Date of Award
Summer 2025
Document Type
Thesis (Master's)
Department or Program
Master of Arts in Liberal Studies
First Advisor
Barbara Kreiger
Second Advisor
Alan Lelchuk
Third Advisor
Laura Geringer Bass
Abstract
I think stories and myths are always created from kernels of truth. In this story I create a (very fictional) mythology and setting by loosely drawing from my experiences growing up in southern India. This mythology and setting form the backdrop for my middle grade, fantasy story, Uncovering of the Hills.
My story follows Ralen, a twelve year old boy on his summer vacation as he discovers that the magical people from his childhood bedtime story are real when he accidentally meets one of them, Zaya. Soon, things start going wrong in Zaya’s world in ways that are suspiciously similar to Ralen’s storybook – a storybook that just so happens to be missing a few pages. Without the whole story to help separate fact from fiction, Ralen is faced with the challenge of figuring out how to help Zaya bring normalcy back to her world.
My intention with this story was to capture the sense of discovery that comes with growing up and learning that the world encompasses much more than initially imagined. While doing so, my aim was also to create an entertaining, well told middle grade story.
Recommended Citation
Vasanth, Vibha, "Uncovering of the Hills" (2025). Dartmouth College Master’s Theses. 250.
https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/masters_theses/250
