Philip Roy

In Outlaw in India, the fifth volume in the best-selling Submarine Outlaw series, Alfred and his crew of Seaweed the seagull and Hollie the dog begin their exploration of India with a piece of bad luck when they surface behind a frigate and bring the wrath of the Indian navy down upon them. After a near fatal encounter off Kochi, Alfred befriends a ten-year-old homeless and illiterate but highly intelligent boy, and is given the chance to explore the changing face of India through the eyes of one of its "untouchables." Discovering India to be an ancient land filled with extremes of beauty, wealth, tradition and danger, Alfred is tricked into making an overland pilgrimage to Varanasi, one of the world's oldest cities. Along the journey he witnesses practices which deny human equality and dignity, but also happy events that celebrate the spirit of new beginnings, as personified in Ganesh, the Hindu god with four arms and the head of an elephant. Alfred cannot help falling in love with India, the most beautiful place he has ever seen. And for the first time, he leaves a part of himself behind.

"Perhaps the most imposing character in Outlaw in India is not a character at all. It is India. The country, as Alfred experiences it, is a living entity, a complicated being of the expected (e.g., the heat and amazing foods) and the surprising (e.g., discrimination and kindness). Though the series could easily be promoted as a great adventure series for boys, the Submarine Outlaw books will continue to garner fans of both genders for its great characters and adventure with a frisson of the impossible and the hope for everything working out well (a.k.a. the happy ending). Readers will continue to find all that here in Outlaw in India, fresh and engrossing, just as each new book in the series has offered." - CanLit for Little Canadians

"Outlaw in India . . . is a stand-alone novel that can be enjoyed without reading the others. . . . The plot is full of incident and excitement. . . . This fifth volume is the best Submarine Outlaw book yet. It's a fast-paced, fun read with interesting themes that will appeal to anyone who likes travel and adventure. Highly Recommended." - CM Magazine

"[T]houghtful and philosophical . . . a Humanities curriculum would be well served to add . . . [Outlaw in India] . . . to a list of recommended reads in multicultural literature." - The Deakin Review of Children's Literature

Lexile Measure: 700L