TITLE: Paati vs UNCLE (The Underground Nightly Cooperative League of Elders)

AUTHOR: Meera Ganapathi

PAGE EXTENT: 152

PUBLISHER: Puffin Books(Penguin Random House India)

GENRE: Middle Grade

MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SOURCE: Received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

All Inju wants is a quiet, boring holiday at the most boring house in Mumbai, but life at Parijat Retirement Colony is not the same any more.

A thief is on the loose, and Paati has decided to become an UNCLE! But when the uncles of UNCLE (The Underground Nightly Cooperative League of Elders) act not so cooperative, Inju takes charge.

Joining forces with a lady whose papads were stolen, the skinny building watchman and Paati, Inju forms PAATI (The People’s Association against Thieves International).

Can this motley crew of detectives crack the code?

Are you in the mood for a fun, fast-paced whodunnit mystery involving a sassy grandma and a bunch of sharing-good-morning-messages-on-WhatsApp-groups grandpas that will make you laugh your socks off? You’re looking at the right book! 

Inju is visiting his Paati(Tamil for grandmother) over the summer and wants a boring staycation at Parijat Retirement Colony but his plans get thwarted when robberies begin and he gets caught up in an investigation to nab the culprit. What follows is sleuthing loaded with oodles of action and some laugh-out-loud shenanigans! 

While the book is all fun and frolic, it makes young readers aware of the misogyny that’s rampant in the Indian society today. If there’s a book that screams SMASH THE PATRIARCHY but for younger readers, it’s this one! It also throws light on bullying in a way that’s not too harsh on young minds.

Meera Ganapathi’s witty and quirky writing style is bound to keep you hooked from cover to cover! It’s a cute little book with hilarious illustrations that you can gobble up in one sitting!

Keeping my fingers crossed that this book is the first one in a series as I can’t wait to solve more mysteries with Inju and Paati!

Thanks to Penguin Random House India for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. 🥰

Have you read any Middle Grade mysteries with young detectives? Let me know in the comments below!