contagion. Far from home and frightened, poor migrant workers like Jyoti's father, who labor in the city and send money home to their families, are beginning to flee by the millions. Jyoti has been caring for her dad, who is seriously injured and cannot escape on foot. She knows that if they don't leave now, there's a good chance they won't both make it back home alive. Does she have the grit, iron will, and stamina to pedal 700 miles to safety on a rickety hot-pink bicycle with her 250-pound father on the back? Even with the support of unexpected friends, this will be the challenge of a lifetime. This rich tapestry of a young teen's celebrated feat weaves together historical, political, and personal backdrops, exploring themes of social pressures, prejudice, family, income inequality, and government failure as well as the age-old bondages of caste and gender.Review Quotes: Interesting sections of background information about the caste system, Indian history, and the subjugation of women and girls in Indian society, [make] this not only a personal story but useful for cultural studies. . . . With engaging and insightful writing, this is a compelling true story that will have readers cheering out loud while the pages fly by. Strongly recommended for libraries serving middle and high school students.
--School Library Journal (starred review)
--Booklist