Dear Roshani Chokshi,
I am writing to you about the book Aru Shah And The End of Time, one of your amazing books of fantasy. I think that the book dives deep into the characters, settings, Thematic archetype, Power holders and symbolism present.
You showed characters in the text to add realistic feelings. An example of this is on page 174 and 175 were mini figures out how to get the last key from the caldron of poison. Mini shows how clever she is and her problem solving skills by figuring out that fire turns liquid into gas and gets the key. A quote of Mini showing this is “ The way this room has been designed, the heat from the fire above has turned some of the poison liquid into gas,” reasoned Mini”. Aru Shah shows that she is brave and has a caring heart by drinking the liquid. A quote from the text is “ A weight pressed down on her tongue. Startled, she spat it out and found a small white key. It was made of bone.”. Another example of you diving deep into characters and settings is on pages 178 – 188. Mini shows her cleverness by finding out how to get rid of Ek and Do by making a good cat and telling Aru shah to throw the pom – pom as a ball. A quote from the text is “ While the two of them bickered, Aru Shah and Mini put their heads together. (Metaphorically and literally.) Purple smoke emerged from the compact Mini was clutching. The smoke took shape and began to grow a tail and head. (Literally.)”. In the setting you do an amazing job on explaining Ek and Do, the hall and the way the Aru Shah and Mini trick Ek and Do so they can get through the hall to the place of death.
Aru Shah’s traits are that she is kind, brave and she lies a lot. Mini’s traits are that she is kind, clever, smart and brave. Boo’s trait is that he gets annoyed a lot and has a tendency to freak out. The sleeper’s trait is malevolent, sneaky and unkind.
You showed setting in the text to help the reader understand what was going on. An example is on pages 174-177 is when they get the last key. In the setting you dive deep into the details of the cave, the cauldron and the fire. You also dive deep into the setting by explaining the god statue and the way they get the key. A quote from the text is “ A weight pressed down on her tongue. Startled, she spat it out and found a small white key. It was made of bone.” and “ With the glow of the poison in Shiva’s mouth behind her, it almost looked like she had a helo.”. Another example is on pages 178 – 188 you dive deep into the setting . In the setting you do an amazing job on explaining Ek and Do, the hall and the way the Aru Shah and Mini trick Ek and Do so they can get through the hall to the place of death. A quote from the text is “ While the two of them bickered, Aru Shah and Mini put their heads together. (Metaphorically and literally.) Purple smoke emerged from the compact Mini was clutching. The smoke took shape and began to grow a tail and head. (Literally.)”.
Two settings are the cave with the last key and the kingdom of death. The cave with the last key is when they find a caldron and have to get the key from it. The kingdom of death is where they stop the sleeper and it is where the dead go.
You showed the Thematic archetype in the text to help the reader understand the characters more. An example is on page 173-176, 25 and 15. On these pages, on pages 173-176 it is when Mini (Human) and Aru Shah (Human) get the last key. On page 25 is when Aru Shah (Human) meets boo (bird/pigeon). And on page 15 it is when Aru Shah lights the lamp. Mini’s archetype is a hero because she figures out how to get the last key by using science to get the goblet with the key. A quote from the text is “ Mini walked to her side, out of breath, but her face was shining “See? Enough heat, and time, will turn a liquid to gas.” Aru Shah’s archetype is a hero because she drinks that liquid. A quote from the text is, “ A weight pressed down on her tongue. Startled, she spat it out and found a small white key. It was made of bone.” Boo’s archetype is a mentor because he helps them find the gods and goddesses. A quote from the text is, “Aru Shah looked back at her frozen mom and classmates. ‘So they’ll just be stuck like that?’ ‘It’s temporary, said the bird.” The sleeper’s archetype is the villain because he freezes people. A quote from the text is, “When her fingers brushed the clay, a strange thought burst into Aru’s head. She remembered watching a nature documentary about deep sea creatures. How some of them used bate, like a glowing orb, to attract their prey. A moment of fish dared to swim toward the little light floating in the water, the sea creature would snatch it up with a huge gaping Jaws. That was how the lamp felt: a small halo brightness held out by a monster crouching in the shadows…. A trick. The moment the flame caught, light exploded behind Aru’s eyes . A shadow unfurled from the lamp, its spine arching and reaching. It made a horrible sound-was that laughter? She couldn’t shake the noise for my head. It clung to her thoughts like an oily residue. It was as if all the silence had been scraped off and thrown somewhere else. Aru stumbled back as the shadow thing ripped out of the lint. Panic dug into her bones. She tried to blow out the candle, but the flame didn’t budge. Slowly, the shadow grew into a nightmare. It was tall and spidery, horned and fanged and furred.”
You showed Power holders in your book to show who is important. An example is on page 175, it is when they get the last key. I think that Mini and Aru Shah are power holders. My evidence is this: “Mini walked to her side, out of breath, but her face was shining. ‘See? Enough heat, and time, will turn a liquid to gas,’” and, “A weight pressed down on her tongue. Startled, she spat it out and found a small white key. It was made of bone.” In this passage I think that it shows that they are power holders because they used knowledge and bravery to find a way to get the key.
You showed symbolism as a way to show different things without saying them. An example is on page 15, when the demon/sleeper awakens. This is a symbol of evil; it represents bad things that can happen. A quote from the text is, “When her fingers brushed the clay, a strange thought burst into Aru’s head. She remembered watching a nature documentary about deep sea creatures. How some of them used bate, like a glowing orb, to attract their prey. A moment of fish dared to swim toward the little light floating in the water, the sea creature would snatch it up with a huge gaping Jaws. That was how the lamp felt: a small halo brightness held out by a monster crouching in the shadows…. A trick. The moment the flame caught, light exploded behind Aru’s eyes . A shadow unfurled from the lamp, its spine arching and reaching. It made a horrible sound-was that laughter? She couldn’t shake the noise for my head. It clung to her thoughts like an oily residue. It was as if all the silence had been scraped off and thrown somewhere else. Aru stumbled back as the shadow thing ripped out of the lint. Panic dug into her bones. She tried to blow out the candle, but the flame didn’t budge. Slowly, the shadow grew into a nightmare. It was tall and spidery, horned and fanged and furred.”
Sincerely,
Zoe Poindexter