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King Neptune's Delite
Librarian's note: This is an alternate cover edition for ASIN B00D3EJZLU.
The story starts in a tiny fishing village in Kerala, India. Maya finds a bottle with a diamond ring, a newspaper cutting, and a blank paper. She, her brother and their two friends put together these clues and guess someone, probably aboard a ship, had sent out a signal for help.
The children, who have lost their fishermen fathers in a cyclone, work for the owner of a Curio shop. They pick the beach for shells, drift wood, sea glass and anything of value the sea brings.
Maya is the youngest in the group but she is the practical and sensible one. However, the dazzling find, the appearance of muscled, tattooed Swamy, his suspicious way and above all, the call of adventure makes even Maya reckless. Instead of going to a grownup or the police, the children decide to go to the rescue of the prisoner. Their quest takes them to the harbor town of Cochin, aboard the ship, 'King Neptune's Delite' and into danger with men for whom bloodshed is a game.
The story has adventure and humor.
The story starts in a tiny fishing village in Kerala, India. Maya finds a bottle with a diamond ring, a newspaper cutting, and a blank paper. She, her brother and their two friends put together these clues and guess someone, probably aboard a ship, had sent out a signal for help.
The children, who have lost their fishermen fathers in a cyclone, work for the owner of a Curio shop. They pick the beach for shells, drift wood, sea glass and anything of value the sea brings.
Maya is the youngest in the group but she is the practical and sensible one. However, the dazzling find, the appearance of muscled, tattooed Swamy, his suspicious way and above all, the call of adventure makes even Maya reckless. Instead of going to a grownup or the police, the children decide to go to the rescue of the prisoner. Their quest takes them to the harbor town of Cochin, aboard the ship, 'King Neptune's Delite' and into danger with men for whom bloodshed is a game.
The story has adventure and humor.
- GenresThriller
150 pages, ebook
First published May 29, 2013
19 people are currently reading
42 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 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 7, 2021
Mystery of the Diamond Ring (Middle Grade Mystery Age 9-12) by Gita V. Reddy
This story starts out with Maya and she lives with her brother. Their parents are dead and the village takes care of them when needed.
She loves to grow their food in India and what they do for work fascinates me. They and two others in the village scour the shoreline every day after the tourists have left the area and pick up shells, driftwood and other treasures.
They sell them to the curio shop where they make jewelry and other fancy things out of them and they pay the kids every week.
They have contests to see who will bring in the most money. It's usually Maya and she's the smart one. One day they find a bottle, with a newspaper ad of a woman and a big diamond ring.
There are other clues that the kids follow up on. There is a pirate looking guy that visits and he's looking for one who speaks a certain language to help his friends sister.
The story at times is very scary even for me and they all play a part in solving the mystery.
Such descriptions of the area, the ship, others they meet and things they do. Such torture also on young children.
Love the ending, didn't see it happening like that, whew. Other works by the author are highlighted at the end along with about the author. Indian words are also explained as you come across them in thes tory, also glossary of words at the very beginning.
This story starts out with Maya and she lives with her brother. Their parents are dead and the village takes care of them when needed.
She loves to grow their food in India and what they do for work fascinates me. They and two others in the village scour the shoreline every day after the tourists have left the area and pick up shells, driftwood and other treasures.
They sell them to the curio shop where they make jewelry and other fancy things out of them and they pay the kids every week.
They have contests to see who will bring in the most money. It's usually Maya and she's the smart one. One day they find a bottle, with a newspaper ad of a woman and a big diamond ring.
There are other clues that the kids follow up on. There is a pirate looking guy that visits and he's looking for one who speaks a certain language to help his friends sister.
The story at times is very scary even for me and they all play a part in solving the mystery.
Such descriptions of the area, the ship, others they meet and things they do. Such torture also on young children.
Love the ending, didn't see it happening like that, whew. Other works by the author are highlighted at the end along with about the author. Indian words are also explained as you come across them in thes tory, also glossary of words at the very beginning.
December 28, 2019
great story, I read it to my 7 year old and she did like it, although there are a few scary parts which probably weren't appropriate for her age. She is an avid reader and can handle a little danger.
Anyway, this is well written, set on a poverty stricken, beach-side tourist area. The kids work for a small shop and scavenge whatever floats in each day. One day a bottle is washed ashore, which contains a News paper clipping and a diamond ring. The kids figure it to be a cry for help (which it is) and they set off on an unplanned adventure to rescue the heiress in the clipping.
Anyway, this is well written, set on a poverty stricken, beach-side tourist area. The kids work for a small shop and scavenge whatever floats in each day. One day a bottle is washed ashore, which contains a News paper clipping and a diamond ring. The kids figure it to be a cry for help (which it is) and they set off on an unplanned adventure to rescue the heiress in the clipping.
June 13, 2020
Maya finds a bottle with a diamond ring and some papers. The investigation brings clues together. The bottle is a distress signal, sent by a woman who is held captive on a ship called King Nepture's Delite.
Great story of mystery, adventure, and suspense. Who is the tattooed man who is linked to the mystery? Danger. Young kids in India, some were orphans, give the reader a glimpse into another culture.
Good story.
Great story of mystery, adventure, and suspense. Who is the tattooed man who is linked to the mystery? Danger. Young kids in India, some were orphans, give the reader a glimpse into another culture.
Good story.
December 9, 2014
King Neptune’s Delight Review Gita Reddy
Maya, her brother Satish, Jacob and Raju collected sea shells, smooth pebbles and driftwood for added money because Maya and Satish’s parents were dead. The village took care of the children and they did this and sold trinkets to the tourists to help out. Maya even though she was the youngest she was also the leader of the group and one day when they were on the beach looking for items Maya found a bottle. In the bottle she found a note and a diamond ring. She just knew that the lady that wrote the note needed to be recused. As the kids talked it over it was decided that Raju would go to the harbor town and try to find the boat that the lady was being held on. Maya was not happy with this but together they decided that they would try this first and if that did not work then go to the police.
What did I like? This author is really great at writing stories for children that include something for them to learn by. The moral in this story is a really good one and I just love the way that she goes about bringing the children to the moral conclusion.
What did I dislike? Nothing about the book just the fact that people do not give children credit that they can be positive and can help. People take advantage of others all the time but when they do that to children it really bothers me.
What will you like? This is a very well developed story with a well thought out plot. You can tell from the descriptions and details that the author has done a lot of research on the subject. She includes the local dialect from the area and gives plenty of descriptions of the place and the characters. You can’t help but fall in love with the kids and their adventures. The devotion of the village to their children is so wonderful and you know the love that is involved in that kind of commitment. I have not read one of this author’s books that I did not like nor did they not include a moral for children to learn from all done in a wondrous adventure that they can have fun with. This book and all the books that I have read for children can be enjoyed by both children and adults. I know that I am a kid at heart and have loved the adventures and interactions between the children and the adults in all of the books. It doesn’t hurt anyone to reinforce the morals that are included.
Maya, her brother Satish, Jacob and Raju collected sea shells, smooth pebbles and driftwood for added money because Maya and Satish’s parents were dead. The village took care of the children and they did this and sold trinkets to the tourists to help out. Maya even though she was the youngest she was also the leader of the group and one day when they were on the beach looking for items Maya found a bottle. In the bottle she found a note and a diamond ring. She just knew that the lady that wrote the note needed to be recused. As the kids talked it over it was decided that Raju would go to the harbor town and try to find the boat that the lady was being held on. Maya was not happy with this but together they decided that they would try this first and if that did not work then go to the police.
What did I like? This author is really great at writing stories for children that include something for them to learn by. The moral in this story is a really good one and I just love the way that she goes about bringing the children to the moral conclusion.
What did I dislike? Nothing about the book just the fact that people do not give children credit that they can be positive and can help. People take advantage of others all the time but when they do that to children it really bothers me.
What will you like? This is a very well developed story with a well thought out plot. You can tell from the descriptions and details that the author has done a lot of research on the subject. She includes the local dialect from the area and gives plenty of descriptions of the place and the characters. You can’t help but fall in love with the kids and their adventures. The devotion of the village to their children is so wonderful and you know the love that is involved in that kind of commitment. I have not read one of this author’s books that I did not like nor did they not include a moral for children to learn from all done in a wondrous adventure that they can have fun with. This book and all the books that I have read for children can be enjoyed by both children and adults. I know that I am a kid at heart and have loved the adventures and interactions between the children and the adults in all of the books. It doesn’t hurt anyone to reinforce the morals that are included.
July 25, 2016
King Neptune's Delite is an exciting story with intriguing characters from the beginning. It is fast-moving with a plot that is bound to appeal to middle grade children’s imagination. We see an Indian village world with local traditions and a way of life that will arouse many a curiosity, quite apart from the dangerous adventure that Maya, Raju, Jacob and Satish find themselves caught up in. Gita Reddy skilfully ascribes each of these children with believable personalities, behaviour and conversations that I found quite compelling.
Without going too much into the story as I find this often spoils a book review, Maya and her friends often make money through selling items they collect from the beach and one day she spots a bottle floating on top of the water. She and her friends discover a diamond ring inside along with a few scraps of paper. The events that follow this discovery bring Raju into peril and the activities of his friends and the village adults described by the author reveal glimpses of Indian rural culture. But, perhaps more importantly, it shows just how such a close-knit Malayalam community is at pains to take care of its children. I found this heartening and very moving.
If I have a criticism of King Neptune's Delite it would be that, in her effort to enlighten the reader about the Malayalam culture, Reddy sometimes explained the meanings of words and meal ingredients by including this in brackets. This interrupted the pace and flow of the tale too much for me and could have been included in a small glossary, either at the beginning or end of the book. Three words were explained similarly but why not include others? There are some quite long passages of description, which I felt may have benefitted from the inclusion of illustrations and/or the use of vivid adjectives to give colour and context to the settings, as it is meant for ages as young as 8 or 9 up to 14 I believe.
However, this is not to take anything away from the author’s undoubted story-spinning talents and atmospheric settings when the children are racing through market places and strange buildings etc. It is an adventurous tale that will hold the attention of kids right to its very satisfying end. I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Without going too much into the story as I find this often spoils a book review, Maya and her friends often make money through selling items they collect from the beach and one day she spots a bottle floating on top of the water. She and her friends discover a diamond ring inside along with a few scraps of paper. The events that follow this discovery bring Raju into peril and the activities of his friends and the village adults described by the author reveal glimpses of Indian rural culture. But, perhaps more importantly, it shows just how such a close-knit Malayalam community is at pains to take care of its children. I found this heartening and very moving.
If I have a criticism of King Neptune's Delite it would be that, in her effort to enlighten the reader about the Malayalam culture, Reddy sometimes explained the meanings of words and meal ingredients by including this in brackets. This interrupted the pace and flow of the tale too much for me and could have been included in a small glossary, either at the beginning or end of the book. Three words were explained similarly but why not include others? There are some quite long passages of description, which I felt may have benefitted from the inclusion of illustrations and/or the use of vivid adjectives to give colour and context to the settings, as it is meant for ages as young as 8 or 9 up to 14 I believe.
However, this is not to take anything away from the author’s undoubted story-spinning talents and atmospheric settings when the children are racing through market places and strange buildings etc. It is an adventurous tale that will hold the attention of kids right to its very satisfying end. I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
June 16, 2016
Have you ever noticed how the most popular children's books have children who have no parents? Hopefully, that is because parents keep children safe. But without that safety what kind of trouble could children get into on their own? King Neptune's Delite is my proof in point. Orphaned children raised by the community were still orphaned children. And when it came to adventure, they chose adventure over the older sister's cautions.
I would hope. Parents would read this book with their children. There are so many educational opportunities in this book that parents and teachers could implement. And maybe mature children who already have a good sense of caution could read it and not get caught up in the adventure they might have if they followed the younger siblings leanings. But should the adventurous child read this book it does become a cautionary tale. I suppose much worse could happen no no no no no no do need to do that than happens to the children of the story, but it was pretty bad as it was.
Thank you, Gita V. Reddy, for letting me read this book. It was quite the thriller from beginning to end. I found myself caught up in the story to the point of forgetting to eat or go to sleep. I just wanted to see that the kids would be okay, and if so how?
Gita is quite the storyteller! Her stories take place in her country, in India. So it gives us an education of culture and histories other than our own. I like that her stories lead us to see what we have in common with others. Example: boys who went to go fight the pirates. In this day and age, since Disney has given us Pirates of the Caribbean, even we adults might like to go on that kind of adventure. No wonder a child would!
I worked very hard not giving spoilers in this review. So instead, I say read this book; it's a lot of fun! And grab a kid to read it to, while you're at it! Wait, the didn't sound quite right. But you know what I mean, I hope. ;-)
I would hope. Parents would read this book with their children. There are so many educational opportunities in this book that parents and teachers could implement. And maybe mature children who already have a good sense of caution could read it and not get caught up in the adventure they might have if they followed the younger siblings leanings. But should the adventurous child read this book it does become a cautionary tale. I suppose much worse could happen no no no no no no do need to do that than happens to the children of the story, but it was pretty bad as it was.
Thank you, Gita V. Reddy, for letting me read this book. It was quite the thriller from beginning to end. I found myself caught up in the story to the point of forgetting to eat or go to sleep. I just wanted to see that the kids would be okay, and if so how?
Gita is quite the storyteller! Her stories take place in her country, in India. So it gives us an education of culture and histories other than our own. I like that her stories lead us to see what we have in common with others. Example: boys who went to go fight the pirates. In this day and age, since Disney has given us Pirates of the Caribbean, even we adults might like to go on that kind of adventure. No wonder a child would!
I worked very hard not giving spoilers in this review. So instead, I say read this book; it's a lot of fun! And grab a kid to read it to, while you're at it! Wait, the didn't sound quite right. But you know what I mean, I hope. ;-)
March 17, 2014
When a typhoon kills a number of fishermen from a small Indian village, the remaining neighbors ban together to look after the orphaned children. This story centers on a young girl and her brothers. Although the girl, Maya, is young in years (even a year younger than her brother Satish), she displays a strength and fortitude seldom witnessed. Alas, children will be children and when they stumble upon a mysterious bottle containing a newspaper picture, note and diamond ring, they recklessly embark on an adventure filled with real danger. This story targets the children and young teen market. With it’s simple text and fast pace, it is sure to please a young wandering mind. Older readers may find it slightly trite but it remains an interesting concept that can be exploited more. I enjoyed it (as a refreshing change of pace) and would recommend it to a wide reading audience. If I would voice one criticism, it would be that the author employs another editor. This is my second book by this young, imaginative author and her scenes of Indian life and culture continue to fascinate me. Although, strictly speaking, this isn’t my favorite genre, I would not hesitate to read another.
November 29, 2014
King Neptune's Delite is a well-written story with intriguing characters. The plot is so unique, that you certainly can't complain about it being cliche or boring.
From the beginning, Reddy describes a world in great detail, including local traditions and way of life that for me, was something completely new. I found this aspect of the story to be the most interesting, and I appreciated how much effort the author put into it.
Maya was my favorite character, and for me was very believable. I loved the interactions between her and her brother and friends. I don't usually give a summary in my reviews, because I feel that is for the back-of-the-book and I don't want to give anything away. I would just like to encourage any prospective readers, that your time will certainly NOT be wasted on this story and it is well worth the money. It is well done, and a great read!
From the beginning, Reddy describes a world in great detail, including local traditions and way of life that for me, was something completely new. I found this aspect of the story to be the most interesting, and I appreciated how much effort the author put into it.
Maya was my favorite character, and for me was very believable. I loved the interactions between her and her brother and friends. I don't usually give a summary in my reviews, because I feel that is for the back-of-the-book and I don't want to give anything away. I would just like to encourage any prospective readers, that your time will certainly NOT be wasted on this story and it is well worth the money. It is well done, and a great read!
April 23, 2016
Wow! What an adventure story with mystery and drama all mixed in it.
So, I would like to recommend this for five stars and kids ages 4-9+ who enjoys short clean reads ebooks like this one I found. I received this ebook for free and in return, here is my honest review. Super work Gita! By Angela
So, I would like to recommend this for five stars and kids ages 4-9+ who enjoys short clean reads ebooks like this one I found. I received this ebook for free and in return, here is my honest review. Super work Gita! By Angela
June 26, 2016
**SPOILER FREE**
Another great book from Gita V. Reddy! Adventurous with a twist of mystery! A fast read with a great story plot! One that every child will love!
*Received for an honest review*
Another great book from Gita V. Reddy! Adventurous with a twist of mystery! A fast read with a great story plot! One that every child will love!
*Received for an honest review*
October 17, 2016
This book was very interesting! I absolutely love the way that this book was interesting and the setting was very unique and different from what I normally read! I wasn't disappointed with this book! I would recommend it to anyone!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews