The Golden Necklace: A Darjeeling Tea Mystery

 

 

THE GOLDEN NECKLACE: A DARJEELING TEA MYSTERY, my novel for upper elementary readers, releases October 7, 2025 from Charlesbridge. The cover was designed by Maithili Joshi, who also created interior illustrations, and shimmers with gold foil touches in the hardcover copy.

 

REVIEWS

"Featuring an endearing, resolute protagonist, this expertly plotted story will enthrall readers . . . A page-turner that’s richly threaded with social conflict." ~ Kirkus Reviews

"Sona is a brave protagonist who uses her smart thinking to help others. The exciting story ... about an ambitious Nepali girl detective will capture readers’ attention before the first chapter is done." ~ School Library Journal

 

"Full of rich cultural heritage and nuanced political divides, this is a fun, low-stress (but high-stakes) mystery for readers who want to explore the world and dip into different pockets of history. The prose is clean, the story moves quickly, and Perkins, as always, invites her reader to think more carefully about the world around them and root for the girls of her tales." ~ ALA Booklist

 

"Readers will enjoy the cultural immersion as well as the excitement as Sona methodically but surreptitiously investigates all of the possible suspects and their motives. She is an intrepid investigator, using her smarts and patience to solve the mystery." ~ Youth Services Book Review

ABOUT THE BOOK

Set within a tea plantation in Darjeeling, 7-10-year-old readers are transported across the world to a politically and culturally rich setting. Sona, a 12-year-old Nepali girl, has struck up a friendship with Tara, the niece of the greedy tea plantation manager who has promised Tara’s hand in marriage in order to get his hands on her inheritance of precious jewelry. Then Tara’s golden necklace goes missing. The search is on for the culprit, and Sona must use all her wits in order to prove it wasn’t her beloved brother, Samiran Daju, who stole it.

GLOSSARY

Words are in order of appearance in the book, defined and then identified by language.

Daju: Older brother, Nepali

Ama: Mother, Nepali

Chori: Affectionate term for daughter, Nepali

Bahini: Sister, Nepali

dui patti ek suero: Two leaves, one bud, Nepali

budhos: old men, Nepali

doko: basket, Nepali

bondhu: friend, Bengali

ai, ai: come, come, Bengali

dhoro: hold it, Bengali

Ah-re!: colloquial exclamation akin to "oh, boy!" in English, Bengali

Mesho: maternal uncle, Bengali

Baje: grandfather, Nepali

Lepcha: an ethnic group indigenous to the Himalayan region, primarily inhabiting Sikkim, India, and parts of the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, Nepal, and Bhutan, also, the language Lepcha spoken by those people

jaar: a type of Himalayan beer made from grains like millet, barley, or rice

Kaki: maternal aunt, Nepali

Bojyu: grandmother, Nepali

chiya: spiced milk tea, Nepali

kalo channa: black chickpea curry, Nepali

Gen La: respectful title for an honorable person, Tibetan

tashi delek: hello or welcome, Tibetan

chiura: dried, crunchy, flattened rice, Nepal

Kukur Tihar: dogs are honored and celebrated on the second day of the five-day-long Tihar festival, Nepal

sel roti: ring-shaped sweet bread made from rice flour and deep-fried to a crispy, golden brown, Nepal

Bhai Tika: on the fifth and final day of the Tihar festival, siblings and cousins honor each other with gifts and blessings and place a multi-colored decoration on one another's foreheads, Nepal

 

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