Chandra and the Ruby of Kali

Calcutta at sunset. A ruby that vanished from a rajah's palace. A boy nobody expects to be a hero. Twelve-year-old Chandra earns his living pulling tricks with a snake-charmer's basket on the Hooghly riverfront - until the day he pulls a secret message out of that basket instead of a snake. Suddenly he's swept into a mystery adventure that stretches from the crowded bazaars of Calcutta to the tiger-prowled edges of the jungle, across a bamboo bridge over a roaring gorge, and up into the frozen, secretive passes of the Himalayas. Someone has stolen the Rajah's Ruby - and framed an innocent man for it.
With his fearless new friend Priya, a street map only he can read, and nerves of steel, Chandra must outrun a tiger hunt, dodge a master spy working in the shadows, survive a night raid by a thief in the dark, and crack the secret of an ancient Temple of Kali before the real thief disappears into the snow forever. Packed with coded messages, jungle chases, ancient temples, lost cities, daring escapes, and unbreakable friendship, Chandra and the Ruby of Kali is a fast-paced India-set mystery adventure for kids who love treasure hunts, detective stories, and courageous heroes who prove that you don't have to be a grown-up - or rich, or famous - to save the day.