Where Three Oceans Meet

Summary

Sejal wants to travel to the end of the earth. With her mother and grandmother at her side, Sejal is able to travel to the end of the earth, where three oceans meet, to a place called Kanyakumari at the very tip of India. On their journey, they travel by boat, train and car. They meet friends and make new ones. They even try new foods together. The best part though, is that Sejal learns the importance of family, culture and the beauty of India.

Theme(s):

Multigenerational Love, Identity, Perseverance

Personal Response

I really enjoyed this book. I felt a connection to the closeness between Sejal, her mother and her grandmother because I have a similar relationship with my own family. In addition, I loved how the three were compared to the ocean at the end of the story. Each character is written as their own person, but they all add to one another. Similar to how each ocean is its own but they all come together as one “stronger than any alone.” I felt that this was a heartwarming way to end a beautiful story.

Teaching Ideas

My first thought when reading this book was that it would lead to a great conversation about Kanyakumari which could be brought into a lesson on geography. It is awesome to introduce students to new places, but it is common for students to be unaware of where those places actually are. This book could serve as an introduction to a lesson built around the basic geography of India and surrounding countries. Students could experiment with using maps and locating specific places with their peers.

BOOK.tique