Bookasura: The Adventures of Bala and the Book-Eating Monster by Arundhati Venkatesh

Bala loves books.?

He loves reading them, talking about them, dreaming of them, and carrying them to the end of the world.?

If there existed a planet that had no air but books to breathe, he would gleefully settle there.

However, his passion for books is not shared by his parents, whose lives revolve around his baby sister, Meera.

Meera too loves books. She loves tearing them, crumpling them, and chewing them up for fun. And she loves feasting on Bala’s books!

So, when his parents ask him to spend his summer vacation with his grandparents at Melagam, he doesn’t protest.?

He stuffs his books, ten of them, into his bag, and sets off for Melagam with his jolly Navaneeth Uncle and the cautionary Kala Aunty.

Raghu Thaatha and Ambu Paati welcome their grandson with immense fervor.?Ambu Paati feeds him with a sumptuous meal of the finest South Indian delicacies, but Bala is hungry for the next incredible tale from his favorite storyteller, Raghu Thaatha.

Raghu Thaatha narrates to him the story of Bakasura from the?Mahabharata?– a giant demon who eats people for food until he is defeated by the mighty Bheem. And it makes Bala wonder what he would do if he ever encountered a monster.

But monsters aren’t real, right? Or are they?

Bala finds no time to debate over this question as he comes across a menacing ten-headed giant on his tour of Navaneeth Uncle’s garden. The monster (yes, Bala is now sure it’s a monster) calls himself Bookasura. And he is hungry.

Very! Very!! Hungry!!!

He gets hold of Bala’s bag and transfers all the books in it, four of them, into his big, fat vessel-like stomach.

And just like that, his books are gone. Poof!

Bala can’t digest it.

And now, it’s his turn to be eaten!

But Bala saves himself by making a deal with Bookasura. He promises he will offer him three books a day in exchange for his life. Bookasura agrees.

That leaves Bala with just two more days to live as he has only six books left with him.?

What after that??

Will he be eaten up like Bakasura ate his prey??

Or will a warrior like Bheem come to his aid??

And if not...?

Can he use his imagination to reincarnate Bheem?

Bookasura?has a crazy premise and a crazier execution.??It doesn’t give in to logical soundness to highlight the wonderful and uncensored imagination children use to create fantastical tales.

Right till the end, we are not sure whether Bookasura is real or not.?But it doesn’t act as a deterrent.?

Conversely, it forces us to replay the story in our minds, or if you are a bibliophile like Bala, read the book again.?

And, whether you find the answer or not, the joy of reliving Bala’s adventure is certainly compounded.

The author uses quick, short sentences to move the plot at a brisk pace, and doesn’t lose out on any opportunity to induce humor into the most serious circumstances.?

Of particular mention is the interaction between Bala and Bookasura during their first encounter.?

It is downright one of the funniest conversations you will ever come across.

Equally effective are the illustrations that are sketched with minute attention to detail. The expressions are smart, cute, and jaunty, and bring out each character with an easy charm.

Spanning under 100 pages,?Bookasura?cooks up a story that will leave you guffawing for more.