Title - A Mystery at Lili Villa

Author - Arathi Menon

Genre - Children's Fiction / Mystery

Plot:

Arj, Tam and Mira - cousins who love to spend time at their village Elathoor during summer vacations together. What they did not expect was a robbery that happened one night and the suspects turned out to be people whom they have known for quite a while. Donning their detective hats, this book deals with how these little brats would solve the mystery that would turn out to be dangerous and fun in many ways.

My Take on the book:

Personally, when I come across a Children's book, what apparently catches my eye is how the innocence of the kids are shaped up and how exciting it would turn out for the kids when they read the same. This book ticks up both the boxes of being fun and also letting the kids think as the book progresses. From dealing with how people live their life with bare and minimum to people who would do anything for quick cash exploiting the unawares, this book deals them all with equal innocence and educating kids as well.

Though with all the high points in the book, there are a bit of gray areas that are quite problematic which could have been dealt in better ways. The climax part where the kids had to look for criminal in the middle of the night to one of the almost horror scenes that come up when Mira goes to call her parents could be a bit traumatic and mental illness could have been dealt better here.

Overall, the book is pretty fun to read and would surely keep both the kids and adults engaged throughout. Each chapter brings in new elements in the book and that turns out to be more fun (for example, getting to know the livelihood of the fisherwoman or when a mean cook is actually the friendliest of all), this book is entertaining. Pick it up for getting to know a simple livelihood of people from Kerala and to strengthen a bit of vocabulary about the South Indian languages.

My Ratings- 🌟🌟🌟🌟 (4 out of 5 stars)

A Mystery at Lili Villa is a middle grade mystery book, set in the summer, that follows 3 young children, Tam, Mira and Arj, who all aspire to be detectives. One night some jewellery goes missing from their house and they set out to try and find the thief. They look at many suspects; are they guilty or not guilty? There are some thrilling and exciting scenes in this book when they get close to finding the thief, along with some close calls along the way! Perfect for someone in their late years of primary school or perhaps even early years of secondary school.
I loved the short chapters in this book that kept me reading. The mystery isn’t very large scale but it is still exciting and simple to follow along to try and solve the mystery alongside the characters. I was drawn to this book initially by the beautiful cover and the fact it is based in a tropical country which is different to many of the books I normally read which tend to be based where I live, or similar, this added to the story to create a lovely, happy atmosphere and is a perfect summer read.
There are a variety of suspects in this book which took me a while to remember who was who, but I got to grips with it towards the end as there were a few lists/reminders along the way.
Overall, this book was a really lovely read although would be better enjoyed when read by someone younger, in this book’s age range. The mystery was moderate but works well for a younger child’s first mystery book.

A great book about friendship and the curiositties of beinh a kid. I wish I could go back to this innocence and enjoyed it sp much as I could.

A Mystery at Lili Villa follows the escapades of three cousins Tam, Arj and Mira in the small town of Elathoor, Kerala. Tam is spending her summer vacations with her cousins at her aunt and uncle’s house, Lili Villa. When a burglary occurs at their house, the cousins decide to play detectives and figure out the culprit themselves. They draw a list of suspects and go around the town gathering clues and figuring out each one’s alibis.
The author has maintained a simple flow in storytelling without adding too many unnecessary complexities. I loved the setting of the small town of Kerala where almost everyone knows everyone in a close-knit community. The children are endearing and the author has managed to make their personalities stand out. The way they go about crossing out suspects from their list while having fun along the way would interest the kids. The use of monikers instead of proper names for the characters adds to the fun element. Since food is a big part of our Indian culture, the Kerala food glossary at the end was a great addition. I feel illustrations would have added to the appeal of the book, which was missing. Though the book is aimed at middle-grade readers, I feel it is more suitable for young readers.

I got the arc of this little middle grade mystery novel on a whim, because I hardly pick up MG these days. But I do remember seeing it a few times on Yali Books’s Twitter account and thought why not.

And this turned out to be so fun and entertaining. I think this book is a perfect crossover for Children’s and Middle Grade readers, providing the innocence for younger readers as well as the adventure elements for budding teenagers. And as an avid reader of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five series in my childhood, I couldn’t resist reading this one. Though it felt younger, the vibes were very similar to FF and I enjoyed it so much, as well as kept wishing I had these kind of desi books when I was that age. The writing is simple and fast paced, and the author immerses us so deeply in the story that we completely believe in the talents of the little child detectives. Just in such a short book, I could feel the atmosphere of Elathoor, get to know the whole cast of quirky characters better, and also fall in love with the three tenacious cousins who were so brave and determined to find the truth, even if a tad bit reckless.

To conclude, this is a cute and interesting little mystery novel that I think kids will really enjoy, and I would definitely recommend to any desi parents who have kids in this age range. It’s a cool change instead of always going for the Enid Blyton or Nancy Drew classics. There is a hint at the end that this might turn out to be a series with the three cousins turned sleuths, and I couldn’t be more excited for the next installment.

This is a perfect book for older elementary children! Mira and tam’s adventure and case solving will help your child feel like a spy! This story is filled with just enough excitement to get their hearts pumping, but not scary enough to keep them up all night! Mira’s confidence at end will help your child have confidence in themselves.

This book reminds me of classics such as Malgudi Days and simplicity in storytelling that is the hallmark of Ruskin Bond's writing. What is especially remarkable is the authenticity of the setting and characters. A perfect read for pleasure!

LOVED IT!!
Basically the story follows 3 young detectives on a journey to find the jewelry thief and they manage too alright!!
Young kids will love this!
Plot=5 out of 5
Cover- 5 out of 5

A gentle mystery meets relative chaos and rich, Indian culture in a quick paced read.

Tam is spending her summer with her cousins, aunt and uncle in a small town in India. Considering the aunt and uncle are both busy doctors, Tam and her cousins have quite a bit of time and freedom to explore the town on their own. But the rhythm is soon disrupted when someone breaks into the home and steals the aunts jewelry. There's a hole in the roof where the perpetrator entered the house, but aside from that, the police seem to have few clues and even less interest in solving the case...at least, in Tam's opinion. So, she and her cousins do the only thing they can do. They decide to solve the case on their own.

In some ways, this tale reminds me a tiny bit of The Penderwicks. The kids have quite a bit of freedom to explore the town around them and have a fun mashing their different personalities, while working together. The reader, of course, gets to explore right along with them. Since this one is set in a small town in India, there is quite a bit for readers to discover and learn. The small town setting and family life with the cousins is quite different than even Tam is accustom to, making it easy for the reader to connect with Tam.

While this one is sold for ten- to twelve-year-olds, the writing and style are better suited for a younger audience. Even the mystery, while wrapped up nicely, fits this age group. The descriptions were a very direct, and flowed more with a 'telling than showing' style. It is interesting and the mystery is hard to guess. There are quite a few characters involved, each interestingly presented. It makes for a fun read. I was glad to see a glossary at the end of the book to help define foods and such, which many readers won't recognize. I received an ARC and enjoyed the mystery.

A Mystery at Lili Villa"by Arathi Menon is a fast-paced middle grade novel set in a village in Kerala, India. When their house is broken into and Ammayi's gold jewelry is stolen, the children like any child with a knack for solving mysteries decide to investigate and solve the mystery. Their suspects include .the driver, a fisherwoman , the woman who takes care of the cows at the villa and the homeless Pottan. If you grew up with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys you will enjoy this middle grade book.

"A Mystery at Lili Villa" by Arathi Menon is a fast-paced middle grade novel set in a village in Kerala, India. Siblings Arj and Mira, along with their visiting cousin Tam spend their summer trying to solve a burglary: the theft of family jewelry. Their earnest attempts to act as detectives annoy the man actually charged with the investigation, Sub-Inspector Thombu. As they look for clues at the scene of the crime and interview suspects about their alibis, they discover that everyone in their community seems to be hiding a secret. What starts off as a lark proves to be more than a little dangerous. This is the first in a series about the kid-sleuths who become known as “The Terrific Three”. "A Mystery at Lili Villa" is a satisfying mystery that is also filled with humor and warmth. Included at the end of this book are descriptions of the many delicious foods mentioned in the story as well as a glossary of Malayalam and Hindi words. Another winner from Yali Books. #AMysteryatLiliVilla #NetGalley

i really loved the cover on this book, so i was also pleasantly surprised to find that i enjoyed this book a lot as well.

i loved how you could easily distinguish the different personalities between the three main characters. it’s perfect for younger readers, it’s shown so clearly.

with the mystery, i thought it was really cool and enjoyable. i loved seeing how the characters went on to solve it — both separately and together. i also loved all the food incorporated!

overall great read. not even just for kids but adults as well!

I picked this book because it has such a beautiful cover. I also love children’s crime.

I really enjoyed this story, it was a lot of fun. The three children (Tam, Arj and Mira) who the tale focusses on are great. They each have their own personality and way of going about things. I really loved the way they investigated their suspects, getting to know more about the people around them, and what they are really like. I thought Tam, Arj and Mira showed a realistic balance between wanting to investigate for themselves, and wanting to tell the grown ups.

I loved the focus on food too. It was great to have the list of foods at the end, as I wasn’t familiar with all of them.

Overall, this was a fun mystery, adventurous, but never too scary. I definitely recommend it - for children and adults.

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

This was a quaint story about three young children investigating a burglary.  Tam is visiting her cousins Arj and Mina when the burglary happens, and the three decide to become detectives and investigate by looking for evidence and interviewing suspects.  The story takes place in Elathoor, India and there is a glossary at the end for those (like me) who are unfamiliar with some of the foods and other things mentioned in the story.  The children range in age from 9 to 11, and they are written well to those ages.  They act like a group of young cousins, having adventures while sometimes bickering.  They don't have any sort of super intelligence or abilities related to investigation; they are presented as a group of ordinary kids.  Investigating a burglary was a change of pace from other mystery novels where the crime is always murder.  Both the tone and the less serious crime make this a good book for kids in the 8-10 range, but middle grade readers may not find it challenging enough.

Tam is spending the summer in Elathor, Kerala, India with her aunt and uncle. Damodar Ammavan and Sheila Ammayi are very busy physicians who have a driver to take them back and forth from the hospital. Tam and her cousins, Arj and Mira, are looked after by some of the household staff, including Pitamma, a cook who makes delicious snacks for them. When the house is broken into and Ammayi's gold jewelry is stolen, the children decide to style themselves as investigators and solve the mystery. There are all manner of suspects, including the driver, a fisherwoman who is mean to their cat, the woman who takes care of the cows at the villa, Dumdumchecchi, a young man they call Well-Cleaner Mani, Fan-Fixer Faekkku, and the homeless Pottan. The local police, headed by Thombu, don't seem to be taking the case seriously, but the children are determined to figure out the crime. While doing so, they get to meet a variety of people in the area and learn more about them. This is the start of a series, with the next book being The Mystery at the Mumbai Turf Club.
Strengths: I am always looking for books set in other parts of the world, written by people who live there, because the details of daily life are always so much better. Tam usually lives in the city with her single mother, so Lili Villa is a different way of life even for her. It's good to see interactions between cousins, and the people whom the trio meet are not like anyone my students would have come in contact with! This had a sort of Penderwick vibe, with children being allowed a lot of freedom to go around and explore, and that will be tremendously appealing to US children who might spend most of their summers under direct supervision in summer camps. The mystery is fairly mild, but is resolved in a good way.
Weaknesses: There are some cultural conventions in US writing that are not observed, so there are characters who are described somewhat negatively by their weight, and the homeless man, Pottan, is also described in a somewhat negative way. While this doesn't bother me (although it does make the book read like some I read as a child), as it's important to see how other cultures perceive things, I mention it in case anyone is very sensitive to those topics.
What I really think: This seemed a bit young for my students, who prefer their mysteries to involve murders or murderous ghosts, but would be a fun addition to an elementary library where The Boxcar Children mysteries are popular. I found it a refreshing change from books about children in Indian who are experiencing trauma, which is the vast majority of the ones I've read.

My thanks to NetGalley and Yalli Books for a review copy of this book.

The Mystery at Lilli Villa is a children’s mystery set in a small village in Kerala. We have 10-year-old Tam (Tamara) from Bangalore who is visiting her cousins Arj (Arjun) (11) and Mina (9) in Elathoor, Kerala for the summer holidays. She is looking forward to playing with her cousins and the tasty (and lavish) meals and snacks prepared by their cook Pitamma. The very first night at Lilli Villa, Arj and Mina’s home, Tam hears strange footsteps in the middle of the night; terrified she goes back to sleep, but tells her cousins of this the next morning. The children decide to investigate the matter before reporting it to Arj and Mina’s parents, Damodar and Sheila, who are doctors. They soon find mysterious and unexplained footprints outside and when they tell their parents this, it is soon found that Sheila Ammayi’s jewels have been stolen. The local policeman Thombu, a friend of Damodar, is called in and he soon finds not one, but many in the house and outside whose shoe sizes match the mysterious print. The children, despite being warned off, decided to undertake their own investigations (and the old fashioned way, for they are banned from using phones and tablets during the vacation), and soon uncover more than one secret. While their investigations might be thrilling and Pitamma keeps them well supplied with delicious food, there is also danger along the way, and they must tread carefully.

This was a really cute, charming read. I thought the author did a great job with the mystery itself, with various suspects with their secrets and the children coming upon them in a believable way. The solution too was good fun. I liked that the author has also woven humorous touches into the glossaries which she has added—one on food and the other on Hindi and Malyali words.

The children themselves were pretty likeable, and done very realistically in the sense that their little disagreements (nothing major) and likes and dislikes come through nicely. The range of suspects too, are colourful, each with something to hide (well, may be not always to hide, but things that aren’t generally known), and each distinctive and nicely drawn out.

I enjoyed all the food in the story—both dishes I was familiar with and things I was not, but there is lots of it and it does make one hungry, and interested in trying out some of them.

My favourite part of the book was the setting itself; I thought the author painted a lovely and vivid picture of life in a small Kerala village—from the entertainments and outings that the children turn to or go on, to the close connections that everyone has in a small place, to the gossip networks, all of it was great fun.

A sweet and fun story which I enjoyed very much!