Pasha Dev lives in Delhi, India with his beloved cat, Mustafa. The two enjoy a good life in Pasha’s simple apartment, but one evening during a rainstorm Mustafa goes missing, and Pasha ends up sleeping next to the window he has left open in the hope that Mustafa will return. When Pasha wakes the following morning, he finds that he has come down with a cold and that Mustafa has not returned. Still, Pasha must travel to the Bahá’í House of Worship, where he will serve as the keeper of people’s shoes—a responsibility he takes very seriously. During his day of service, Pasha worries about Mustafa and faces some challenges that leave him with some riddles to solve. Along the way, he learns to put his faith in prayer and God, and comes to realize that tests and challenges can lead to some exciting, life-changing opportunities.
Unique book
In this book the main character has a transformation on how he thinks about doing service to others. It is a bit unique in that way. The book is also longer than one might expect, I think ages 9-12 might get the most out of this. The main character does narrate his negative feelings, but in an honest way. The backdrop of the Delhi House of Worship is nice, as is the ending of the book. The book conveys two good lessons.