Ash and Tara, two quick-witted and courageous children find themselves befriending Akbar - the boy emperor.

A fiction set in the historical period of the early days of Akbar – a boy all of fifteen years. A village boy, Ashok or Ash, as he was called by his friends, and his sister, Tara, live on the opposite bank of the magnificent Agra fort and palace, a place they have only heard of and dream of visiting someday. As, fate would have it, one day Ash crosses the river Yamuna and finds himself face to face with the Emperor.

Soon, both Ash and Tara are plunged into a whirlwind of court deceit, theft and intrigue. A conniving state official steals Akbar’s lucky Emerald dagger, resulting in an adventure that takes them from the palace through the river to forests, dark caves and finally for a grand finale - a visit to their village by the Emperor himself!

Children will enjoy this delightful story, of courage and friendship, through which we get to see the challenges that the young Emperor Akbar had to endure. One sees his early leanings towards justice, fair play, generosity, his love for animals and his thirst for knowledge

Kids, especially pre-teens will love reading about the boy-king who is just like any other boy when it comes to having fun.

What a great book to learn about how life in historical India was, not only for the king, but for the villagers as well!