#456 - Kungfu Aunty Versus Garbage Monsters
by Shweta Taneja and illustrated by Babakiki
“Kungfu Aunty Versus Garbage Monsters” by Shweta Taneja and illustrated by Babakiki. Published by Talking Cub, the children’s imprint of Speaking Tiger. A thought provoking science fiction story of what happens when humans are not able to manage the trash that they generate.
The story takes place in Pretty City which is no longer pretty. In fact it is anything but pretty. It is under the control of Trash Rajah who is a dictator. He has declared that he and his garbage army will manage all the trash produced by humans. He and his minions are so used to eating garbage that they want the humans to produce more garbage for their increasing hunger. They want piles of stinking garbage, endless pollution, factories to produce toxic waste, lakes foaming with chemicals, rotting trash and more such disgusting creations. The humans of Pretty City seem to have no choice but to do this at the bidding of these monsters.
Nine year old Kabir and his seven year old sister Lila live in Pretty City with their dad and grandma. Their mother who had been an eccentric and rebellious scientist had passed away when Lila was a baby. Things get too bad when the most feared battalion of Trash Rajah’s army of fatflies take over their only playground in school. Lila who seems to have inherited the streak of rebellion from her mother decides that this is not done. She has had enough of Trash Rajah and his ridiculous demands. She ventures into her mother’s laboratory which is a forbidden place for them. She stumbles upon a novel creation of her mother called Kungfu Aunty who detests dirt of any kind. Kungfu Aunty comes armed with a collection of cleaning weapons. Along with some of their friends, the siblings decide to put up an opposition against the Trash Rajah and his freak army. Can they free their city from the clutches of the obnoxious garbage monsters? Is Kungfu Aunty equipped to save them and their city? Read the thriller of a story which is sure to keep one on the edge of their seats to find out what happens.
The book proved to be a rollercoaster ride for us. My nine year old was awestruck by the plot and ensured that we read the book within two sittings. Thanks to it being a weekend, we could afford to sleep a bit late. The story made him contemplate how it would be if he were in Pretty City. He couldn’t even think of skipping bath, no perfumes, using oxyhelm and oxysuits while stepping out of homes, steering clear of the monstrous creatures, going to school on polluting hoverboards, playing trashball, giving offerings of rotten cake to the fatflies of the army, lethal lake teeming with plastocrocs and oiliguanas and so on. The bloatrats and dogroaches seemed so horrible. We couldn’t stop giggling when Kabir met Kungfu Aunty for the first time. The vivid description of the thorough cleaning process that he went through was so amusing for my son. It was shocking for Kabir to find himself so clean :)
The message from the story that we need to handle our trash in a responsible manner ourselves comes out strong and clear. Lila shows that courage and responsibility are so important. She takes risks without any fear as she believes in the cause that she is fighting for. Kabir tries stopping her at first as he likes to be safe and careful. He then decides to face his fears and be courageous as he realises the importance of their cause. By the end of the story, one cannot stop cheering for feisty Lila, Kabir and Kungfu Aunty along with the other children. We loved the squabbling relationship that the siblings had. My son couldn’t stop raving about the book once we finished. He felt that it shouldn’t have ended so soon. It was clear that he wanted more :) But then, stories do come to an end. He kept talking about sustainability class that they have in school once a week. In all, this science fiction cum eco warrior story is a delightful one and a “MUST READ” for everyone. It is definitely going to make one conscious of the choices that they need to make on a daily basis of how they can reduce the wastage of things and the trash that they produce.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 9/10 and above.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Talking Cub here.
Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Talking Cub, for review. Thank you to Tanu, from Talking Cub, for sending across the book!