This is a children's book.

Sometimes we say that a book is a children's book because it's stupid or trite. Tender Earth is neither, and actually attempts to deliver a serious message, yet its focus on preteen and school drama made it a bore to finish as an adult. My students admitted to crying while reading it, but I found it heavy-handed and emotionally manipulative.

Despite that, this book has merits. Sita Brahmachari is skilled at developing characters who children feel they can relate to; characters that represent them. It is, however, far too long, making it an intimidating read for a lot of the children who should be reading it; it could have benefited from some heavy editing of the first half, and wouldn't miss the loss of a few extraneous characters. ( )