The first in the series of the ‘Meddling Mooli’ books, this book is aimed at early readers who are graduating into chapter books. ‘Mooli’, short for Murali, and ‘Soups’, short for Supriya, are best friends. The series charts the adventures of Mooli and Soups in their quest to win a prize on the WAYOUTS (World’s as Yet Original Untried Tricks and Stunts) website. As the acronym suggests, Mooli and Supriya have to come up with an original, never before tried Trick or Stunt. They seem all set to succeed but make an enemy of Harsha, the school bully. Can the young Trick-a-preneurs succeed? Will Harsha thwart them in their attempt?

Each of the characters, be it Uncle George (Soups’ father), the parents of Mooli or even the children themselves (what a clever take on their names!) are delightfully etched out. Peppered with engaging antics and humour, Author Asha Nehemiah has come up a winner to bridge the gap in the segment of early chapter books for young Indian readers. The illustrations by Sayantan Halder ably complement the book to bring the characters and scenes alive.

The second in the series is ‘Meddling Mooli and the Bully on Wheels’. Here is hoping that we have many more books in the series to come.