A review by syntaxx
Born Behind Bars by Padma Venkatraman

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

I enjoyed this middle grade novel about a half Hindu half Muslim boy who seeks to free his mother, who has been wrongfully imprisoned in an Indian jail. I really liked his friendship with Rani, a slightly older Roma girl. Jay the parrot was fun too, although I did find myself freeing over whether he would be OK at certain parts (spoiler alert he’s fine and makes it to the end unscathed.)