Jon was just trying to build a flat-pack wardrobe when he and his sulky sister fell through a portal and landed in a mad, bad Muddle Earth. But Muddle Earth needs Joe. The great Goblet of Porridge has been stolen, a swarm of dragons is on the attack and Joe’s sister has disappeared with a thumb-sucking barbarian vampire. Can Joe save the day before everyone gets barbecued?
MUDDLE EARTH TOO by Paul Steward and Chris Riddlell, Macmillan, Rs. 250
What if the football hadn’t gone over the wall? What if Hector had never gone looking for it? What if he hadn’t kept the dark secret to himself? What if…?
I suppose this would be another story!
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner, Penguin India, Rs. 350
Bylaw # 725a subsection 8: It is an offence to minimise, shrink or reduce:
i. Animals (including fish, birds, crustaceans)
ii. Public buildings (ice cream stalls, public toilets, hot dog stands)
iii. Planets, small or large (namely Jupiter)
iv. Human beings (speshally innocent peeple in fancy dress)
Shrunk by F.R. Hitchcock, Penguin India, Rs. 250
Saradindu Bandyopadhyay’s immortal detective Byomkesh Bakshi has enjoyed immense popularity for several decades.
From a murder in a boarding house with too many suspects to a mystery with a supernatural twist, and then busting a black-marketeering ring in rural Bengal, these stories take the super sleuth to different locales on his quest truth, and bring out his ingenuity and astuteness.
THE RHYTHM OF RIDDLES, Three Byomkesh Bakshi Mysteries, Saradindu Bandyopadhyay, Penguin, Rs. 199
Mystic weaver, radical reformer, loved and hated equally in his time…the simple wisdom of his pithy couplets, the famous dohas, makes him one of the most frequently quoted poets even today.
Threading fact, legend and poetry into a superbly structured narrative around just one day in Kabir's life, the novel is set against a backdrop of the 15th century.
KABIR, THE WEAVER POET, by Jaya Madhavan, Tulika, Rs. 150
