#510 - The Misadventures of a Diamond Thief
by Lubaina Bandukwala and illustrated by Zainab Tambawalla
“The Misadventures of a Diamond Thief” by Lubaina Bandukwala and illustrated by Zainab Tambawalla. Published by Penguin. A fabulous thriller of a story of a diamond heist from the newly built city of Haiderabad.
Sahabzada Hawa Singh Rafu Chakkar aka Rafu in short is a teenaged djinn from a timeless land which lies to the north of the North Pole. He’d rather forget the most important fact of his life - that he is a descendant of an illustrious lineage of the legendary Time Travelling Thieving Djinns (TTTDs). He wants to abandon his family tradition of stealing precious jewels and pursue his passion for cooking by becoming a chef. He has been trying to convince his parents Mir Dhoke Baaz the Third and Bibi Haath ki Safai. But fate has other plans for him.
The king of Djinns entrusts Rafu to steal the coveted Shah-i-Noor diamond from the newly built city of Haiderabad within a deadline of fifteen days. Contrary to the expectations of his mother as well as the readers, Rafu takes on the mission. He seems to have a secret agenda of his own. The diamond might be the ticket to his dream after all. Rafu finds himself in a world of courtiers who are trying to outwit each other; deceit, mysterious events, a dacoit at large and an annoying horse. He has to work his way out through all of these to try and get the diamond before time runs out for him. There are constant distractions for him like the irresistible and tantalising aromas of the rich food and the presence of legendary chefs. The intriguingly beautiful Char Minar serves as a backdrop to Rafu’s adventures or rather misadventures. Can Rafu get his hands on the diamond? What is his secret agenda? Will he ever be able to become a chef? Read the thriller of a book to accompany Rafu on an adventure of a lifetime.
The plot was so engrossing making the book an enthralling read to end 2023 in style. The twists and turns till the end kept me and my 9.5 year old son guessing all the time. We were curious to race through the pages to know what happened. The clever wordplay when it came to names made us chuckle. Each time a dish was mentioned the foodies in us were craving for some delicious food. The story proved to be a perfect concoction of humour, mystery, adventure, suspense, fantasy and a dash of history generously garnished with a creamy dollop of culinary delights. The endearing character of Rafu will be memorable for us. The delightful illustrations added a lovely touch to the reading experience. The story brings alive the ancient city of Haiderabad. We found it quite hard to imagine how life might be in a timeless land without clocks and watches like that of the TTTDs. Char Minar will never be the same again for me. My son is now curious to visit it and see if he can find the cat on the stucco ;) Overall a “MUST READ”.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 9 and above.
Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Penguin India, for review. Thank you to Mansi, from Penguin, for sending across the book!