Blessed and badass! Who knew that protecting the sleepy little town of Pistachio could be such hard work? Even heroes need a holiday! So Ann and the Assassin Nuns pack their bags and kitchen equipment (Sister Ruth insists) and head off to the seemingly action-free Peppercorn Bay, where the only thing they’re likely to attack is a plate of fish and chips. But Peppercorn Bay has a history, and our unlikely bunch of habited heroes have no choice but to confront it. With a sword or two, if you please.
Catagory: Children
The Case of the Careless Aliens
Sinister aliens are on the loose …
Money is appearing mysteriously in unexpected places around the city. UFOs have been spotted in the sky. If aliens are trying to take over, they have been very careless indeed!
Will the Superlative Supersleuths be able to foil their diabolical experiments, or will everyone end up being mind-controlled?
Case Notes:
Vipul’s anti-alien foil hat isn’t effective. He’s also very annoying.
Have the aliens made a deal with the tooth fairy?
Why is Ashwin obsessed with poop pancakes?
Simply Nanju
Nothing worries Nanju too much; not the fact that he walks funny or that he’s known as the class copy cat or that the cleverest (and prettiest) girl in class barely knows he’s alive.
But when books start disappearing from the classroom, the needle of suspicion begins to point at Nanju. Aided by his beloved best friend, the fragile but brainy Mahesh, Nanju has to find out who the real thief is. Otherwise, his father might pack him off to Unni Mama’s all-boys Hostel from Hell, and Nanju might lose all that’s dear to him.
Set in a school for children who are differently abled, this funny, fast-paced whodunit will keep you guessing till the very end.
Ninja Nani and the Bumbling Burglars
WHO’S YO GRANNY?
What would you do if you wanted to watch your favourite show, but someone mean and cranky and scary was hogging the TV?
Deepu is the biggest fan ever of the great Ninja Dragon Morimori, and knows he must behave as nobly as that great cartoon hero.
Which is why he is grappling with his cranky old grandmother for the remote control, when
ZZZZAP!
Nani has super ninja powers and is swinging from the ceiling and backflipping across the living room! When Nani disappears out the window, Deepu has to follow.
Will Deepu survive this crazy night? Will he end up in a smelly beast’s belly or the little boys’ jail? More important, will he get back home before Mummy suspects anything?
Talking of Muskaan
What would you do if you didn’t fit in?
Muskaan is in hospital, fighting for her life.
Three classmates—her former best friend Aaliya, the hottie Prateek, and the class topper Subhojoy—talk about Muskaan, and themselves. About school, home and the larger world, the school bus and the basketball court; about secrets that become burdens. And through their stories are revealed the twists and turns that drove Muskaan to try to kill herself.
Funny and tragic by turns, Talking of Muskaan is a warm, moving novel about life and death and the young people caught in between.
Daddy Come Lately
‘Probably one of the best teen books from an Indian writer’ – 101 Indian Children’s Books We Love
Priya believes her dad died before she was born until her liar-liar-pants-on-firemother tells her he is alive and wants to meet her. But her dad doesn’t just want to meet her, he wants to get to know her! Her ghastly beaky nose is clearly not the only thing Priya’s inherited from him, he is as stubborn as she is.
Suddenly, Priya’s well-ordered, laid-back life is thrown into tumult with this dad person interfering with her routine, making her take maths tuitions and, even worse, getting popular with her friends, who really should have known better.
And as if that wasn’t enough, her mum’s acting strange and giggly … Can Priya get rid of Dad the Bad before he completely messes up her life? Earlier published as Chip of the Old Blockhead.
Praise for the book:
‘It’s fun all the way and will leave you happy and light at heart’ – Deccan Herald
‘Stands out because of the manner in which it deals with teenage angst’ – DNA
Kittu’s Very Mad Day
Kittu is lost!
The World’s Most Chaotic Family has left him behind at a dhaba on the highway in the middle of nowhere. He is rescued by an icecreamwala and suddenly, Kittu’s terrible, horrible day turns mad!
Who would have thought that this middle-of-nowhere place would have a skate park? The icecreamwala’s daughter Mad is mad about skateboarding and now Kittu wants to zoom around on a skateboard, too!
But can a boy with one leg who walks on crutches learn to skateboard? Is Kittu mad to even try?
This book was a winner in the Children First writing competition, organised by Parag, an initiative of Tata Trusts, and Duckbill Books.
Invisible People
This book is a chronicle of memories … narratives from an India which few of us who read this book will ever encounter.
Have you ever really looked at the people who live on the streets around you?
Many of them have fought against unimaginable odds to live a life of dignity and courage. Some have emerged from their sufferings with greater strength, and gone on to help others like them.
Harsh Mander writes with compassion and deep sensitivity about these unsung heroes of India—Mogalamma who cannot walk and yet is a pillar of support for others like her; Rajmane who was wrongfully imprisoned and now assists other poor prisoners get justice—and helps us see that there is another India around us, if only we would stop and look.
This is a book that every young Indian should read, because it is easy to forget that for every successful Sindhu and Rahman, there are thousands of Mogalammas and Rajmanes, struggling bravely just to live a normal life.
Flattrack Bullies
War has been the backdrop of their lives.
Nouri and his cousin Talib have been best friends for as long as they can remember. Though Nouri is a Shiite and Talib is half Sunni, the two never thought about it.
Then one day, as groups of Sunnis and Shiites clash in Baghdad, mistrust and suspicion tear the two boys apart. And now, Iraq isn’t just at war with America. In a country that is at war with itself, the two boys must battle their own deadly prejudices.
Will Talib and Nouri be able to overcome their mutual hatred, and rediscover their friendship?
Gold Medalist for 2012 Independent Publisher Awards
The White Zone is a part of the Duckbill Not Our War series. The NOW series deals with children growing up in times of conflict–powerless, vulnerable, and yet, against all odds, brave and hopeful of a better future.
Ravana Refuses to Die
The little town of Babubari seems to attract all kinds of dubious characters–sinister sadhus, annoyed actors, slimy sethjis, marauding monkeys …
And the Babubari Gang–Muru, Jitu, Chippa and Chipkili–are always in the thick of things.
Whether it’s a demon king who refuses to die, a top-secret interstellar mission, a hair-raising kidnapping or a sleazy landgrabbing, the Gang is embroiled in every adventure that unfolds in Babubari.
Rustom Dadachanji’s exuberant storytelling and Priya Kuriyan’s riotous illustrations make this a book you will never want to put down!