The Treasure Seekers

MY THOUGHTS

Though this book begins against the backdrop of a heavily religious event, and a festival only conservative Hindus know and follow, the story of The Treasure Seekers: An Otherworldly Quest is of three children who stumble upon an unbelievable mystery and set about solving it.

Keshav, Veda, and Ranga live in Madhavapuram, a small village in Tamil Nadu where everything seems to revolve around the ancient temple of Lord Madhava. On the day of Vaikunta Ekadashi, as devotees cross the doorway behind the idol of Lord Madhava, Keshav follows along in the queue with his parents. But instead of crossing the doorway, he is transported to another realm. Now, along with his friends Veda and Ranga, Keshav must find out what the other world is all about and retrieve something precious that belongs in our world. Along the way, they meet miscreants and fantastical creatures, the children must think on their feet and act quickly if they want to retrieve treasure and be home by curfew!

Archana Narayanan weaves a tale that is in equal parts fascinating and relatable. Being uprooted from a city and moved to a small town without asking about our thoughts is something most of us are familiar with. Settling down, making friends, and adjusting to a small town are familiar struggles. I loved the camaraderie between the three kids! Ranga’s incessant questioning and Veda’s sarcasm and need to maintain order were endearing as characters.

The interesting thing about this book is that Archana weaves in Vedic cosmology and Puranic literature, as Keshav, Veda, and Ranga learn about Jambu and Plaksha Dweepam, or two of the seven mythical island-continents. This is an interesting rabbit hole for young readers to explore. She has based the foundation of the book on Vedic and Puranic texts, but has used elements from them to pique the reader’s interest as they solve a mystery.

As Keshav, Ranga, and Veda go in search of treasure, they stumble upon unknown lands and fascinating new creatures, and meet people with a plan to expose Plaksha Dweepam. The mystery aspect of the book is interesting and fast-paced, but I would have loved to see the parts with the Yali fleshed out a bit more.

This book took me back to summer holidays in the 90s, when we would read anthologised stories in Chandamama and Nandan magazines. The story has the same feel, and I loved that my children got to experience this. Easy to read and understand, this would be a great addition to a middle grader’s book pile if they are into mysteries and thrillers.