Anjali Bannerjee,
Looking for Bapu
Wendy Lamb Books, 2006

Ages 7-10

This is a touching and, at times, hilarious story about a boy coming to terms with loss, change and other difficulties.  Anjali Banerjee, author of Maya Running, captures the universal feelings of fear and sadness that accompany grief for everyone, but places them against the backdrop of eight-year-
old Anu's feelings of confusion and isolation that come from growing up feeling different in the United States.

Anu, the only child of Indian immigrant parents, is inseparable from his beloved grandfather, Bapu, who lives with the family and has brought the mysteries of India to life for his grandson.  But Bapu suddenly falls in the forest one day while the pair are bird watching and dies hours later in the local hospital.  Anu's world is shattered by this sudden loss, and he looks for his missing grandfather everywhere.  Before long, Anu actually encounters Bapu's restless spirit coming to visit him for a few minutes at a time.  These visits inspire the boy to bring Bapu back before he is lost to the spirit world forever. 

All this takes place in the Pacific Northwest just after 9/11, and Anu's dark skin and hair make him a target for bullies at school.  His best friend Unger sticks by him while other kids call him a terrorist or Osama bin Laden.  And with  Bapu gone, Anu must spend afternoons with Izzy, the "weird" neighbor girl, and her mother until his own parents arrive home from work in the evening.

As his parents pack up Bapu's belongings and arrange his cremation, Anu feels his grandfather slipping away faster and tries everything from searching the Internet to becoming a sadhu, or Hindu holy man, in the hope that he will be able to bring Bapu back.  As part of his effort to get closer to the gods Anu shaves his head, fasts, and even rolls to school.  He also finds the courage to stick up for himself, to embrace what makes him and others different, and ultimately to accept Bapu's death.  As he makes new friends, Anu begins to imagine a future without Bapu, and once he accepts that he can't bring him back, Anu realizes that his grandfather lives within him and that his influence will always be a part of his life.

With Looking for Bapu, Banerjee has written a book that will resonate with all children who have ever experienced loss or felt excluded.  She captures the child's perspective so perfectly that parents will be reminded of how difficult being a kid can be and how callous and remote adults can appear to children at times.  Bannerjee knows her audience — who will surely be looking forward to her next book.

Abigail Sawyer
January 2007