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.
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.
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.
Felt more like a tourist guide to places in India and London. The story could have been expanded and fleshed out more. The central story was not more than a few pages. The other Nooni stories were really good. The third one turned out to be a disappointment.
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.
The Magic of the Lost Earrings is the kind of book that cannot be described as anything other than pure comfort. It feels like sitting on your bed at midnight, wrapped in your blanke,t while your grandmother softly narrates a bedtime story. Warm, gentle, and full of quiet magic, this book instantly makes you feel safe.
The story revolves around a lost pair of earrings that must be returned to their rightful owner. What starts as a simple mystery soon turns into a beautiful journey that takes the characters from Amritsar to Delhi and even all the way to London. These earrings are not ordinary or cheap. They are antique and valuable, which makes the entire plot even more intriguing.
Nooni, along with Ajja and Ajji, finds the lost earrings at the Bangalore airport. From that moment, their lives become part of a mysterious search filled with hidden clues and unexpected discoveries. As a reader, I found myself constantly waiting for the next part of the story. I wanted every clue to connect and every piece of the puzzle to finally make sense. The biggest question remains. Will they succeed in returning the earrings to the original owner or will they give up halfway through?
Sudha Murthy has done it again. She has woven a simple story into something deeply meaningful. The writing is easy to follow yet emotionally impactful. What makes this book even more special is how cleverly it includes historical details and explains why these earrings matter so much even today.
The illustrations are absolutely breathtaking. They add depth to the characters and make the story feel even more alive and immersive.
This book also moved me emotionally. The parts that touched upon Partition, heartbreak, and memories stayed with me long after I finished reading. It is not just a children’s story. It carries emotions and lessons that adults will also connect with deeply.
Overall, The Magic of the Lost Earrings is a book I would recommend not only to kids but also to adults who love heartfelt stories filled with warmth, history, and meaning.
Whenever I read a book by Sudha Murthy garu, it feels like I’m reading a story from my English textbook from my school days. Even though these books are meant for ages 9 and up, I feel teenagers and even adults can enjoy her stories too.
Especially with the Nooni series, I’ve really enjoyed following Nooni and her adventures. Three books have been released so far, and the first book is still my favourite. It was the one that pulled me into the series and also made me explore more of Sudha Murthy garu’s books. The second book was also good, where Nooni makes a discovery that connects to a missing piece of her family’s story.
Coming to this book, The Magic of the Lost Earrings, Nooni comes across a pair of antique earrings that are not hers and goes on an adventure to return them to their rightful owners. Along the way, the story brings in the effects of the Partition of India, along with ethics and values, and I liked how these things were integrated into the story. Everything comes together more or less as you would expect, but there is something about the way the story feels while reading it that I really liked, even though I can’t exactly explain that feeling.
One thing I’ve always liked about this series is the hand-drawn illustrations. In this AI era, where even books are increasingly using AI-generated visuals, seeing hand-drawn illustrations in these books makes them feel even more special.
I really hope Sudha Murthy garu brings more books in the Nooni series, so Nooni can go on more adventures and we get to read more of them.
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.
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
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
A very delightful read! Unpopular opinion: I love and hate Ms. Sudha Murty's writing style. It becomes a little didactic and preachy in some areas, but has a great flow overall! Wished some areas were stretched because they were really rich and beautiful! Still, a must read! Flew through it one day!
A light hearted story to return a earring to the right owner. Nooni sets off on a adventure to connect the dots related to the earring. From ujjain, delhi, amritsar to London, nooni succeeds in returning the earring to the old woman based in London. The backstory of earrings is set during partition. I loved the way Sudha Murthy composed this story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
having read all the three books in this series, I was very excited to read the third one. And trust me it didn't disappoint. the story shows how the simplest of things can hold a story the has taken place many years ago. the ending was so heartfelt and the story was something that I never expected when I saw the title. Love Sudha Murty and her writing.
it is a simple heart touching story. what i really liked was the small incident turned into a meaningful journey filled with emotions,love and memories ❤️
This book follows Nooni on her third adventure, taking readers on a journey across several Indian cities and all the way to London. As Nooni sets out to uncover the rightful owner of a mysterious pair of earrings (an heirloom), the story unfolds with engaging twists, adventure, and discovery.
The book also sets a good example for children by emphasizing the importance of returning something that doesn't belong to them. At times, however, the story felt a bit unrealistic—it was hard to imagine someone spending so much of their vacation following one clue after another in an effort to find the rightful owner of a pair of earrings. (The story might have flowed better with fewer clues.) Also, this should be read considering that the kid was not alone and children should be made aware not to go anywhere unknown without elders. But then again, that's the charm of fiction—it allows the imagination to take over. Overall, it is an enjoyable and worthwhile read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
How the book beautifully teaches younger readers about family history, the value of memories, and Indian heritage without being overly preachy. This book taught lot more than a social science book could have done! A very Good book to start from for children's her writing style makes me read it more and more