THE CHAOS MONSTER (Secrets of the Sky #1), by Sayantani DasGupta, Scholastic Press, July 18, 2023, Hardcover, $17.99 (ages 8-12)
A brother and sister are tasked with helping save a world beyond our own in The Chaos Monster, the first book in the Secrets of the Sky series by Sayantani DasGupta.
Ten-year-old Kinjal knows something strange is going on. But he does not expect his dog, Thums-up, to disappear before his eyes in the middle of the night! Even stranger, two enormous flying horses appear and insist on taking Kinjal and his twin sister, Kiya, to a place they have never heard of: the Sky Kingdom. The twins have no choice but to go if they want to see their dog again, even if that isn’t why the winged pakkhiraj horses showed up in the first place. They have come to this dimension to seek help — bees are disappearing, along with the nectar the horses need to survive.
Whisked away to a magical realm, the twins must use Kiya’s scientific skills and Kinjal’s love of books and language to help the horses. Once there, they discover that the disappearance of the bees is more nefarious than they thought, and the plot goes all the way to the top. —Synopsis provided by Scholastic Press
The beauty of a twin story where the siblings are brother and sister is that it automatically goes from being a “boy” or “girl” book to just a book. It’s unfortunate that books get labeled that way, and the twin variable erases it.
Kinjal and Kiya are mostly likeable main characters — like real life, their sibling squabbling does become a bit much at times. They’re bright and clever and are able to connect all the dots. And it’s fun to have supporting characters in the form of talking, flying horses.
The central theme of The Chaos Monster is that everything is connected and when one element is changed or harmed, it starts a ripple effect. As an adult, I felt the author was perhaps a too straightforward, pushing the idea a little too hard. There’s no subtlety. I don’t think this will bother the intended audience, though, as it may be a new/er concept for them.
At 240 pages, The Chaos Monster is a good length for middle readers who are overwhelmed by larger novels. It features short chapters and illustrations throughout. It’s a fun read that should appeal to fans of magic and science.
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