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Where the River Runs Gold

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Where the River Runs Gold

By: Sita Brahmachari
Narrated by: Tania Rodrigues
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About this listen

 *Sita Brahmachari is a World Book Day author for 2021 with gorgeous short story, The River Whale!*

Two children must risk everything to escape their fate and find the impossible . . . bold adventure, timely climate change themes and breathtaking writing, from award-winning author Sita Brahmachari.

'Lavishly written and full of love of the natural world.' - Sunday Times

Shifa and her brother, Themba, live in Kairos City with their father, Nabil. The few live in luxury, whilst the millions like them crowd together in compounds, surviving on meagre rations and governed by Freedom Fields - the organisation that looks after you, as long as you opt in.

The bees have long disappeared; instead children must labour on farms, pollinating crops by hand so that the nation can eat. The farm Shifa and Themba are sent to is hard and cruel. Themba won't survive there and Shifa comes up with a plan to break them out. But they have no idea where they are - their only guide is a map drawn from the ramblings of a stranger.

The journey ahead is fraught with danger, but Shifa is strong and knows to listen to her instincts - to let love guide them home. The freedom of a nation depends on it . . .

Endorsed by Amnesty International. Action & Adventure Fiction Growing Up Growing Up & Facts of Life South Asian Creators Friendship Survival Adventure

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Critic reviews

'Sita Brahmachari has a great gift of understanding for the confusions and loneliness of adolescents and their need to be gently nurtured and cherished'
A beautifully written book about family, friendship, grief and hope which made me laugh and cry sometimes at the same time
Sita Brahmachari has such a loving touch with the way she delicately and compassionately picks her way through experiences, families and relationships
All stars
Most relevant
the concept isn't well thought out, the characters are thin and shallow and the prose at times is offer poetic to the point where the action doesn't make sense. however the biggest crime, especially as it's a children's book is that it's... boring


The protagonist is a flawless rendition of an idealised child. like Jesus mixed with a HR representative. This is not compelling. Rather than a story, at have the authors very nice and wholesome thoughts about the environment and family. the character undergoes no development or even changes at all, they start and end the book as a perfect person. doesn't provide for an interesting story.

structurally this book is very top heavy. the plot is relegated to the side and then quickly picked up at the end for a rushed finish.


lastly, just because a book is aimed at younger readers doesn't mean it is ok to defy logic and sense. the opening premis is that pollinators have left, and humans must hand pollinate plants to survive. yet almost immediately (and through out) we find wild flowers, weeds and several other indicators to suggest that this can't be the case.

good intentions, poor execution

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