Title: Agalya in the Spotlight
Author: Divya Anand
Illustrator: Indrani Ghosh
Publisher: Puffin India
Type: Paperback
Length: 136 pages
Recommended Age Group: 7-9/10 years
A powerful read with lessons around friendship, jealousy, self-confidence, kindness and standing up to bullies.
We just finished reading Agalya in the Spotlight, and I couldn’t wait to share my thoughts. Honestly, this is one of the most relatable children’s stories I’ve read with my kid — especially about friendship.
Class 5A is getting ready for Annual Day, and their class is performing Rapunzel. Everyone auditions for their favorite character. Agalya wants to be Rapunzel, and so does her best friend Prisha. Agalya practices hard and nails her audition, winning the role, while Prisha is cast as Mother Gothel. That’s when jealousy creeps in. Prisha starts acting bitter and joins a few classmates in teasing Agalya. Despite the bullying, Agalya stays confident — until something unexpected happens.
She suddenly develops alopecia, an autoimmune condition that causes her hair to fall, leaving a bald patch. For a girl cast as Rapunzel, this feels devastating. The stares, comments, and bullying slowly shake her confidence, and she begins to wonder if she can continue in the role. Just when she’s at her lowest, a true friend steps in — reminding her that she earned the part because of her performance, not her hair.
The story beautifully talks about self-confidence, friendship, kindness, and standing up to bullies in a way kids can truly understand. Some emotional moments feel intense for a children’s book, but that’s exactly what makes it impactful. My daughter could really feel what Agalya was going through and was rooting for her the whole time.
At first glance, the plot seems simple, but I loved how the author introduced alopecia — something rarely spoken about in kids’ fiction. I personally relate to this, having dealt with a form of alopecia since childhood, so the story hit close to home. It opened the door for a meaningful conversation with my daughter about beauty, empathy, resilience, and being a good friend.
What seems like an ordinary story ends up offering so many valuable lessons. Truly a must-read for kids.
The length of the book is ideal for independent readers. Lots of new words to pick up – good for vocabulary! There are a few illustrations in every chapter depicting an important event in the chapter. Makes it easy for the kids to follow along and visualize.
My daughter, Sam’s favourite fairy tale is Rapunzel, so the cover illustration immediately caught her attention. The protagonist, Agalya, takes us readers through a roller coaster of emotions, and the writing captures those moments so beautifully that my daughter followed every feeling and empathised deeply with her journey. As we read together, I could observe my child’s moral compass at work — her opinions, reactions, and reflections on what was happening in the story were fascinating to see. We both thoroughly enjoyed the entire reading experience.
If you enjoyed this review and wish to buy the book from Amazon (kbc affiliate link),
CLICK & BUY NOW!Disclaimer: Sindhuja and her daughter are a part of the #kbcReviewerSquad and received this book as a review copy from the publisher via kbc.
