The Adventures of Mooli and The Bully on Wheels is written by Asha Nehemiah and illustrated by Niloufer Wadia.
The book is shortlisted for the Neev Children’s Book Award, 2019.
Recommended ages for self-reading:
Regular 7+, Advanced 9+
The Adventures of Mooli and The Bully on Wheels
In The Adventures of Mooli and The Bully on Wheels, the story revolves around a powerful friendship duo. Friendships are a much loved dynamic in children’s literature, especially the camaraderie between pairs with opposing personalities. Author Asha Nehemiah showcases this aspect in The Adventures of Mooli series. The series follows the many shenanigans of Murali, the meddler and the whiz kid, Supriya. Their waywardness does come with a purpose, which remains constant through the series, and in the second book as well. What the two want goal is to win a feature in the cool new website called “WAYOUTS: World’s As Yet Original, Untried Tricks and Stunts.”
As the name explicitly suggests, they have to think out of the box. Luckily for Mooli, he practically lives there.
Toothpaste Art with a Twist is his big-ticket idea this time, and like most of his schemes it comes with a penalty which his parents end up paying.
Apart from the unintentional chaos Mooli creates, the main conflict comes in the form of a bully named Harsha. Harsha whizzes around the neighborhood being a menace and his current target is Supriya. With Harsha in the mix, the chaos intensifies. How they navigate through it all forms the rest of the story.
Zany Characters Abound!
One other supporting character we see is Soups’ Dad, George, who is a work-from-home dad and an active participant in all their antics.
Uncle George is usually confined in his computer room with a bold warning sign dangling outside the door-
“Do Not Disturb!
Not even if there’s an anaconda wrapped round your neck.
Knock, only if the anaconda starts strangling you.”
The only way to lure out Uncle George is to bribe him with sweet treats.
Overall, the characterization and spirited personalities, accompanied by the fun illustrations by Niloufer Wadia makes you root for the two despite the disastrous domino effect that follows.
With not a lot of Indian based multi-volume reads, catering to the young audience, this particular series with its simple vocabulary and relatable content, not only bridges that gap. It is also guaranteed to steal the hearts of little book lovers out there!
The Adventures of Mooli and The Bully on Wheels is a fun and quirky read that finds its way with ease in the Neev Awards 2019 Shortlisted books.
Hungry for more children’s writing? Don’t miss the Best of Indian Children’s Writing (BICW) – Contemporary Award List!
Also, check out our reviews of more books on the Neev Awards 2019 Shortlist!
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