

Her classmates and beloved mother are frozen in time, and it’s up to Aru to save them. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon whose duty it is to awaken the God of Destruction. But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. Then she can get herself out of this mess and never ever fib again. They don’t believe her claim that the museum’s Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. Is it any wonder that Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur? One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru’s doorstep to catch her in a lie. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she’ll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from her latest archeological trip.

Twelve-year-old Aru Shah has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. The book was adapted by Joe Caramagna and illustrated by Anu Chouhan.
