Roshani Chokshi’s Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes is a hilarious, action-packed adventure that makes readers empathize with the teen characters as they struggle to find their place in the world while dealing with the decisions and repercussions of the adults in their lives.
From the Rick Riordan Presents imprint at Disney Publishing, Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes brings us back to Atlanta and the lives of the reincarnated Pandava siblings Aru, Mini, Brynne, and Aiden, who is the reincarnated wife of the Pandava brothers. The book opens with them about to storm a Ferris wheel and complete an urgent rescue mission for the gods. What they find is the final two reincarnated Pandava brothers in the form of Nikita and Sheela, the keepers of a prophecy, which will upend the quest to defeat the Sleeper, who with the help of Shiva, hopes to destroy the world.
Aru and the other Pandava siblings save Nikita and Sheela, but fail in protecting the prophecy, which the army of the Sleeper hears and takes back to their demonic leader. The Hindu gods are doubtful of the value of the Pandavas, and for the first time in the series, the gods have written them off. They know the prophecy and with the blessing of their mentor Boo, Aru, Brynne, Mini, Aiden and his cousin Rudy, set out to find the Tree of Wishes.
They have five days to find the Tree of Wishes before the holiday of Holi. Nikita and Sheela are forced to stay behind but help the Pandavas from afar, and the true focus of the story kicks in once the group hits the road for their quest. This is a group of kids who carry multiple levels of hurt from their young lives. The loss of parents, being unable to fit in with their peers at school, each member of the group is conflicted about their role in the world and feel like they must prove their worth.
Aru is the reader’s guide to the world, and her own feelings of loss and regret are magnified in Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes. From accidentally releasing the Sleeper in the first book and learning that this monster is her father, Aru has been torn internally about what to do. She has found friendship and family in her fellow Pandava reincarnates, and for the first time in the series, Aru is at the top of her game as the story begins. This feeling won’t last long.
Roshani Chokshi has elevated Aru by allowing her to grow and change throughout the books. In this third book in the series, Chokshi changes the makeup of the story with Aru by having her protagonist see the memories of her father before he turned into the Sleeper. Seeing the man who gave Aru her name, and then went on his own quest to avoid his fated future brings Aru closer to the father she never knew. Chokshi has beautifully crafted a new avenue in the series by letting Aru get to see her the father she never knew through acquired memories, but also putting Aru in danger by letting her develop sympathy for the man who would destroy the world.
Aru has only known her mother and until she learned the Sleeper was her father, she never knew that other half that gave her life. It doesn’t matter what age you are, 11 or 80, all children want to connect with their parents. Poor Aru Shah must reconcile in her own mind that the Sleeper who is bent on destroying the world and the gods, is also a man who loved and cared for her, who gave her the name Aru to be the light in the darkness. How can Aru fight an enemy that she loves? This is the emotional toil that Aru and readers must deal with through Chokshi’s wonderfully written tale.
The characters in Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes encounter various deeds to accomplish before finding their way to the Tree of Wishes. They hope to beat the Sleeper and thus end the war with a simple wish. As Aru learns from the goddess of the forest, Aranyani, protector of the tree, a war cannot be ended with a wish. It takes courage and sacrifice to win a battle. By the end of the story, Aru has faced her demons, metaphorically and physically, but the results of her courage haven’t resolved the coming war but created more questions that leave Aru confused and the reader intrigued and wanting more.
Fans of the Pandava novels will be delighted with this third book in the series, and new readers will easily join in the fun of Aru and her friends. Though the book is geared toward middle schoolers, Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes will appeal to readers of all ages. The themes and issues that the characters deal with is something anyone of any age can relate too, but older readers may have a greater appreciation for the heavy burdens that kids deal with. All characters from Aru to Aiden and even Rudy, a Naga prince, are forced to live in a world where people don’t really understand them. Whether they are dealing with not living up to the expectations of their family or are left wondering why one of their parents doesn’t love them, the kids are trying to make sense of some tough emotional issues that kids face today.
Roshani Chokski has also layered the book with humor that helps offset the very serious issues the characters confront. From the opening action piece at the Ferris wheel where Aru questions in her mind why she just willingly jumped off a Ferris wheel, to the Pandavas teasing a villain to not sound like Thanos from Avengers: Endgame, Chokski will make you laugh as you read through the novel. As a world-wide health pandemic upends the normalcy of our lives. Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes lets us escape the world of now for the imagination of Chokshi and the gods of Hindu mythology.
At 400 pages, Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes is not a light read, but once you start, you won’t stop until you turn the last page. This book gets a solid 4 Tree of Wishes out of 4 for clever character development by brilliantly adding depth to the well-established characters in the middle of a five-book series.
Aru and the Pandava siblings will return in the spring of 2021 with Aru Shah and the City of Gold.