The Sunshine Project

Book Uncle #3

by Uma Krishnaswami

In the final book in the Book Uncle trilogy, Anil faces a dilemma when the city decides to build a solar panel factory on the site of a mangrove forest.


Anil loves karate, his friends and the solar power project he has been championing in his community. He doesn’t love having to speak up — as his karate sensei says, best fight, no fight. Still, Anil wishes his classmate Mohan would stop picking on him.


Then Anil learns where the city is planning to build a new solar panel factory. More sustainable energy is good news — but this factory will threaten plant and animal species and force the village people who live on the land to move. Maybe staying quiet isn’t an option anymore …


A class assignment nudges Anil into action. Now he’s a Young Reporter, so why not ask questions about the factory? With help from his friends Yasmin and Reeni, support from his classmates and neighbors, and the right book picks from Book Uncle, can Anil help the city find a solution that works for everyone? And just how loudly will he have to speak up?


A triumphant finale to the Book Uncle trilogy about the power of asking the right questions and listening when change comes to your community.

Genres: Fiction

248 pages, Paperback

Published August 5, 2025

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anil has a good life in India (I believe), with good friends, a loving family, and a lot of success in karate. Unfortunately, a bully has recently moved to the area, and is targeting Anil. So of course, when their teacher assigns young reporter groups, Anil and Mohan are in the same group. It does not go well at first, but Anil becomes passionate about the project they have chosen. A solar panel factory is going to be built, to further their city's commitment to being green, but Anil and his friends learn that it will be built right near an endangered mangrove forest. In fact, the local villagers are being forced to leave so their homes can be torn down to build the factory. That's not right, on so many levels! Is there no way to compromise?

I liked this one a lot. The issue with the bully will draw kids in to the typical school story, and the environmental issue will open their eyes. I loved how the author showed how kids could make a difference at a local level, and how they did their research and backed things up with evidence and interviews. Good lesson! And I appreciated the narrator's Indian accent. Thanks to Libro.FM for a free educator copy of the audiobook.

[Neelam Goyal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This heartwarming story beautifully explores friendship, letting go, making new connections, supporting the environment, and following one’s dreams. I loved the way the plot weaves different people together, all working toward a common goal. The young protagonist not only learns about solar power through his dream project but also discovers the value of teamwork, problem-solving, and community spirit. The ending is especially satisfying, showing how a solution can bring happiness to everyone.

[Brooklyn Stephenson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the message of this book, however, I feel like the book could have been more concise. There were many parts of the story I felt were irrelevant to the main idea, and just wasted space in the book. I would have this book in my classroom if kids wanted to read it, but I’m not sure I would read it as a class or promote it.

[Tweller83]

Received this from Libro.fm as part of the Educator Advanced Listening Copies for free. All thoughts are my own. #librofm #dreamscapemedia

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful story about saving the mangrove and a village by the young students.

[Martha Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how Uma Krishnaswami really encourages kids to be involved in local politics to get things done! This book is the last in the Book Uncle and Me trilogy but it stands alone very nicely. It centers on Anil, a young Indian student in a large town in India. Fresh off a triumph of getting his apartment complex hooked up to solar power, Anil loves karate and his friends, but hates public speaking and being bullied by Mohan, his classmate. Then there's big news from city government: a new solar power plant! But it is planned right on a small village's land and a mangrove forest restoration that will reduce flooding and increase biodiversity. At school, Anil is assign to work with his bully, Mohan, and another classmate to do some kids' investigative journalism, which really challenges Anil. After city government has made its decisions, is there anything he, his classmates, his family, and the villagers can do? Read this lovely story with so much heart about how Anil works with an ever-widening circle of friends and adults to make change. Empowering and in the end, joyous!