Young reader, Neriya M. Venkat, spins a keen review of The Best Idea of All, Varsha Seshan’s chucklesome chapter book. 

Holi is hiding just around the corner from Tarini, Antara, and Saira. As it creeps upon them, one small phrase haunts them so much that it’s rather annoying to them. “When I was your age…” Antara and Tarini both agree that this is the favourite sentence of their Nanis. Because of this forced sentence, the three girls are sparked with an idea. They’re planning to do something that their parents haven’t done. And what a stellar idea it is! But there is a slight problem. Everything is not predictable. So, who knows when a problem could pop up like a virus on a computer? Read to find out what happens, and how the girls react and maybe even fix the complex problem!

The character build-up in the story is very encouraging and makes me laugh as I read the wonderful lines and phrases in the book. The illustrations, I have to say, have inspired me to be better at drawing. And the way the author writes this delicate story is quite fascinating. Listen to this: instead of saying “it was a day to be lazy,” the author writes, “it was a day to laze and lounge and dream.” What a way to put it! I recommend this book for everyone because of its humour, and I have a feeling that the phrase “when I was your age…” might be an entire laughingstock to the parents reading this book. It is quite an exceptional book. I hope you enjoy this book for its Indian culture, words, and fun.

Neriya M. Venkat, at ten years old, is a zealous reviewer of children’s books ranging across a wide spectrum of genres and themes.