Thirst

Inspirational and informative, wasn’t aware of the water problems in India. It is hopeful and speaks to the importance of resilience

This amazing book follows the experiences of a young girl growing up in the slums of Mumbai, India. As the story opens, Minni and her beloved older brother Sanjay are sitting on a hill overlooking the Arabian Sea, admiring a bridge and talking about their dreams for when they grow up. Despite living in a poor neighborhood where the small homes are built almost on top of one another, and despite having the gather water each day from the local tap, Minni and her brother maintain a hopeful outlook. Minni hopes to finish school and get a good job to help support her family. Sanjay currently works at a restaurant, but hopes to eventually become a chef. But a dangerous encounter with the water mafia puts Sanjay's dreams on hold as he has to flee the neighborhood for safety. And Minni's school dreams take a dive when her mother gets sick and she has to fill in at her job cleaning for a rich family. And even winning a scholarship to attend a computer class doesn't make things any easier. Just when Minni rediscovers her hopes and dreams, she runs into a water thief. She is left wondering what the right thing to do is? Keep her mouth shut to protect her family and let the water thief continue to rob the neighborhood, or put herself at risk by saying something? Bajaj has created endearing characters who immediately drew me into their story. Minni's optimism, her sweet relationship with her family, and the firm friendship she has with her best friend Faiza all help carry her through some enormous challenges. The easy-to-read writing and the under 200 pages length make this an even more attractive package. I love stories like this one that provide a window to a world very different than my own. I look forward to sharing this great book with my students for many years to come.

I recently read the book Thirst by Varsha Bajaj. I think that it was a really good book because it was about a girl named Minni who doesn't have a lot of water and money. Her brother and mom end up moving away temporarily. She faces problems and works for a very mean grandmother. There is also a criminal who was stealing water. It turns out that the criminal was the dad in the family Minni works for. I would definitely recommend this realistic fiction book to friend. 5 stars. Review by E.M.I recently read a book called Thirst by Varsha Bajaj. I would recommend this book because it is about a world crisis. In the beginning, Minni and her friends encountered a water mafia boss, which leads Sanjay (Minni's older brother) to leave their home. After that, Minni's mom got Hepatitis A which led her to leave their home. That meant that Minni takes her mom's job. During her hours, she meets the water mafia boss. I gave this book 4 stars because I felt like the ending was long. It also had a slow start. Review by W.C.I recently read a book called Thirst by Varsha Bajaj. I recommend this book for people who like reading about a different life. The main character in the book is named Minni. It is about a family who doesn't have water. I don't want to spoil the book. You will have to read it to find out. 3.5 stars. Review by N.K.I just recently read the book Thirst by Varsha Bajaj. I would recommend this book because any ages would love it. It is a story about this girl named Minni who lives in Mumbai. She lives in a village that is pretty poor. Minni's mom gets a job as a servant to a rich family. Minni gets money to go to a private school. Out of nowhere, Minni's mom, Rohini, gets sick and had to leave for her sister's village. Now Minni is left by herself with her dad and brother, but Minni's brother had to leave to go to the country. Minni has to take over her mom's job at the family's house. One day, Minni sees the dad of the family, and it was the water thief that has been stealing all of the poor village's water. With help from Minni's friend, Fazia, they sneak a picture of him into a police man's bag. I would definitely recommend. 5 stars. Review by H.V.I have recently read Thirst by Varsha Bajaj. I recommend this book and give it 4 1/2 stars. This book is the story of a girl named Minni who lives in Mumbai with her family. After her mom gets hepatitis A, Minni has to work as a servant for a rich family in a skyscraper. Minni doesn't just have to worry about losing her job. She also has school exams coming up and is trying to bust a criminal. I highly recommend this book. 4.5 stars. Review by I.P.I read Thirst by Varsha Bajaj. It's about a girl named Minni that finds a man stealing water. Later, her mom gets sick so Minni had to take her mom's job as being a servant. She finds that the dad is the evil guy that stole the water. I would recommend this book to a friend because it's very well written and is exciting! 4 stars. Review by S.I.I gave this book a 4.75/5. This is a coming of age realistic fiction book mixed with some elements of rushed maturity. The main character is named Minni, but my favorite character is Moti, the dog. Minni is in seventh grade, and has a brother named Sanjay who is 15. However their lives take a drastic turn when Sanjay and Minni's mom have to leave. Minni has to step in her mother's shoes and realizes her boss's husband is a criminal. His is caught, and the mom returns home, while Sanjay stays as a cook. 4.75 stars. Review by B.B.I recently read the book Thirst by Varsha Bajaj, and I would recommend this book because it brings awareness to water scarcity. This realistic fiction novel is about a girl named Minni who is trying to ace her exam (to graduate middle school) and to keep her mom's job (as a maid) at the same time. Minni's mom, Rohini, has stomach pain frequently and had to stay at her sister's house. Meanwhile, water thieves are going around Mumbai and stealing water. Minni's brother, Sanjay, was yelled at by one of the water thieves, so in order to stay safe, Sanjay moved to the country. Sanjay ended up loving it there and decided to become a chef. Minni also started doing something she is very interested in, computer programming! Finally, the water thieves are caught and Minni's family is doing great. Read the book to find out what happens! 4 3/5 stars. Review by S.K.I would recommend this book for the following reasons. First, it has a really intriguing plot with tons of detail. Secondly, it is an accurate representation of time and place it is set in. Lastly, it brings attention to a very important topic that is happening right now in Mumbai, India. The only problem I have with Thirst is that the ending is a bit too rushed, and the most part of the book is the ending because it's what the whole book has been leading up to. For this reason, I rate Thirst by Varsha Bajaj a 4.5. Review by R.C.I recently read the book Thirst by Varsha Bajaj. In the book a girl named Minni lives in a low water area of Mumbai. But when her brother stumbles upon water mafia plans, he must leave their village to go hide in the country. Things get worse when Minni's mom gets hepatitis A. She must leave as well! I will not say anything else so you must read to find out what happens next. 4 stars. Review by S.G.I would recommend the book Thirst by Varsha Bajaj. This novel is about a girl named Minni and her struggles as she is living in Mumbai during the water crisis. She has taken over a huge responsibility after her mom got a sickness called hepatitis A. She has been struggling under the pressure of keeping her mom’s job while also studying for exams in the upcoming weeks. She realizes that the family husband that she has been work for is part of a dangerous gang called the Water Mafia. They have been known to steal water from the poor Mumbians. With her mom gone and a dangerous water thief on the run, Minni’s life starts to unravel. I would really recommend this book to many people from ages 10 to 13. 4.5 stars. Review by J.J.

I really enjoyed this book. I was not aware of water thieves . I can't wait to introduce this book to my 10 year old students.

I recently picked up THIRST by Varsha Bajaj. I could not put it down. Varsha's narrative powerfully and empathetically captures one girl's fight for a fundamental human right: access to clean water. Set in Mumbai where water is a privileged commodity, like in many places around the world, the story is about how Minni stands up to the local water criminal. Varsha paints Minni's world with dignity -- while we sympathize with Minni's tremendously disadvantaged context, we celebrate the richness of her family love, school life, and deep friendships. The writing is simple, elegant, and nuanced. The themes are relevant and empowering. A MUST-read middle grade for children everywhere!

Varsha Bajaj's book Thirst was a true delight. It began by setting up the world around the main character, Minnie, and humanizes how so many live in this world, in poverty. It continues by setting up young Minnie to face a number of challenges, all of which she handles with a unique style that is all her own. The writing is beautiful and poetic, it's an incredibly warm and well written book.

I got it for my daughter for the beginning of her school year. I never thought a book could be so eye opening. It mainly talks about a family who lives in poverty and they don’t have as many resources like everyone else does. Thirst helps people understand that what you have every else might not have, so be grateful for the many blessings you have.

I’m embarrassed to admit that I wasn’t aware of the severity of the water crisis in India. This book really opened my eyes to the extent of the crisis. I also wasn’t aware of how hard it is for girls to finish school in India. Again, my eyes are now wide open. This is why I love books so much! They help me learn about the world around me.

Global read-aloud choice for 2022!Great tie-in with Grade 8 Science (Water Systems) too!

super buch

I love the book!It is interesting. Mini has big dreams!