We chat with author Sayantani Dasgupta about Theft of the Ruby Lotus, which is a love letter to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and New York City immigrant families, part twisting and turning heist, and re-examination of where art belongs, who gets to keep it, and what it means to be on display.
Hi, Sayantani! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m Sayantani, a middle grade and YA author and also a professor of something called Narrative Medicine. My forthcoming book is a middle grade art repatriation and museum heist adventure called Theft of the Ruby Lotus (Scholastic, April 21 2026) set at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It’s both a revisitation of one of my favorite childhood books, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and a love letter to New York City immigrant kids and families.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I think most writers were first big readers – and that’s definitely the case for me. As a daughter of Indian immigrants growing up in the Midwest, I found belonging, space and place in books, in libraries and bookstores. But I also come from a long tradition of oral storytelling, where grandparents gather kids around in the evenings and tell them fantastical stories of magic and adventure, challenge and bravery. There’s a reason my first three fantasy series from Scholastic were inspired by the Bengali folktales my grandmother told me on my long summer vacations to India.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Probably a Richard Scarry book – I was really hoping for more cars made from pickles and apples in adulthood. I’m still pretty disappointed about that.
- The one that made you want to become an author: Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, the idea that science and story could exist side by side was really liberating to future me – a doctor who became an author. But I don’t think I really believed I could be an author until I was a teenager and read Paule Marshall’s Brown Girl, Brownstones. It was then I realized that a brown girl like me could tell her own story. It’s true that it’s hard to be what you can’t see.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: L’Engle’s A Ring of Endless Light. The heart! The romance! The talking to dolphins! The coming of age! The love story! It’s a perfect novel. Or at least it was for tween me.
Your latest novel, Theft of The Ruby Lotus, is out April 21st! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Funny fast heist with heart
What can readers expect?
A museum heist advenure. A story about friendship among dynamic and smart New York City immigrant kids. Questions about who should own whose treasures, and how we should all remember what’s precious
Where did the inspiration for Theft of The Ruby Lotus come from?
From my love of visiting museums, but also from hearing stories about all the art and artifacts looted from formerly colonized countries and held in far away places such that people in those places are still separated from their own heritage and history. So the book is about who gets to remember and treasure those who have come before us culturally, but it’s also about how we honor and remember the individual people in our lives who are no longer with us.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I always wanted to do a night at the museum – but at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and specifically in the Temple of Dendur. I really enjoyed visiting and revisiting the Met Museum to make sure the details in the book made sense. I’d walk around with my giant manuscript with a bunch of sticky notes in it – the employees of the museum were so kind and very enthusiastic in terms of helping me get all the details right!
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I was actually mourning the sudden and unexpected passing of my vibrant and loving father when I wrote this book – and my character Ria mourning her grandfather was informed by that. It’s from my baba I heard many of the stories that influenced the book – stories about the brave Rani of Jhansi who rode into battle against the British imperialists in India with her sword raised and baby strapped on her back, for instance, influenced the book’s Queen Padma Devi. That said, I was like my fictional Lotus Sword which has the Heart of the Lotus ruby stolen out of its hilt – when I was writing this book, I looked mostly intact but felt like my very heart had been plucked out of me. It was through writing this story about art repatriation, and a group of sassy and brave New York City immigrant girls, that I started to heal.
What’s next for you?
A couple of yet unannounced projects – but I think I can reveal that I’ll be returning to fantasy, this time a YA influenced by Indian epic stories.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
My friend Soman Chainani’s Young World – he’s such an imaginative writer, and just a generous and hilarious colleague, I can’t wait to finally sit down with his newest novel. And Sabaa Tahir’s forthcoming Empire – her sequel to Heir. I adore how she’s able to weave sweeping epic themes, and address issues of power and politics, into such compelling character driven stories.
