Jumble Sale by Shabnam Minwalla

Jumble Sale is a delightful and humorous children’s book with an engaging plot, quirky characters, and a wonderfully immersive setting.

Other Books I’ve Read By Same Author –

Zen

Synopsis

Pink bottle brushes. No Parking signs. Spools of wire. Crocin tablets—nothing is safe at Khorshed Baug any longer.

Suspects: A thieving crow. A greedy ghost. A thin crone with a hooked nose.

Tinaz Toddywala, though, has other ideas. She is determined to pin the crimes on Dorab and Dina Sethna of G Block.

Will the Senior Section Head of Bright Minds School get her way? Will Dorab and Dina get into trouble at school and at home? Step into Khorshed Baug to find out.

Review

Jumble Sale kicks off in Khorshed Baug, a lively Parsi community thrown into chaos when various random items go missing—a pink bottle brush, a Digene tablet, an Aadhaar card, a “No Parking” signboard, a stuffed duck, and even cow dung compost. Naturally, wild theories follow, with suspects ranging from an evil thieving crow to a ghost and a witch with a crooked nose.

At the heart of the story are Dina and Dorab Shethna, the mischievous duo of G Block, studying in the 4th and 5th grades at Bright Minds School. Their reputation for troublemaking makes it all too easy to see where this is heading.

Enter Tinaz Toddywala, a spiteful and cunning resident of Khorshed Baug who has held a grudge against the duo ever since one of their pranks made her a laughingstock. As the head of the senior section at their school, she finds the perfect opportunity to exact revenge—by pinning the thefts on them during the school’s jumble sale, hoping to have them expelled.

The story takes an entertaining turn as we wonder whether Tinaz will succeed in her vendetta or if Dina and Dorab will manage to wriggle out of this mess. Will they learn their lesson by the end?

This is a fun, humorous tale of two endlessly creative troublemakers, brought to life with vivid and lively illustrations. I enjoyed how Dina and Dorab always hatch new antics instead of repeating old tricks. What I loved most, though, was the colorful cast of Khorshed Baug—its bickering, gossiping residents added a delightful charm to the story.

The concept of the jumble sale and the kids’ imaginative contributions were engaging and could inspire young readers. While I wasn’t a fan of how Dina and Dorab “acquired” some of their items (and had to warn my own kid about it), I still found myself rooting for them.

I appreciated how the book wrapped up, not just for the kids but also for Tinaz Toddywala. While I wished for a stronger emphasis on right and wrong, I also liked the realistic approach—kids will be kids, and some adults never really change.

Overall, Jumble Sale is a delightful and humorous children’s book with an engaging plot, quirky characters, and a wonderfully immersive setting.

Book Links

Goodreads | Amazon.in | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Have you read this or wish to read?
Did you ever participate in Jumble Sale?

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