The Sleeper Train

If you’ve ever taken an overnight sleeper train in India, this book is for you! A little girl boards the train as night sets in. They pull down the bunk bed, but as the train starts its rhythmic sway, she finds it difficult to fall asleep. She thinks of all the different places she has slept peacefully – from the seaside hotel to the tent to her grandparent’s home where mum spent her childhood…

This book reminded me of our overnight train journeys on the Bombay Mail or the Ahmedabad Express to Calcutta – the journey used to feel magical – the dinner in the train compartment, the stern ticket checker, the food vendors, and the very scary toilets where you could see the rail lines!! Thank you Mick Jackson and Baljinder Kaur, for refreshing the memories!

The book releases on 15 July 2025. The DRC was received courtesy of Candlewick. Views, as always, are 100% mine – uninfluenced and untouched by AI.