Forbidden Snacks Society + Peace Pulao

MY THOUGHTS

Doubles is a new offering by HarperCollins Children’s Books that features two stories, written by two authors on one common subject — Food. Right off the bat, the book(s) design was intriguing because it was two books in one. Read one, flip the book over and start reading the next story. I don’t know about you, but it made the silly child in me chuckle a little.

Starting with Menaka Raman’s The Forbidden Snacks Society. I’ve always admired the way Raman effortlessly weaves a contemporary issue into her stories. In Loki Takes Guard, she speaks about women’s representation in cricket. In How to Win an Election, she discusses elections and social media and writes about both in a language that teens understand. In The Forbidden Snacks Society, she sets her story against the backdrop of an organisation that promises to rid children of addictions that pose a threat to their success. These addictions could be anything, ranging from excessive eating to watching too many cat videos on YouTube. The Temple of Mind and Body Excellence (TOMBE) promises to rid children of addictions and return them to their parents, moulded to perfection.

Anika, Vasu, Navjyot and Bubbles form an unlikely group when their parents leave them behind. They band together through the cruel Tombe games and swap strategies and stories to get through their time at the camp. They stumble upon a shack filled with snacks that are forbidden at the camp and, through anecdotes, quickly realise there is a lot of talk about Sector 2. The story takes an interesting turn when the children meet Dr Abram Zakaria, the co-founder of Herbahype, the parent company of Tombe. He tells them about Luminospora Aetherium, a plant endemic to the region, which they cultivated as an anti-anxiety drug. But when Dr Kiran (the founder of Tombe) realises the drug in certain doses could be used to suppress the appetite and to dull the senses, he hatches a plan to open a camp, where he can legally dose children to rid addiction.

Weight loss drugs, anti-anxiety medication, and parents nervous about their underachieving children are all buzzwords in today’s zeitgeist. A story with all these factors woven in made for a fascinating read — something completely different and endearing to both teens and parents.

In Food Mystery: Peace Pulao, author Vibha Batra does what she does so well — create punny takes on names and characters and weave a story that will make the reader chuckle as they get the inside joke. Michelin stars become Macchli stars, there is a Nawab Naak me Dum, and of course, all this takes place in old-world Pasinabad. Her characters from Pinkoo Shergill to Bharathi in Kolam Kanna have always been endearing, and make you eager to dive into her book to meet her newest characters.

Suraiyya is hard at work creating new strategies and drawing customers to her grandfather’s restaurant, Shaan-e-Daawat. But she is shocked when the new menus she had ordered are sabotaged, setting her back on her goals! Meanwhile, her arch-rival Divumber is trying to do the same for his grandmother’s restaurant Awadh Mahal, but again is set back in his goals when their new signboard is tampered with! Each one suspects the other, but who is really behind these dirty tricks? Can the two feuding parties put aside their differences and work together to get their prestigious bronze plaques back and find the culprit?

Vibha Batra writes a story that will have you picking sides, gathering clues, and chuckling as you read along. Her brand of punny humour and Hinglish words is always fun to read, and this one is another smash and delicious hit!

These books are perfect for readers 10+. They are interesting, contemporary, and hilarious! Perfect to dive into and to be honest, quite cool to be seen reading! I love the double book concept; it is as useful as it is fun. Get your copy today!