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Theft at the Fair and Other Stories
This is an alternate cover edition of ASIN B00DW2PZSA
Age Group: 9-12
'The Theft and Other Stories', starts a new series, ' 'IT's A MYSTERY! As the name suggests, the books in this series will have short stories based on mysterious happening and of course, brilliant solutions.
This book has four stories.
Hitesh: Case 1 : The burglary has everyone puzzled. Hitesh, child prodigy, chess master, math whiz kid, says the thief came on a camel and used a ladder. The police Inspector finds this hard to believe but such is everyone faith in Hitesh that the inspector decides to question a group of camel drivers. What if Hitesh is wrong?
Shanta Tai Jasoos: An advertisement appears in all leading newspapers for the sale of Mr.Sarma's house but he does not want to sell his house! Obviously, a gang of criminals wants his house desperately. Shanta Tai, their maid of twelve years and the children, Dev and Deepa, decide to do something.
Theft at the Fair: Chitra and her cousins go to the fair and little Aarti, their two year old cousin, follows them.
Chitra is the oldest and it becomes her responsibility to take care of the younger ones. She does too, by keeping them together and keeping Aarti close. The fair is crowded and there are many sights like the Well of Death, the Hall of Mirrors, etc.
They return home and it is found that Aarti is missing an ornament. When she had followed them, she was decked up in all traditional finery for a family function. Chitra blames herself and feels the others do too. She is determined to find the thief for which she revisits the fair and its dangers too!
The Mother Goddess: A motherless boy, Jeevan, spends most of his time in the temple of Mother Saraswathi. To him the goddess is his friend and mother. So he is naturally devastated when the idol disappears from the shrine.
He finds a clue that leads to the idol being recovered before it is smuggled out of the country, to be sold as an antique.
Age Group: 9-12
'The Theft and Other Stories', starts a new series, ' 'IT's A MYSTERY! As the name suggests, the books in this series will have short stories based on mysterious happening and of course, brilliant solutions.
This book has four stories.
Hitesh: Case 1 : The burglary has everyone puzzled. Hitesh, child prodigy, chess master, math whiz kid, says the thief came on a camel and used a ladder. The police Inspector finds this hard to believe but such is everyone faith in Hitesh that the inspector decides to question a group of camel drivers. What if Hitesh is wrong?
Shanta Tai Jasoos: An advertisement appears in all leading newspapers for the sale of Mr.Sarma's house but he does not want to sell his house! Obviously, a gang of criminals wants his house desperately. Shanta Tai, their maid of twelve years and the children, Dev and Deepa, decide to do something.
Theft at the Fair: Chitra and her cousins go to the fair and little Aarti, their two year old cousin, follows them.
Chitra is the oldest and it becomes her responsibility to take care of the younger ones. She does too, by keeping them together and keeping Aarti close. The fair is crowded and there are many sights like the Well of Death, the Hall of Mirrors, etc.
They return home and it is found that Aarti is missing an ornament. When she had followed them, she was decked up in all traditional finery for a family function. Chitra blames herself and feels the others do too. She is determined to find the thief for which she revisits the fair and its dangers too!
The Mother Goddess: A motherless boy, Jeevan, spends most of his time in the temple of Mother Saraswathi. To him the goddess is his friend and mother. So he is naturally devastated when the idol disappears from the shrine.
He finds a clue that leads to the idol being recovered before it is smuggled out of the country, to be sold as an antique.
67 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 11, 2013
2 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Gita V. Reddy
54 books89 followersGita V. Reddy writes fiction for both adults and children. Her books for children are written when she takes a break from writing for adults, and vice versa.
She enjoys thinking up tales of different genres and has written historical fiction, women's fiction, and recently has made a foray into regency romance.
For a genre-wise list of her works, please go to https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
For children, Gita V. Reddy has written mysteries, adventure tales, fantasy, science fiction, and also a fable. Her published works include novels, short chapter books, short stories, and picture books for different age groups. Two of her short chapter books, Daksha the Medicine Girl and The Missing Girl are used as supplementary readers in some schools in India. Several of her short stories have been published in Children’s World, India.
In addition to writing, she is interested in art and has illustrated three picture books.
Gita Reddy also writes under the pen names of Heera Datta and Jessica Spencer (for regency romance.)
Ms Reddy is a post graduate in Mathematics. In an earlier life that she voluntarily quit in 2011, she was senior manager in a bank. She lives in Hyderabad, India, with her husband and son.
To know more about her and her writing journey, please visit her website, https://www.gitavreddy.com.
She enjoys thinking up tales of different genres and has written historical fiction, women's fiction, and recently has made a foray into regency romance.
For a genre-wise list of her works, please go to https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
For children, Gita V. Reddy has written mysteries, adventure tales, fantasy, science fiction, and also a fable. Her published works include novels, short chapter books, short stories, and picture books for different age groups. Two of her short chapter books, Daksha the Medicine Girl and The Missing Girl are used as supplementary readers in some schools in India. Several of her short stories have been published in Children’s World, India.
In addition to writing, she is interested in art and has illustrated three picture books.
Gita Reddy also writes under the pen names of Heera Datta and Jessica Spencer (for regency romance.)
Ms Reddy is a post graduate in Mathematics. In an earlier life that she voluntarily quit in 2011, she was senior manager in a bank. She lives in Hyderabad, India, with her husband and son.
To know more about her and her writing journey, please visit her website, https://www.gitavreddy.com.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 21, 2016
Disclosure: I was given this book for an honest review.
Gita V. Reddy, the author, lives in India. Her books take place in India. So, I suggest that this presents an educational opportunity for parents and teachers. Pull out the encyclopedias, books about India, and/or make sure Google is available. Though Gita takes the time to explain terms or words within the story that are regional, it would stop the flow of the story to explain everything India. And this set of stories keeps you reading, even as an adult.
The mysteries are right up front. I love that they help the reader to learn to use their powers of observation. That was the only super-power I would allow my children to use. (Otherwise, with cape flowing they would have jumped from second story windows. So no capes or pretending other powers.)
Since I should have written this yesterday, I can't remember exactly, but I think each of the stories was about some kind of theft. (Well, duh! it is there in the title of the book! **wink, wink**) I did wonder if there was a higher incidence in India than America. But realized that it could be localized here, also. I live in a small town (population approximately one thousand) and I assume we have as much crime here, per capita as L.A. usually drug related. So India is probably comparable. AND I prefer a mystery that has to do with theft over kidnapping or murder. And in this case, it is the smart children that figure it out. Hopefully, that comes with the conversation that kids who see something should say something to parents, teachers, authorities, etc. So this book is valuable for all that the reader puts into it.
The author mentions money statements. Another Google shows us what that means and how it translates to American money. But more than anything else, these stories are fun and show us how much we have in common and teach us about other people, respecting others and their properties. And did I mention, these stories are fun?
I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially parents and teachers to facilitate a great learning experience.
Gita V. Reddy, the author, lives in India. Her books take place in India. So, I suggest that this presents an educational opportunity for parents and teachers. Pull out the encyclopedias, books about India, and/or make sure Google is available. Though Gita takes the time to explain terms or words within the story that are regional, it would stop the flow of the story to explain everything India. And this set of stories keeps you reading, even as an adult.
The mysteries are right up front. I love that they help the reader to learn to use their powers of observation. That was the only super-power I would allow my children to use. (Otherwise, with cape flowing they would have jumped from second story windows. So no capes or pretending other powers.)
Since I should have written this yesterday, I can't remember exactly, but I think each of the stories was about some kind of theft. (Well, duh! it is there in the title of the book! **wink, wink**) I did wonder if there was a higher incidence in India than America. But realized that it could be localized here, also. I live in a small town (population approximately one thousand) and I assume we have as much crime here, per capita as L.A. usually drug related. So India is probably comparable. AND I prefer a mystery that has to do with theft over kidnapping or murder. And in this case, it is the smart children that figure it out. Hopefully, that comes with the conversation that kids who see something should say something to parents, teachers, authorities, etc. So this book is valuable for all that the reader puts into it.
The author mentions money statements. Another Google shows us what that means and how it translates to American money. But more than anything else, these stories are fun and show us how much we have in common and teach us about other people, respecting others and their properties. And did I mention, these stories are fun?
I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially parents and teachers to facilitate a great learning experience.
December 22, 2016
Reviewed for Readers Favorite.Theft at the Fair and OTHER STORIES is a delightful collection of mysteries by Gita V. Reddy. These tales are detective stories for kids in the tradition of the Nancy Drew and Tom Hardy tales I read and enjoyed as a boy. The stories are very logically laid out and the protagonist solve the mystery in a straightforward and logical step by step matter that takes the reader along a path that will introduce and reinforce the habit of critical thinking. The majority of the stories also involve using math to get to the solution which is an added bonus in America where our children’s math skills are supposed to be falling behind those of the children in Europe and Asia. The bottom line for any collection of stories for children though is are they entertaining? Are they fun to read? The answer here is a resounding Yes!
I think it helps that Theft at the Fair and OTHER STORIES are tales from another culture. Aside from learning critical thinking kids can learn a little about how children live in other countries. They also get to see that although kids from other countries might speak differently, eat different foods, and have a different religion, they are still kids just like them and enjoy having good clean fun and being helpful. The characters are well drawn and easy to bond with. The plots and action are age appropriate and the writing is great! Kids everywhere will enjoy this fun collection by Gita V. Reddy.
I think it helps that Theft at the Fair and OTHER STORIES are tales from another culture. Aside from learning critical thinking kids can learn a little about how children live in other countries. They also get to see that although kids from other countries might speak differently, eat different foods, and have a different religion, they are still kids just like them and enjoy having good clean fun and being helpful. The characters are well drawn and easy to bond with. The plots and action are age appropriate and the writing is great! Kids everywhere will enjoy this fun collection by Gita V. Reddy.
July 27, 2014
Here is another book by our author that has four stories giving us four more things to be learned. Each one is a lesson in life that should be shared with our youth.
What did I like? I truly loved the way that each story used something very common to tell its story, in this case mystery and how they can be solved by using what has been given to us. Our brain! Three of the stories use math to help solve the mystery, telling us also to continue our learning skills. One shows how our love of something or someone can guide us.
What did I dislike? Again nothing in the story but sometimes the gullibility of people can put us in a bad way. It seems that if we learned to pay more attention we would save ourselves a lot of problems.
What are you going to like? Four beautiful stories that are well developed and bring forth information that should be shared with our youth of today. Each one touching in its own way but told in way that all ages can learn and enjoy. Ms Reddy puts a lot of research into her books and it shows. Lots of detail and vivid descriptions bring her stories to life and all very deserving of five stars.
What did I like? I truly loved the way that each story used something very common to tell its story, in this case mystery and how they can be solved by using what has been given to us. Our brain! Three of the stories use math to help solve the mystery, telling us also to continue our learning skills. One shows how our love of something or someone can guide us.
What did I dislike? Again nothing in the story but sometimes the gullibility of people can put us in a bad way. It seems that if we learned to pay more attention we would save ourselves a lot of problems.
What are you going to like? Four beautiful stories that are well developed and bring forth information that should be shared with our youth of today. Each one touching in its own way but told in way that all ages can learn and enjoy. Ms Reddy puts a lot of research into her books and it shows. Lots of detail and vivid descriptions bring her stories to life and all very deserving of five stars.
January 31, 2017
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We received this book to give an honest review.
So K and I have really loved this author's work and especially her mystery books. She adds different mysteries with each chapter so you very well entertained and wondering who has done it.
Too me this is awesome because now K is learning more about different genres in books and that mystery is one of them. He actually asked me why isn't the same detective in each chapter and of course I had no answer for him lol.
Now as much as I love the stories the names at times were very hard to pronounce so I just attempted my best I don't think K noticed but for others it may be a bit of an issue.
I really liked how each mystery was solved and if you listened or read very carefully then you can help solve the mystery as well.
I think the neat thing about it all is that children are the ones solving the crimes that are being committed. It isn't adults or the police it is actually children that is really neat.
I can't wait to see more of what the author is going to write as I know K will enjoy it.
We received this book to give an honest review.
So K and I have really loved this author's work and especially her mystery books. She adds different mysteries with each chapter so you very well entertained and wondering who has done it.
Too me this is awesome because now K is learning more about different genres in books and that mystery is one of them. He actually asked me why isn't the same detective in each chapter and of course I had no answer for him lol.
Now as much as I love the stories the names at times were very hard to pronounce so I just attempted my best I don't think K noticed but for others it may be a bit of an issue.
I really liked how each mystery was solved and if you listened or read very carefully then you can help solve the mystery as well.
I think the neat thing about it all is that children are the ones solving the crimes that are being committed. It isn't adults or the police it is actually children that is really neat.
I can't wait to see more of what the author is going to write as I know K will enjoy it.
November 4, 2015
**SPOILER FREE*
A pretty good mystery that will keep the young ones reading till the end. Challenging their little minds into trying to figure the story out. An all around great Christmas stocking stuffer!
*Received for an honest review*
A pretty good mystery that will keep the young ones reading till the end. Challenging their little minds into trying to figure the story out. An all around great Christmas stocking stuffer!
*Received for an honest review*
April 22, 2016
A great children's story. Four separate mysteries that will have your child thinking and solving the story at hand. Also cultural lessons that I found very interesting. This author writes wonderful children's books and I would highly recommend any of them.
October 17, 2016
Gita Reddy is a fantastic author, who is able to educate kids in a new and fun way! I absolutely love the education value in 3 short stories! This is such a great way to encourage younger readers to learn outside of the classroom!
July 11, 2014
What an excellent collection of stories! I liked how maths and problem solving skills were used to solve things in most of the stories, and thought 'The Mother Goddess' was a very touching story.
September 22, 2021
Theft at the Fair by Gita V. Reddy
Enjoyed the stories in this collection. I realized the kids in them were just so smart and used mathematics in their favor.
Love how kids all stick together when they go places, in public. Lots of traditions of India and all the food, yum. Some words are explained when you come to them.
Plans are detailed and the clues all add up. I scratch my head at some of them but camels in the street are a familiar site there.
Enjoyed the stories in this collection. I realized the kids in them were just so smart and used mathematics in their favor.
Love how kids all stick together when they go places, in public. Lots of traditions of India and all the food, yum. Some words are explained when you come to them.
Plans are detailed and the clues all add up. I scratch my head at some of them but camels in the street are a familiar site there.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews