#538 - The Mystery of the Silk Umbrella
by Asha Nehemiah and illustrated by Shalinee Ghosh
“The Mystery of the Silk Umbrella” by Asha Nehemiah and illustrated by Shalinee Ghosh. Published by Scholastic. An extremely funny and exciting mystery revolving around an exotic looking umbrella.
The story starts off with an action filled early morning scene in the Mani household in Chennai. Arjun and Divya are trying to help their mother Roopa Mani open a gorgeous looking purplish pink silk umbrella which seems to be stubbornly closed. It was crucial for the umbrella to open as it had an important role in the movie that Roopa was directing. They were to leave for Vellore the next day for an outdoor shoot at the fort there. There is a scream of thief from their aunt Shantha who lives on the floor above them as she seems to have seen an intruder at their window. While she suspects that it could be the crook Bambaram Jones who is after a small little precious packet that she must hide at any cost from him.
While the children try to get the umbrella repaired with the help of the intelligent and efficient Malli whose paati (grandmother) runs the Jam Jam Costume Co shop, little do they know what is coming their way. They are blissfully unaware that the umbrella is behind a lot of mayhem and misadventures that they seem to be getting into. A host of incredible characters cross their paths such as the wicked Dr Bambaram Jones, a mysterious businessman T.Satyavan and a hardened criminal Kharabi Nastinovich. What are all these people after? What secret(s) does the umbrella hold? Why is it so special? What are the children going to uncover? Read the hilarious book filled with irresistible charm and nonstop action to find out the mystery of the silk umbrella.
The book proved to be a delightful and entertaining read. The extremely funny characters, their mysterious behaviour, the fast paced plot, sudden twists and turns as well as the hilarious events that happen kept us hooked till the last page. My ten year old and I could not resist the charm of the terrific trio of Arjun, Divya and Malli who managed to give a hard time to the ones trying to get the silk umbrella. We also loved the bonding between the three of them as well as the sibling banter between Divya and Arjun. Shangha Athai’s culinary adventures and her bonding with the siblings also added a nice touch to the story. It was amazing to read another irresistible story by Asha Nehemiah filled with her trademark humour and cheeky wordplay. The quirky names that she chooses always brings a smile to our faces.
It was heartening for us to see South Indian food like vadai and dosai playing an important role at every stage of the story. In fact the book ended up with the children wondering what to eat next, icecream or another round of breakfast? My son couldn’t help wondering what they would end up choosing. He decided to take up the matter with utmost priority and said it would have to be his favourite icecream after all. After all who would give up an opportunity of a triple scoop icecream in the sweltering heat was his logic :) Vellore and its fort will now on be associated with this book for us! I had seen this book being recommended in a couple of Funky Rainbow Buzzars and also by Apoorva Ashok in many posts on the reading raccoons group on Facebook. I was so overjoyed to find it while browsing the shelves of Blossom Bookstore last year that I grabbed it immediately before someone else picked it up :) The book is a lovely treat for all fun, mystery and adventure lovers making it a “MUST READ”.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 9/10 and above.