What do you think?
Rate this book
Riddle of the Seventh Stone
Rishabh the rat and Shashee the spider are quite happy with the way they rummaging around in Venkat Thatha’s wonderful, musty, dusty, rare herbs shop. Until, that is, they stumble upon a magical powder and find themselves transformed into human children. It’s not easy being a there’s school, and homework, wearing clothes and—yuk!—having to use soap... but even worse, their very home and the entire city are under threat from an evil moneylender and property dealer known as the Shark. With the help of other children, friendly cockroaches, cheeky mosquitoes, and a very Big Bandicoot, they set out to prove that no problem is too big even for the smallest of creatures.
“ Riddle of the Seventh Stone [is] a unique take on ordinary events and creatures that we take so much for granted; things that get extraordinary in Sahu’s gifted hands.” —Shreekumar Varma
“Monideepa Sahu’s delightful debut book should be prescribed reading for all school age children. I for one have decided to put it firmly on my list of gifts to keep in stock, and am eagerly looking forward to her next!”—Saffron Tree
“...a fun read, even for this adult reader, so I’m sure children would thoroughly enjoy the creepy bits as well as the Indian setting. What a welcome change!” —Hasmita Chanda
“ Riddle of the Seventh Stone [is] a unique take on ordinary events and creatures that we take so much for granted; things that get extraordinary in Sahu’s gifted hands.” —Shreekumar Varma
“Monideepa Sahu’s delightful debut book should be prescribed reading for all school age children. I for one have decided to put it firmly on my list of gifts to keep in stock, and am eagerly looking forward to her next!”—Saffron Tree
“...a fun read, even for this adult reader, so I’m sure children would thoroughly enjoy the creepy bits as well as the Indian setting. What a welcome change!” —Hasmita Chanda
164 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 16, 2010
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 13, 2016
A fascinating journey over the weekend with Monideepa Sahu's book, which I wanted to read so much, for long. The imagination with which the book is written is extraordinary and as I read with interest, I stopped every now and then to wonder, how much imagination writing books for children take to do. The every day, household vermin, can never be seen in the same light again. The story well told and many lessons to learn on the way, is a book, every child (age 6 - 80) must read. The Riddle of the Seventh Stone hides the most valuable treasure, which only by reading, one can solve.
Also, the Editorial work was magical and could be seen right through the book. Few books match the readers’ fine eye for edit - we simply read and accept, but it is the fine marriage between author and editor that makes for a brilliant, magical experience in reading. Riddle of The Seventh Stone, did just that!
May the book travel far and wide, as it already has. Encore! Encore!
Also, the Editorial work was magical and could be seen right through the book. Few books match the readers’ fine eye for edit - we simply read and accept, but it is the fine marriage between author and editor that makes for a brilliant, magical experience in reading. Riddle of The Seventh Stone, did just that!
May the book travel far and wide, as it already has. Encore! Encore!
November 21, 2012
The Riddle Of The Seventh Stone is a delightful story for young children. Its central characters are Shashee, a show-off spider, and Rishabh, a taciturn rat, who live in an old rare herbs shop on Avenue Road in Bangalore. The duo get magically transformed into human children and embroiled in the affairs of the owners Venkat Thatha, Ajji and their two grandchildren. The old shop, along with much of the rest of Bangalore, is under threat of being usurped and turned into a concrete monstrosity by Shark, a moneylender cum property dealer. The four children combine forces to defeat the villain.
As Shashee (spelt with two ‘e’s for numerological reasons) and Rishabh begin to lead hectic double lives as human children by day and vermin and rodent by night, we are taken on an interesting romp through the city of Bangalore – landmarks, garbage dumps, sewers and all - in a quest for King Kempe Gowda’s lost treasure. The two central characters are endearing. Shashee as the girl with loads of attitude and braids that can stretch out and save the day and Rishabh with his anxieties about geometry and self-expression both charm. The other characters are fun too – doleful Venkat Thatha, Ajji who is hard of hearing but wields a deft broom, the Big Bandicoot, the helpful Constable Balu (reminiscent of the cops in Enid Blyton stories) and Geeta the girl whom Rishabh has a crush on (with eyes “perfectly round, bulging and black, like a pair of lovely burnt frying pans”).
The illustrations are engaging. The descriptions of food are sumptuous in their own right. The author manages to sneak in bits of history and environmental concern without making the book ponderous for young readers. What really made the book for me was the language – it surprises and delights at every turn.
As Shashee (spelt with two ‘e’s for numerological reasons) and Rishabh begin to lead hectic double lives as human children by day and vermin and rodent by night, we are taken on an interesting romp through the city of Bangalore – landmarks, garbage dumps, sewers and all - in a quest for King Kempe Gowda’s lost treasure. The two central characters are endearing. Shashee as the girl with loads of attitude and braids that can stretch out and save the day and Rishabh with his anxieties about geometry and self-expression both charm. The other characters are fun too – doleful Venkat Thatha, Ajji who is hard of hearing but wields a deft broom, the Big Bandicoot, the helpful Constable Balu (reminiscent of the cops in Enid Blyton stories) and Geeta the girl whom Rishabh has a crush on (with eyes “perfectly round, bulging and black, like a pair of lovely burnt frying pans”).
The illustrations are engaging. The descriptions of food are sumptuous in their own right. The author manages to sneak in bits of history and environmental concern without making the book ponderous for young readers. What really made the book for me was the language – it surprises and delights at every turn.
October 15, 2014
Full disclosure: Moni is a friend and I was apprehensive about reading and reviewing the book -- what if I didn't like it?! Turns out, I was worried about nothing. The full review is here: http://writeside.net/books/fantasy/mo..., but in short:
"Riddle of the Seventh Stone" gives new meaning to the term ‘rat race’. Rishabh the rat-boy and Shashee the spider-girl team up with two human children to outsmart a dastardly villain and save their home. The book takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride of adventure, mystery and a smattering of fantasy through the teeming chaos of the big city. It traverses a maze of lanes and dusty old shops of human occupation, as well as crawling into the secret lives of vermin in the nooks and crannies that otherwise escape our notice.
"Riddle of the Seventh Stone" gives new meaning to the term ‘rat race’. Rishabh the rat-boy and Shashee the spider-girl team up with two human children to outsmart a dastardly villain and save their home. The book takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride of adventure, mystery and a smattering of fantasy through the teeming chaos of the big city. It traverses a maze of lanes and dusty old shops of human occupation, as well as crawling into the secret lives of vermin in the nooks and crannies that otherwise escape our notice.
July 29, 2011
A unique book for children, set in Bangalore, with really quirky, lovable characters and an exciting story. The illustrations are hilarious, too. Highly recommended!
February 18, 2015
Funny, witty, knowledgeable and thoughtful, Riddle of the Seventh stone by Monideepa Sahu is a great read and is guaranteed to be an engrossing read for children of all ages.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews