{"id":557,"date":"2025-09-16T17:35:29","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T17:35:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sayantanidasgupta.com\/writer\/?page_id=557"},"modified":"2026-05-07T20:48:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T20:48:00","slug":"theft-of-the-ruby-lotus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.sayantanidasgupta.com\/writer\/theft-of-the-ruby-lotus\/","title":{"rendered":"Theft of the Ruby Lotus"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Instant New York Times Bestseller<\/h3>\n

Order from:
\nAmazon<\/a> | Barnes & Noble<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo by Addison Liu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ria Bailey is in hot\u2014and probably muddy\u2014water. It all begins when a mysterious treasure, which just might be the famous Heart of the Lotus Ruby, turns up in her mailbox one day. Not only is the jewel stolen, but it also could hold the key to some major problems in Ria\u2019s life. If she and her besties, Miracle Owusu and Annie Hernandez, can figure out the mystery around the stolen ruby and stay one step ahead of some creepy strangers\u2014including the inscrutable and charming Zakir\u2014 tracking their moves through the Metropolitan Museum of Art and out through the city streets of New York, then maybe, just maybe, Ria can turn things around for herself.<\/p>\n

Sayantani DasGupta returns in rare form with a brand-new story that\u2019s part love letter to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and New York City immigrant families, part twisting and turning heist, and completely an examination of where art belongs, who gets to keep it, and what we, as a society, treasure.<\/p>\n

More about the Book<\/h3>\n

Q&A: Sayantani Dasgupta, Author of \u2018Theft of the Ruby Lotus\u2019<\/a> in The Nerd Daily<\/p>\n

\u2018Stories are good medicine\u2019: Sayantani DasGupta on narrative medicine and her upcoming novel, \u2018Theft of the Ruby Lotus\u2019<\/a> in the Columbia Spectator<\/p>\n

Praise & Reviews for Theft of the Ruby Lotus<\/em><\/h2>\n

\u201cDasGupta deftly weaves themes of cultural identity and history into a fun, contemporary storyline that explores the impact of colonization and capitalism on the Global South.\u201d\u00a0<\/i>\u2014Kirkus Review<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cRollicking good fun.\u201d\u00a0<\/i>\u2014Kirkus Review<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/i>Steady pacing and cinematic prose renders an affectionate ode to immigrant families in N.Y.C. that takes a thoughtful and considered approach to colonization\u2019s impact on the artifacts and history of the Global South.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0<\/b>\u2014<\/b>Publishers Weekly<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cDasGupta gives middle-grade readers an exciting action-adventure-mystery that provides plenty to ponder.\u201d\u00a0<\/i>\u2014Shelf Awareness<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cFrom \u201cride or die\u201d friendships to art heists to secret societies to adventure, DasGupta\u2019s latest is sure to entertain middle graders with a variety of interests and literary tastes.\u201d\u00a0<\/i>\u2014School Library Journal<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cThe sarcastic and conversational tone helps to bring the timely issues of art repatriation to a young audience and is sure to inspire art lovers and budding activists alike.\u201d\u00a0<\/i>\u2014Booklist<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cA delightful mystery that keeps you guessing until the final page. With a twisty plot, big laughs, and an irresistible narrator, it\u2019s a winner in every sense.\u201d \u2013 James Ponti, New York Times Bestselling Author of City Spies and the Sherlock Society<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA hilarious mystery, a twisty adventure, a love letter to New York City and the immigrant communities who make it great.\u00a0Theft of the Ruby Lotus<\/i>\u00a0will keep you guessing and laughing straight to the very end. \u2013 Adam Gidwitz, Newbery Honor Author of The Inquisitor\u2019s Tale<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cDasGupta\u2019s fast-paced art theft caper has a hilarious heroine and more twists and turns than a New York cab ride. Fans of Mr. Lemoncello and City Spies will adore it.\u201d \u2013 E. Lockhart, Bestselling author of\u00a0<\/strong>We Were Liars<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cA Mixed-Up Files<\/i>\u00a0for a new generation, Sayantani DasGupta’s charming mystery had me howling with laughter, gasping\u00a0from the twists and turns, cheering on the delightful cast of characters, all while feverishly\u00a0turning the page. I’d like to report a crime as\u00a0Theft of the Ruby Lotus<\/i>\u00a0has stolen my heart!\u201d \u2013 Elizabeth Eulberg, Bestselling author of\u00a0<\/strong>The Great Shelby Holmes<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cA rollicking adventure tale for kids who wonder why museums have other people\u2019s treasures \u2013 and want to know what to do about it!\u201d \u2013 Erin L. Thompson, professor of art crime and author of\u00a0Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of America’s Public Monuments<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Instant New York Times Bestseller Order from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble Ria Bailey is in hot\u2014and probably muddy\u2014water. It all begins when a mysterious treasure, which just might be the famous Heart of the Lotus Ruby, turns up in her mailbox one day. Not only is the jewel stolen, but it also could hold […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"full-width-content"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sayantanidasgupta.com\/writer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/557"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sayantanidasgupta.com\/writer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sayantanidasgupta.com\/writer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sayantanidasgupta.com\/writer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sayantanidasgupta.com\/writer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=557"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"http:\/\/www.sayantanidasgupta.com\/writer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/557\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":647,"href":"http:\/\/www.sayantanidasgupta.com\/writer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/557\/revisions\/647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sayantanidasgupta.com\/writer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}