#566 - At the Quack of Dawn
by Monika Bhatkande
“At the Quack of Dawn” by Monika Bhatkande. Published by Reado Junior, an imprint of Readomania. An adventure filled story of a group of book club children who need to solve the mysterious disappearance of a renowned ornithologist.
Sam and his book club friends from his apartment love reading adventure books and solving puzzles. They find themselves drawn into a school project on the effects of construction near endangered wetlands such as the one that is being spoken of with regard to the Navi Mumbai wetlands in the newspapers. Sam’s mother tells them that they can speak to Professor Munia who is a famous ornithologist and environmentalist mentioned in the article. He happened to stay in their apartment. When the children try to meet him, they figure out that he has gone missing! The police were not so interested in investigating as this had happened before too when the professor had gone missing, only to realise that he had himself pulled the disappearing act and had come back on his own later.
The children decide to take matters into their hands. They need to find Professor Munia soon. He had been trying to save the wetlands from greedy construction lobbyists. Could someone from the construction project be behind this? As the children wear their detective hats and try to seek clues, they have to face many challenges and surprises. They also get to make multiple trips to the wetlands and see the various birds. They realise that saving the environment is not child’s play by any means and the stakes are high. Sometimes real life is no less dramatic than fiction and can be strikingly similar. Can they find the professor before it is too late? Will their books help them solve the mystery? Read this compelling story to find out how the children can crack the mystery.
The book was a delightful read for me and my ten and a half year old. Given our love for birds and their habitats, this seemed to be a good pick for our reading. The book is the second one from the “Book Club Mystery” series by the author. The plot was well woven keeping us hooked and we got misled until the pattern began to appear. My son was stumped as he did not get the clue at first. The endearing characters and their passion to solve a mystery made us root for them. Despite facing setbacks, they persevered with determination to forge ahead. Their friendship, courage and intelligence helped them face the dangers that lay in their path. Their smart moves made the adventure very exciting. Through the story, the message of conserving wetlands which play a critical role in maintaining the ecological balance came out nicely. The illustrations were charming and brought joy to the birdwatcher in me. There is a delightful picture of a bird right next to every chapter name. At the end of the book, there is a list of birds typically found around wetlands across India. The children can use it like a checklist to maintain a list of birds that they have spotted. They can even colour the pictures of the birds based on their observations if interested. This is a nice way to encourage bird watching amongst the readers. Overall a good means to introduce the importance of wetlands and why they need to be conserved through an enticing mystery.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 8/9 and above.
Disclaimer - We received this book from the author, Monika Bhatkande, for review. Thank you for sending across the book Monika!