A Cloud Called Bhura is a great middle grade look at climate change. My son and I were able to have several good conversations through this novel, as it explores how even the most young can impact change.

“I didn’t say, ‘I want this and I want that.’
It’s on your greed, that I grew fat.”

One morning, a colossal brown cloud of pollution appears above Mumbai. It engulfs the sky, triggering a media frenzy. Alongside the reporters, climatologists Vidisha and Bidisha Mehta investigate while the government plans a hairbrained stunt involving a Bollywood star and a giant vacuum. Amid rising temperatures and frustrated by adult incaction, 13-year-old friends Amni, Tammy, Mithil, and Andrew launch a campaign to save their city, and in the process, discover the power of small actions.

The re-release of 2019’s A Cloud Called Bhura is a great chance for readers to revisit or discover (like me!) Bijal Vachharajani’s incredibly important, masterfully written cautionary tale. Vachharajani’s skill lies in her adeptness at inhabiting the various characters of the story. Her simple objective descriptions and moments of interiority offer a look into each character’s unique worldview. Their differing perspectives show the disproportionate effects of catastrophe and underscores the immediacy of the threat of climate change. However, Vachharajani’s unique sense of humor and propellent narrative energy are at the heart of what makes A Cloud Called Bhura important. Amni’s story shows how quickly pollution can destroy lives but also how quickly young people can enact change together. I’m glad that we’ll be seeing this one back on shelves soon.

A Cloud Called Bhura is a delightful middle grade novel that tackles climate change through an inspiring lens of friendship, trust, and community.

Thought-provoking, funny, and inspiring, A Cloud Called Bhura is about changing global climate and the havoc it can cause—as well as the forces of friendship, trust, and community that give hope and help counter this deadly threat to humanity.