#597 - Nisha Small : The Strand of Silver
by C.G.Salamander and illustrated by Rajiv Eipe
“Nisha Small : The Strand of Silver” by C.G.Salamander and illustrated by Rajiv Eipe. Published by Duckbill. A captivating story of the youngest detective in Madurai who has to solve a difficult mystery of a barn full of bulls being burnt down.
Nisha Small and Jamie Karthik are back in action with a new mystery to be solved. This time it is a barn which has been burnt down. The terrible thing is that there were bulls inside it. The ones used for the traditional sport of Jallikattu. Nisha and Jamie feel that it is not an accidental fire and want to find out who is behind this horrendous crime. There don’t seem to be any clues except broken shards of a glass window and a strand of a silver chain.
With the police not liking their presence at the crime scene and not convinced bout their abilities, the detectives have to prove their mettle once again. The policemen do not even believe their claim of being a part of MAD (Madurai’s Ace Detectives). Something that they have earned by solving their first case of a missing gold chain. The policemen tell the children that the barn got burnt accidentally due to candle flame spreading by a cow farting on it of all things. Something so preposterous that the junior detectives are now even more determined to prove them wrong. Can Nisha’s detection skills together with Jamie’s drawing skills help them crack the case? What clues does the strand of silver have? What are they going to find out? Read the delightful book to solve the mystery laced with humour and suspense.
The book is part of the “Hole Books” series of books which are meant for children who have begun reading chapter books independently. It is also the second one featuring the characters of Nisha Small and Jamie Karthik. Like the first book, Nisha Small does not fail to impress even in this one. She and Jamie are such endearing and memorable characters. There is a fair dose of humour, adventure, mystery, suspense and fun packed in this entertaining book. Having missed attending the launch session at the Neev Lit fest last year, my almost eleven year old son was looking forward to reading it. It proved to be quite an entertaining read for us. The quirky and spot on illustrations made the characters and the story come alive enhancing our reading experience. Through the story we got to know about the traditional sport of Jallikattu which is played in the state of Tamilnadu.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 7 and above.
Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Penguin India (Duckbill), for review. Thank you to Mansi, from Penguin, for sending across the book!