#436 - Snow Leopard Adventure
by Deepak Dalal
“Snow Leopard Adventure” by Deepak Dalal. Published by Penguin. A nail biting finale to the adventure that started in Ladakh amidst the journey in search of the elusive ghost of the mountains.
This book is the sequel of the previous book “Ladakh Adventure” of the Vikram-Aditya series. Vikram and Aditya had just about managed to rescue their new friend Tsering from the clutches of wicked men who wanted to kidnap him. Now they are on an even more difficult mission. They have to track down the most elusive creature found in the region namely the snow leopard. The boys are part of a team of ecologists and explorers who are conducting a study of this majestic creature. They need to do this while keeping an eye out for the evil Akira Singh and his hoodlums.
The members of the snow leopard expedition have come from different parts of the world. Vikram befriends an American girl called Caroline who seems out of place in the team. It looks like the landscape or the people around her including her mother are of no interest to her. However she is driven by an unusually strong pull and desperation to spot a snow leopard. It is hard to make sense of her behaviour. Will they get to sight a snow leopard after all? As expected by Vikram and Aditya, the kidnappers do manage to track them and get hold of Tsering once again. The difference however is that they are in a remote place with no connection to the outside world. The kidnappers are armed. All odds seem to be stacked against them. If Tsering is not freed, there will be no chance of sighting him ever again. Read the befitting grand finale to the compelling chase that began in Ladakh Adventure.
The vivid descriptions of the majestic mountains and the plunging valleys kept us hooked to the book. The action packed plot and climax was too good! My nine year old was at the edge of his seat as we read the book and didn’t let me put it down. He had to know what was going to happen next. The adventure was quite intense and we felt that we were part of it. At the same time we were also eagerly awaiting for the arrival of a snow leopard into the picture even if it would be a brief glimpse given how well it is camouflaged in the already difficult and rugged terrain. We knew how elusive it is having read a book based on a true incident called “The Ghost of the Mountains” earlier.
The book and its prequel have made us yearn to go to Ladakh and it has climbed a few notches higher in our travel wish list :) This is the third book of the “Vikram-Aditya Story” series. We have already read and enjoyed the first two namely “Ranthambore Adventure” and “Ladakh Adventure”. Each of the books in the series feature an adventure set in a diverse region of India while showcasing a special creature that is found there. In this book it is Ladakh again with the snow leopard this time. This series is proving to be a favourite at our home! The writing style and the themes are what we just can’t get enough of :)
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 13 and above for self reading but can be read to a younger child like we did (at his insistence of course!).
Reasons to Read
For an action packed adventure set in the beautiful and rugged landscape of Ladakh.
The book is a good means to know about the snow leopard and why it is the ghost of the mountains.