Greatest Ranger of All Time

When Malar wins a weekend at an animal reserve, she really wants to see a tiger—but the bigger challenge might be adjusting to being away from home and getting along with the other campers!

V. Malar is headed to Camp Kurinji, a well-known tiger reserve in South India, and she couldn’t be more excited—or nervous. She’ll be participating in a program for students to learn more about nature conservation and the animals that call the reserve home. Malar wants to see a tiger more than anything, but it’s also her first time away from home. Will the other kids want to be her friends? Will she miss Amma and Appa and the farm? It doesn’t help that the camp isn’t what she expected: the food is different, the hikes are exhausting, the other campers don’t seem to like her, her special sunglasses from Appa go missing, and they have a few close run-ins with a monkey. But with a little patience and a lot of support from her camp counselor, Selvi madam, could Malar’s tiger dreams—and her hope to make friends and become the Greatest Ranger of All Time—come true? In this second V. Malar adventure set in the rainforests of India, readers curious about the animals and plants in the story can find more in the back matter, along with a glossary, source notes, and author’s note about India’s tiger reserves.

Suma Subramaniam is a poet and children’s book creator. She is the author of many books for children, including Namaste Is a Greeting, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat, and the first book in the V. Malar series. She lives in Woodinville, Washington.

Archana Sreenivasan is the illustrator of several books for children, including the first book in the V. Malar series, and her work has been selected for the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show. She is also the author-illustrator of a board book, and her work as appeared in magazines and comics and on book covers. She lives in Bangalore, India.