BOOK REVIEW: "Meddling Mooli and the Blue-legged Alien" by Asha Nehemiah

I was at Higginbothams, Chennai, browsing the children's section for books by Indian writers when I stumbled upon this amusing read.  The author's name drew my attention to this book.  In the past I have read a couple of other good reads by her - "Mrs. Woolly's Funny Sweaters" and "The Mystery of the Secret Hair Oil Formula".  Asha Nehemiah has written several other wonderful books that I look forward to laying my hands on.  But for now here is her first book from the Meddling Mooli series.

Mooli (Murali) and Soups (Supriya) are best friends.  They follow a website called WAYOUTS (World's As Yet Original Untried Tricks and Stunts) and try to do some tricks of their own.  But this means chaos and trouble for the grown-ups!  Mooli's mother's kitchen is a mess, her list is gone and so is her electric beater.  How can she be filmed making her special cookies without her things?

To win a prize on WAYOUTS, Mooli and Soups make a list of possible 'original' tricks.  One such trick is for a blindfolded Mooli to shoot a suction arrow on a spinning globe while calling out the name of the country it would land on.  But can anyone be successful without failing a few times?  

The arrows land everywhere, but on the globe - on Mrs.Mehta's dog, on a tree, a vacant balcony and even Mr.Reddy's forehead!  Worst of all, Mr.Reddy thinks the flowers from his garden are being stolen by Mooli and Soups! 

In their bid to prove themselves innocent, the two give Mr.Reddy a demo of how bad Mooli's aim is.  But instead Mooli's arrow makes it to the globe on the exact country he called out, much to their own surprise!  

Now all the kids must do is write to WAYOUTS about their success, along with a testimony from a witness.  And their only witness is Mr. Reddy!  But considering he still thinks they are the flower thieves, will he agree to give them a witness letter?

Will Mooli and Soups win a prize on WAYOUTS?  What do the Best Garden Competition, a video camera, a blue-legged alien, a toy remote-controlled airplane have anything to do with the rest of the story?  You can find out only if you read the book!!  

This book is appropriate for 7+.  

I liked this book because it is easy to read and has apt illustrations that go with the hilarious situations the characters find themselves in.  The story not only entertains, but also encourages children to try out new things, be responsible, accept disappointments and not give up.

BOOK REVIEW: "Poachers in Paradise" by Shamim Padamsee

The second book in The Adventures of the Flying Magic Jharokha series, Poachers in Paradise is Vayu and Deeya’s second adventure to find the second (out of three) keys to free their Uncle Jadoo from an evil djinn (spirit).

To help fulfill their mission, Jhoky, the magic flying window, takes the children to Kashmir where they befriend a Kashmiri girl, Zoon and her dog, Chimpu.

Poachers are out hunting for the native Kashmiri deer, hangul, for its beautiful antlers.  Vayu and Deeya, along with Zoon and Chimpu, help get the poachers arrested.

Bearing semblance to the Magic Treehouse series, this series is easy to read for readers who have reading skills.  I like this series because it not only whisks off readers on exciting adventures, but also gives them information about things unique to the place visited.  For instance, this story acquaints readers with things local to Kashmir - the hangul deer, kahwa (local tea), pheran (traditional dress for women) and wazwan (traditional feast).

I highly recommend this series for ages 6+ or anyone who loves the Magic Treehouse series.

PICTURE BOOK REVIEW: "What Shall I Wear Today?" by Natasha Sharma/Tanvi Choudhury (Publ: Pratham Books)

Written in informal verse, this simple story is about a problem confronted by many (adults included!)  - "What shall I wear today?"

The little girl on the cover just can't figure out what to wear - pants are too tight, shirts with buttons are troublesome, lehengas are too long, salwars are slippery, and so on.  Will she ever find the perfect thing to wear?

Charmingly illustrated by Tanvi Choudhury, this book has a subtle message for children - that problems must not be cried about.  Instead one should look for ways to overcome them.

This book is perfect as a read-aloud and also for children learning to read. (Ages 4+)

BOOK REVIEW: "Ashoka and the Muddled Messages" by Natasha Sharma/Tanvi Bhat (Publ: Duckbill)

King Ashoka, or Ashoka the Great as he was known, ruled India more than 2000 years ago.  He was all for conquering and expanding his kingdom.  But the heavy loss of life in the battle at Kalinga (modern Orissa) made him a changed man.  He took to Buddhism and became a proponent of non-violence, imposing a ban on animal sacrifices and promoting vegetarianism.  He issued his views in the form of edicts and inscriptions carved on rocks and pillars in his kingdom. 

“Ashoka and the Muddled Messages” is a fictional story.  Someone is tampering with Ashoka’s edicts by conveying the opposite of what the king wants to communicate to his people.  Ashoka seeks help from his Tremendous Ten, a team of trustworthy female bodyguards, who use their prowess to investigate.

Other interesting characters in the story are Ashoka’s chief minister, Agramatya who dons different coloured beards and an incredibly fussy Queen Tishya who is sick of the strictly vegetarian meals cooked by the royal chef!

Who is responsible for altering the edicts?  You’ll have to read the book to find out!

I learned a few things about King Ashoka as part of my school curriculum years ago.  But, thanks to this story (especially the Fact or Fiction section in the end of the book), I learned a few new things – that Ashoka had female bodyguards, that coloured beards were in fashion in that era (why not now, I wonder?), how Ashoka married Queen Tishya, the different names for units of time, and so on.

A part of the HISTORY-MYSTERY series from Duckbill Publishers, this is an interesting read for middle level readers (9+).  Though some younger children may be able to read it, I think the sarcasm and humour will not be fully understood and appreciated. 

I loved the Fact or Fiction section at the end of the story.  But I would’ve liked to see a separate word glossary to look up while reading the story. 

The author, Natasha Sharma has creatively chalked out a well-written story about Ashoka’s real edicts.  Tanvi Bhat’s illustrations are wonderful, making it attractive for readers to pick up the book and satisfy their curiosity.

Look out for other books in the History-Mystery series – "Razia and the Pesky Presents", “Akbar and the Tricky Traitor” and “Raja Raja and the Swapped Snacks”.

BOOK REVIEW: "Bookasura: The Adventures of Bala and the Book-Eating Monster" (Publ: Scholastic India)

A hilarious read by Arundhati Venkatesh.

Summer hols have started and Bala is bored.  Amma and Appa are always attending to his baby sister who cries, eats and poops all the time.  Thankfully, he has his good friends for company - his BOOKS!  

However, their existence is threatened when Bala finds his baby sister eating up the pages from one of them.  Bala knows what to do - he locks them up in his cupboard.  But what will he do all summer long?  

Soon Bala finds himself on his way to his grandparents' in Melagam.  Bala carries his ten favourite books with him.

Thatha tells lots of stories while Paati makes the most delicious things to eat - dosa, vada, mysore paak and more!

One day, when Bala visits Appa's friends, Navaneeth Uncle and Kala Aunty, he goes exploring in their orchard.  Kala Aunty warns him about not going near the well.  But that’s the place Bala decides to rest and read.  Before long, there is a flash in the sky and a monster stands before him - multi-headed, moustached, book-eating monster, Bookasura!  

Bala is terrified when the monster gobbles up four of his favourite books!  Not only that, Bala must provide three books every day to keep the monster happy. 

Bala is in trouble when he has no more books to feed the monster.  Inspired by Thatha’s story of Bakasura and Amma’s constant criticism of TV, he comes up with a plan.  What does he do?

The author plays well with words - "Bakasura", "Bookasura", "Bakwaasura"!  Bala’s conversations with the monster are made amusing through clever use of titles of popular children’s books.  

I liked how the book finally ended, but disliked what I felt were unnecessary descriptions about heads splitting open and eyeballs falling out.  However, some children may enjoy reading about that stuff.

Overall, an enjoyable read for children 7+.