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The Magic of the Lost Earrings: A New Nooni Adventure by Sudha Murty | A Story of History, Family Bonds and Hidden Treasures | Ages 9+

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When a pair of antique earrings lands in Nooni’s hands, her quiet holiday with Ajja and Ajji turns into the adventure of a lifetime. From the sacred ghats of Ujjain to the buzzing streets of Amritsar, the storied lanes of Delhi and all the way to London, Nooni follows a trail shimmering with mystery and history.

Each step brings her face to face with forgotten tales of love and loss, revealing that true treasures aren’t just beautiful—they hold memories worth keeping alive.

Told in India’s favourite storyteller’s inimitable style, The Magic of the Lost Earrings is a heart-warming tale of togetherness, courage and heritage—one that lingers
long after the last page.

142 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 30, 2025

12 people are currently reading
16 people want to read

About the author

Sudha Murty

186 books2,989 followers
Sudha Murty was born in 1950 in Shiggaon in north Karnataka. She did her MTech in computer science, and is now the chairperson of the Infosys Foundation. A prolific writer in English and Kannada, she has written nine novels, four technical books, three travelogues, one collection of short stories, three collections of non-fiction pieces and two books for children.

Her books have been translated into all the major Indian languages and have sold over three lakh copies around the country. She was the recipient of the R.K. Narayan's Award for Literature and the Padma Shri in 2006.

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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Profile Image for Bhiju.
82 reviews1 follower
December 12, 2025
What if you woke up one morning to learn that the land that shaped your family, your language, and your identity is no longer yours—taken away by a line drawn overnight? History holds countless such stories of loss and resilience, and Sudha Murty weaves a glimpse of that pain into an unexpected adventure.

Nooni is back—and this time, her journey goes global. What begins as a simple mix-up, when she accidentally receives a pair of antique earrings that don’t belong to her, slowly turns into a full-fledged mission. Her journey with her grandparents to return these earrings becomes the heart of the story, taking her from Bangalore to Ujjain, Ujjain to Amritsar, Amritsar to Delhi, and eventually all the way to London.

Through this journey, the author weaves history, culture, architecture, and emotional depth in a way that feels effortless. Her descriptions never feel textbook-ish—they are warm, engaging, and would be easy for young readers to follow.

Ajji absolutely stole my heart. As a retired history teacher, she shines throughout the book with her gentle storytelling and engaging explanations.
And Nooni is, as always, bright, curious, adventurous, and full of life. Her enthusiasm makes every part of the journey enjoyable.

The way the story touches on the India–Pakistan partition is stunning. As an adult reader, those chapters transported me to that painful era—the broken friendships, the separation, and how drawing a single line tore apart countless lives. It is emotional without becoming overwhelming for children, yet profound enough for adults to feel deeply.

The pacing is quite fast, and I wanted the story to pause and breathe a little more in some sections. Not a flaw—just a reader’s wish for the story to stay a little longer, simply because the themes and settings are so rich.

Like many of Sudha Murty’s works, this book may be shelved as children’s fiction, but its heart, hope, and history speak just as deeply to adults. And for young readers, it’s an adventure they’ll absolutely enjoy—fun, engaging, and full of wonder.
505 reviews19 followers
January 5, 2026
https://blog.medhaapps.com/2026/01/bo...

Nooni had unexpected school holidays for ten days in February and hence she joined her Ajja and Ajji on a vacation they planned to visit North India — Ujjain, Amritsar, Wagah border and Delhi. After reaching Ujjain, Nooni finds a pouch in her backpack with a pair of antique earrings. Nooni and Ajji suspect the earrings may have been mixed up in their luggage in the Bangalore airport and are determined to return them to their rightful owners.

Based on the name of the jewelry shop on the pouch, they reach out to them while visiting Amritsar, to be directed to someone who sold a similar pair of earrings many decades ago. From Ujjain to Amritsar to Delhi to London, Nooni, Ajja and Ajji travel across cities to locate the real owner of the earrings to return them back. Will Nooni succeed in this unplanned adventure forms the rest of the story.

The story begins with Nooni planning a vacation with her grandparents and on the first leg of the journey finds the earrings that accidentally landed in her luggage. What starts as a search for the rightful owner of the earrings brings forth the sensitive issues of India’s partition, immigration and above all the need for integrity in current times like Nooni and her grandparents.

The author weaves an interesting narrative with each clue leading closer to the owner of the earrings while also including the historical significance of the events that brought the earrings where they are today. Nooni has grown up from the last installment of the series and is now leading her grandparents in planning the vacation and helping them with contemporary stuff like online bookings and payments. Ajji as always narrates historic significance of each place they visited.

The illustrations are breath-taking and add depth to the story and characters. What stayed with me long after finishing the book is how partition is described — someone decided to draw a line across the country one fine day and people who lived their entire lives in a certain place had to leave behind everything, including their lifetime memories and loved ones and never ever went back or met them again.

A story that travels the world highlighting the emotional strain of migrants, this is a must read not just for kids but for all ages.
Profile Image for Enakshi J..
Author 8 books53 followers
December 27, 2025

The Magic of the Lost Earrings is a gentle, travel-infused narrative that blends mystery, memory, and cultural history in a manner characteristic of Sudha Murty’s storytelling for young readers. The novel follows Nooni, whose holiday with her grandparents turns into a cross-continental journey after a pair of antique earrings comes into her possession. What begins as a simple object-led mystery gradually unfolds into a trail of stories spanning Ujjain, Amritsar, Delhi, and London.

Murty’s prose is straightforward and accessible, prioritising clarity over embellishment. The strength of the book lies not in high-stakes suspense but in its emotional texture—loss, inheritance, and the quiet endurance of love are explored with restraint. The episodic structure allows each location to introduce a fragment of history, making the narrative educational without appearing instructional.

However, the pacing remains deliberately mild, and readers seeking dramatic twists may find the resolution predictable. Character development, particularly of secondary figures, is functional rather than layered. Yet, this simplicity aligns well with the book’s intended middle-grade audience.

Overall, The Magic of the Lost Earrings is a warm, reflective read that foregrounds heritage and memory over spectacle, making it a suitable introduction to culturally rooted storytelling.

3 reviews
January 6, 2026
History and mystery in one book!

Verdict:This book is about self-confidence, returning things that isn't yours and never giving up.This book is a good read for children since you learn new things while having a great adventure through your imagination.The book has beautiful illustrations giving us a hint on how the characters and the places look like,which helps us to imagine everything.They could have added glossaries since not all global readers are familiar with the different Indian culture, history and traditions, and yet this is another lovely book by,Sudha Murty

About The Book: Nooni goes on a trip with her grandparents and she ends mixing her self with a mystery. She searches London, Ujjain and many more historical places. Her Ajja and Ajji need to help her return something that isn't her's.Join Ajja, Ajji and Nooni and help her uncover this huge mystery.

Reading Time:I read this book in two days, because it is captivating and is written in a simple and easy to read language. Considering all of this I give this book 4/5. I could have gave the book 5/5, but I think I would have enjoyed the book more if I knew the meanings of some of the Indian specific references.


Written by my 8 year old daughter Prarthana Ambaal Prashanthan
50 reviews
December 29, 2025
THE MAGIC OF THE LOST EARRINGS
a beautiful story by @smtsudhamurty
Yes am a huge fan of Sudha ma'am and her stories were my absolute favourite from my childhood and my English book were always show up with her works and it was really interesting to solve the answer in text book

About this book nooni a young child she got a lost earrings and her ajji and ajja help her reach the earrings to the owner and they had really interesting adventure to connect the owner
They covered all the place in Delhi to London they got to know about the history about the earrings that connects to Indian history, the friendship the life what our ancestors held

I love reading this book so much like we are travelling with nooni the young girl
And am eagerly waiting to read other two book about nooni adventure

#books #booklover #sudhamurty
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews

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