Just having this shortlist is rewarding for a children’s author

In between sips of coffee on a rainy Bangalore afternoon, Roopa Pai, author of the Taranauts books, a fantasy series for children between the ages of 8 and 12, confesses to being a reluctant fantasy fan. “I can’t really connect to adult fantasy fiction. Even The Lord of The Rings didn’t quite grab me,” says Pai, eyes twinkling.

“I am a huge fan, though, of fantasy written for children and young adults — from Harry Potter to the more recent Percy Jackson series,” she adds.

Quite a confession from an author whose first foray into writing a fantasy series — eight books, no less, two of which are on the stands while the third awaits a launch this month — has won her a place in the shortlist of the Vodafone Crossword Book Awards in its newly constituted category, Children’s Books. The Quest for the Shyn Emeralds, the first book in the Taranauts series — fast-paced, cheekily written adventure books set on an alternative universe called Mithya featuring three kick-ass child protagonists — has been nominated in this category.

Full report here DNA

Emperaza of cool

Roopa Pai has a way with children. She can get them to read about Indian mythology believing it's cool, writes Bhumika K
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She should be credited with being able to achieve a whole lot of things, but mostly, three very difficult things — getting children to read Indian fantasy books, getting people to walk in Bangalore, getting children to listen to history! Knotty tasks, huh? She has conjured up an exotic world for a whole lot of youngsters (and adults) — a world of Taranauts ruled by Emperaza Shoon Ya (aided by the able Miss Shuk Tee), inhabited by brave young Mithyakins, over whom lurks the evil Shaap Azur.

Co-founder of Bangalore Walks, a tour guide, and a writer, Roopa Pai is herself like a child. And maybe that's why her first in a series of eight books “Taranauts: Quest for The Shyn Emeralds” is a delightfully-told story. “I'm trying to make Indianism cool without being in-the-face Indian. And that's been difficult for Indian writers,” says Roopa. Most Indian children stay away from traditional and mythological storybooks for two reasons. The folklore is often forced down their throats by eager parents — a sort of “you must know your culture” thing. And very often, they lose out when competing with dazzlingly produced foreign books.

Full report here Hindu