Published by Speaking Tiger, 2020.
Eleven-year-old Loki—Lokanayaki Shanmugam—is cricket crazy. She wants to play on the local cricket league team, The Temple Street Tankers. But they have a ridiculous ‘boys only’ rule that they aren’t willing to change for a girl. And her parents seem to be too involved with her brother’s studies to bother with Loki. So she takes matters into her own hands and begins a petition to fight for her right to play cricket. But very few people are willing to sign this petition—even her parents refuse. Nobody takes much notice till anonymous Twitter sensation @_poetic_paati takes up Loki’s cause. Soon, Loki’s petition goes viral and the entire nation is rooting for her. But will her parents, the team, and the guardians of tradition change their minds? And more importantly, if they do, will Loki be able to deliver the runs?
Loki Takes Guard is a tale that will strike a chord with every age group and not just young adults. Loknayaki Shanmugam or Loki’s story is that of hope, resilience, of trials and triumphs that she encounters while chasing her dream. The universality of relatable struggles and memories amongst every age group that Loki bring, is one of the solitary and distinctive things about this otherwise children’s book.
Anubha Mishra, Feminism in India
Interviews, Reviews and More
Batting with Girl Power (JoAnna Saldanha, Myth Aunty)
Quick-paced and powered by grit, funny and full of emotion, Loki Takes Guard is, quite simply, a lovely book. Towards the end, I had to swallow a lump in my throat, and when I closed the book, I was happy.
Varsha Seshan
Stories of Grit and Resolve (Shruthi Rao, The Deccan Herald)
Smashing Patriarchy out of the Boundary (Anushree Madhavan, New Indian Express)
Let Children Read (Chintan Modi, Business Standard)
Menaka Raman 