Keeping Corner by Kashmira Smith is a historical fiction book about twelve-year-old Leela, who is a part of the Brahmin caste in India. While Leela, as an only child, has always been spoiled by her parents, her life takes a turn when her husband dies from a snakebite [they were engaged at two and married at 9 years old]. Her society dictates that widows are to be kept as outsiders for the rest of their lives, their first year as windows is to be kept in home confinement. However, within the cities, there are polticial movements under Gandhi to overthrow the British system and to revolutionize India's old practices and traditions. Leela's older brother advocates for her education, something that she would have ended when she moved in with her husband. As she begins her private sessions with her principal as her tutor, she begins to look beyond her own world and seek her own liberation in Gandhi-era India.
Overall, I thought this book was a strong piece of historical fiction with great descriptive and figurative language. I thought it would be a good way for students to learn about this time period and country from a girl about their age. However, I would say that this book does seem to be targeted more to girls than to boys. It uses a lot of Indian vocabulary, for which Smith provides a glossary in the back of the book. I would highly recommend this book for 7th or 8th grade students.
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