Theft of the Ruby Lotus

by Sayantani DasGupta

Ria Bailey finds herself in quite a fix, and it's all because of a strange treasure that turns up in the mail one fateful day. It might be a ruby, and it just might hold the key to some troubling developments in her life. Most importantly, if she and her besties Miracle Owusu and Annie Hernandez can trace the significance and stay one step ahead of the mysterious strangers tracking their moves through the Metropolitan Museum of Art and out into the city streets of New York, then just maybe Ria can turn things around for herself.

Sayantani DasGupta returns in rare form with a brand new story that's part love letter to the Metropolitan Museum and New York City immigrant families, part twisting and turning heist, and completely an examination of where art belongs, who gets to keep it, and what it means to be on display.

Genres: Middle Grade

320 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication April 21, 2026

Reviews

[Hope Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ria is horrified and devastated when her usually open mother mysteriously tells her they are moving to Germany because she had lost her museum job. As the child of an immigrant, Ria is fully aware of her minority status, even though she doesn't always agree with her mother when she advocates at the museum to return exhibit pieces to their country of origins. Ria's mom quickly leaves for Germany, leaving Ria and her grandmother to settle their NYC affairs before moving themselves. Soon after Ria's mom departed, a package arrived for Ria's mom containing a large, beautiful ruby - a ruby that matches the gemstone that was recently stolen from the museum the same day Ria's mother was fired.

Great middle grade action/adventure story. The author does a great job addressing issues of cultural appropriation by cleverly presenting both sides of the issue through Ria and her friends' discussions. Great addition to upper elementary and middle school libraries

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fun middle grade heist book with diverse characters from different backgrounds. Dasgupta captures the slightly snarky tone of a 12-year-old. I love how she was able to slide in a lot about the issues of repatriating holdings from museums without becoming didactic or losing Zia's tone. My favorite part though was the power of immigrant aunties!

Review based on a DRC received through Edelweiss+l

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

EARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
What a fantastic middle grade mystery! Ria and her two best friends work together to figure out why a gemstone was mailed to her house and what it has to do with her mom losing her job and wanting to move the family overseas. This had lots of twists and I didn’t want to put it down!

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an exciting jewel heist art mystery that covers interesting ethical questions of who art actually belongs to. It has a great cover and will work for fans of City Spies.