The Cobras Song, Supriya Kelkar
The Cobras Song, Supriya Kelkar
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

The Cobra's Song

Author: Supriya Kelkar

Narrator: Reena Dutt

Unabridged: 8 hr 20 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/16/2023


Synopsis

From the author of American as Paneer Pie comes an “absorbing” (Kirkus Reviews) middle grade adventure steeped in Indian folklore following a girl who learns how to find her voice and face her fears, perfect for fans of Aru Shah and Amina’s Song.

Ten-year-old Geetanjali doesn’t mind singing, but she knows she’ll never be as good as her mother, Aai, or grandmother, Aaji, famous classical singers from India whose celebrity has followed the family all the way to their small town of Deadwood, Michigan, where Geetanjali lives with her aai and her father, Baba.

After freezing on stage during a concert performance, Geetanjali adds “fear of singing” to her list of fears, a list that seems to be multiplying daily. Aai tries to stress the importance of using one’s voice and continuing to sing; Geetanjali hopes that when her aaji comes to visit this summer, she’ll be able to help her.

But when they pick Aaji up at the airport, she’s not alone. Lata, an auntie Geetanjali has never met before is with Aaji and their neighbor, Heena Auntie, who is acting strange and mean, and not like the warm auntie she normally is. Lata Auntie has heard all about Geetanjali’s family, growing up in India. She knows Aai and Aaji are the only ones who can sing raag Naagshakti. Aai plays it off, but Geetanjali thinks back to the raag in the binder that started with an N that had been torn out. She has never heard of Raag Naagshakti, which sounds like it is about the power of cobras.

Geetanjali is determined not to let her imagination get the best of her and add aunties to her list of fears, but she can’t help but wonder about the connection between the missing raag, Heena Auntie’s cold behavior, and their interesting summer visitor.

About Supriya Kelkar

Born and raised in the Midwest, Supriya Kelkar learned Hindi as a child by watching three Hindi movies a week. She is a screenwriter who has worked on the writing teams for several Hindi films and one Hollywood feature. Supriya’s books include AhimsaThe Many Colors of Harpreet SinghAmerican as Paneer Pie, and That Thing about Bollywood, among others. Visit her online at SupriyaKelkar.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Tonya on April 18, 2023

Loved the intrigue and mystery woven through the story! Students will love learning about another culture while trying to solve the mystery with Geetu and her friends. E-Arc via Netgalley.......more

Goodreads review by Hoover Public Library on September 17, 2023

Though her maternal family have long been famed Hindustani classical singers in India, rising sixth grader Geetanjali struggles to vocalize publicly. Can she find her voice when a cobra-person from Hindu lore is living next door and wants to turn everyone in her Michigan town into a snake?......more

Goodreads review by Ray on March 10, 2025

It's really 3 1/2 stars, but Goodreads doesn't let you do half stars so there you go.......more

Goodreads review by Dr. T Loves Books on August 03, 2023

What it's about: Rising sixth grader Geetanjali's mother and grandmother are both professional singers, but Geetanjali worries she'll never be as good as they are. Actually, Geetanjali worries about lots of things: whether her father and her neighbor were laughing at her during her recent singing pe......more

Goodreads review by Chandler on July 13, 2024

It's the summer before sixth grade and Geetanjali's family is about to grow by one more with the birth of her baby brother, Alaap. Geentajali's Aaji is also coming to town for her annual summer visit from India. Geetanjali's comes from a line of famous singers in India and she has long enjoyed singi......more


Quotes

"Dutt modulates her characterizations deftly, voicing Geetanjali and her friends with Midwestern accents, Geetanjali’s immigrant parents with distinctly South Asian inflections, and her grandmother, visiting from the subcontinent, with a stronger Indian accent."