History Hunters : Chandragupta Maurya and the Greek Onslaught
by Shruti Garodia & Archana Garodia Gupta and illustrated by Priya Kuriyan
“Chandragupta Maurya and the Greek Onslaught” by Shruti Garodia & Archana Garodia Gupta and illustrated by Priya Kuriyan. Published by Hachette. An adventure filled story of time travel in which a group of four friends and their pet elephant find themselves transported to the world of Chandragupta Maurya and Chanakya 2,350 years ago!
Four friends are all set to enjoy a lazy Saturday picnic by a scenic waterfall close to the “Miracle in the Forest Eco Resort” in Goa where their parents work. Zoya, Noor, Ansh and Rohan (in the age group of 11-13 years) along with their super cute pet elephant Elfu. They stumble upon a cave near the waterfall and are suddenly flung back into the annals of history. And it isn’t something that they ever dreamt of! They have gone back to the time when King Alexander was on his march to conquer the world. They are right in the thick of action in a battlefield where a bloody battle has just ended and King Porus is being brought to meet Alexander.
The friends have no time to digest what they are witnessing. A young man comes to their rescue and helps them get to safety from the dangerous Greeks. It is none other than young Chandragupta Maurya who doesn’t know that he is going to be a great king and going to make his mark in history. They need to ensure that he or anyone else they meet doesn’t suspect their identities and intentions. Chandragupta takes them to the famed city of Takshashila where he stays under the tutelage of his Guru, the great Chanakya.
What are the surprises and dangers that the four children and Elfu are in for? Can they get back to the current time or will they remain lost forever trapped in an ancient era? What all historical events do they get to witness? Who do they get to meet? Will their secrets be revealed to these people of the past? Can they make it without getting caught? How different were the people of that era? Read the gripping story to know about what adventures and dangers the four friends together with Elfu face and get to learn in this unprecedented adventure.
My eight year old and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It was his first book that features time travel and he was super excited to know how the book would end. He just couldn’t wait to find out what happened next as we read. The illustrations were observed with a keen eye soaking in all the details that we were reading. The fun, adventure and historic details were all lapped up.
There is a considerable section at the end which tells us many things about the Mauryan period and how these facts have been woven into the story along with some amount of imagination of course. But it’s incredible to imagine how the landscape and the people would have been in that era. This book is the first one of a new series called “History Hunters”. We found it quite promising and look forward to the next ones in the series set in other time periods of India’s glorious history.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 8/9 and above.
Reasons to Read
The book is a good means for introducing a science fiction concept of time travel and imagining being able to go into the ancient past to witness history being made.
The book introduces important historical characters like King Puru aka Porus, Alexander, Chandragupta Maurya, Chanakya and Charaka opening up conversations with the children about them.
The story gives a glimpse into the lives of the people who lived 2000 odd years ago and their customs. It also gives a picture of how the landscape of the region was at that time.
Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Hachette, for review. Thank you to Tanu, from Hachette, for sending across the book!