The Egghead Detective Agency
by Pika Nani and illustrated by Jemma Jose
“The Egghead Detective Agency” by Pika Nani and illustrated by Jemma Jose. Published by Penguin. A delightful collection of five cases solved by a newly formed detective agency of two eager little investigators aided by the ghost of a famous international detective who was quite sought after in his days.
Sisters Tam (short form of Tamara) and Ant (Antara) are in for an unexpected surprise. They just wished for help from a super real detective while thinking about an intriguing case from their apartment society. And a friendly ghost materialised in front of their eyes on an armchair! It so happened to be that Egghead, as he called himself now, was a super famous detective who lived in London almost a hundred years ago. And he had come upon their summon for help.
The sisters now have the impeccably dressed egghead helping them set up a detective agency and solve cases. They need to use their “little buddhi” to think and solve the cases using clues :) Strange incidents keep happening around them at their quiet residential complex of Emerald Gardens. The cases are as diverse as they can get. From the case of cupcakes appearing everywhere in the apartment complex to the case of missing jewels to the swimming pool turning pink to a birdnapper (sorry kidnapper) behind a special chicken to an old forest with royal connections being in danger. How much more exciting can it get? Read on with your little grey cells ready to indulge in some SIY (Solve It Yourself) clues, secret codes, picture puzzles, mazes and more in this book.
My eight-year-old and I had a whale of a time breezing through this delightful read. He was happy to be reading a book set in our city of Bangalore. We loved the writing style and the way each case was organised into chapters. The five cases were very different from each other and well suited for the little readers. No violence or bloodshed. In fact, there is a little bit of humour! Egghead is partly based on one of my favourite characters from one of my favourite authors who is the queen of crime fiction. Many of you might have guessed by now who that could be. If not, use your grey cells and think of a Belgian in London with a magnificent moustache and an egg-shaped head! This was the perfect means to introduce him to my son. He is now eyeing my collection of novels of this detective, but will have to wait for a few years!
Back to the book, the illustrations are spot on and bring the setting to life. Pika Nani has now become one of my eight-year-old’s favourite authors and he is catching up on her other books. Additionally, we got an opportunity to try something new this time, thanks to Mansi at Penguin. Ninad had a conversation with Pika Nani aka Deepika Murthy about the book. Here is the recording of this conversation.
Thank you Mansi for recommending this book to us and helping in connecting us to Pika Nani! Thank you Pika Nani for the patience and time you gave us. This is an experience that both Ninad and I will cherish. Last but not least, a big shout out to my in-house video editor, my husband :)
Recommended Age
The book works well for children aged 6/7 and above.
Reasons to Read
The book is a good means to introduce children to the mystery genre of books.
The cases in the book include the creatively done SIY (Solve It Yourself) clues which are a bonus for the little readers giving them the additional thrill of being able to take part themselves in the case solving along with the little detectives. Of course, using their “little buddhi” ;)
Where to buy from?
An independent bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.
Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Penguin India, for review. Thank you to Greeshma and Mansi, from Penguin, for sending across the book!