REVIEW – THE LOST NAME SOCIETY from The Letterbox Library!
‘Hurrah! Carnegie-nominated author, Savita Kalhan, is back! Writing under a pen name to distinguish her new foray into (young-person-friendly) folk horror, her story crafting is as sharp as ever. Like her contemporary realist thrillers, The Lost Name Society pulses with an ever-accelerating pace. The setting –a state run boarding school deep in the Cotswolds- is a gothic beast, expertly furnished with spires, arches and gargoyles. Dread peers out of every ink-black corner. Fearsome cloaked ‘Ravens’ patrol the perimeter while, at the heart, looms a Cruella-de-Vil-styled villain performing as head teacher Ms Merrybourne. Navigating this treacherous terrain are our 5 heroes including our protagonist, aspiring surgeon Aniruddha Chopra from a “no-mark town in Kent” –all are children of colour who have, for different reasons, given up their birth names. They come together in The Lost Name Society united in their courage and determined to reassert their names.
No plot giveaways here. Young readers can expect plenty of satisfying jumps and bumps but nothing scary which lingers in the mind. Savita has always understood her young audiences and she knows how to keep her plot thrills ‘safe’ while losing none of the excitement. As ever, she carefully welds a social justice thread with her narrative. A statue is toppled… Oh, and there’s even some Black Death referencing for the history geeks. A gloriously bone-chilling read. A sequel is promised with this ending:
“That’s us. The Lost Name Society.
We’re alive. We survived.
And I make a silent promise to myself that Merrybourne, with all its twisted secrets will not!”
We can’t wait…’
[Lead heroes are Black, British-Sudanese, East Asian and South Asian; adoptee child]. Age 11-16, Paperback 244pp
NEW BOOK COMING HALLOWEEN 2026!
So excited to share this amazing news with you all! My new book, The Lost Name Society will be published in Autumn by the wonderful Fox and Ink Books!
I’m writing as SR Krish, and The Lost Name Society is a teen/YA horror – perfect for fans of Stranger Things, Wednesday, and Squid Game! It was an enormous pleasure to work with Storymix and Fox and Ink to bring this story to life. Remember to read it with the lights on!
WORLD BOOK DAY 2026 Chigwell School
Another fantastic World Book Day! Huge thank you to the librarians at Chigwell School for such a special day and for all the work you do inspiring students to read!
An author talk first where I talked about my writing journey and the PLEASURE AND POWER OF READING! Such brilliant questions from the students, really insightful and interesting. Then a double session workshop where the students explored every aspect of story writing, even editing and critiquing. The stories they wrote were full of originality and showed such great creativity and imagination that I was blown away!
It really shows when a school curriculum includes dedicated library and reading time to the students every week!
WBD WEEK! FULHAM CROSS ACADEMY
It was a real pleasure to be invited back to Fulham Cross Academy for World Book Week. An author talk, with a reading and a Q&A, followed by a double session workshop where the students produced great stories in many different genres!
Big thank you to the amazing librarian and the staff and students for the warm welcome. It was wonderful working with you all and to see such creativity in the stories the students produced.
Waterstones is offering a 25% discount on The Lost Name Society until Friday 24th July!
If you love teen/YA horror and are looking for your next autumn read, grab a copy at Waterstones. Use the code SUMMER26 at checkout.
The Lost Name Society reviews:
‘Code-busting teen horror adventure, think Hogwarts meets Hunger Games.’ BookTrust
‘A fast-paced supernatural thriller with edge and heart. Would you give up who you are to survive and win?’ Frances Hardinge
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-lost-name-society/s-r-krish/9781917894241
World Book Week 2025 St Johns Senior School
Thank you to the wonderful English Department for inviting me to talk to four year groups. What a great way to finish World Book Week and in such a beautiful school. The students were all so attentive and came ready with lots of great questions to ask during the Q&A.
WORLD BOOK WEEK 2025
Northwood School World Book Day 2025 – thank you for such a warm welcome and making the day so special! Special thank you to the amazing librarian Anne Underwood, who painted the cover of my book, The Long Weekend, as a surprise!
WORLD BOOK WEEK 2025
What an amazing week talking about the PLEASURE and the POWER of reading in lots of great schools this week! We talked about books, shared books, recommended books – it was truly inspiring as an author to help students understand all the many things that reading can do for them!
At the creative writing workshops during the week pupils learnt how to structure stories and had so much fun writing their own stories in different genres and even reading them out to the class. Their imaginations and creativity led their pens across the page. It was wonderful to see so many budding writers!
Huge thank you to all the wonderful school librarians, the English departments, the staff and the students for making each day special.
Thank you Northwood School, St John’s Senior School, St. Michael’s Grammar School, and Bower Park Academy!
Can’t wait until World Book Week 2026! It’s only a shame that every week can’t be World Book Week!
