Review: 'Potato Chips' - back to school

After scrunching my nose at the book cover, and eyes rolling-a-wondering at the title, it's a good thing I still decided to dig in. For Anshuman Mohan's Potato Chips from Harper Collins new YA Lit (Young Adult Literature) series is crisped, and flavoured just right. A candid account of the life of a thirteen-year-old Calcuttan, Aman, the book makes for a heartfelt read. Call me a sucker for young talent, but it does help that 'Potato Chips' was penned by fifteen-year-old Anshuman at the young age of thirteen. It's hard not to succumb to his childish exuberance!

The tale of young Aman Malhotra, pulled out of his charming day-school Akshar and thrust into the big, bustling, bad world of St. Xavier's College Calcutta, Potato Chips traverses his everyday trials and triumphs. The transition into a new school, and the people, pranks and punishments that follow.

Set yourself up for a crunchy ride through Aman's new found life and friends- the sports, the studies and the in-between stories that make school-life the joyride it is. Through the escapades of Aman, Rohan, Ankit and Sameer, 'Potato Chips' dishes out all things young, from the sister with the rascal boyfriend, to the school boy with the difficult parents. Munch your heart out, there's more. The story of poor-boy Shubho and his tennis star dreams, the summer holiday outings to Darjeeling and beyond, the treasured Pizza-Hut birthday lunch, and familiar school boy politics- who cheated on who's homework today? Buckle-up for a generous sprinkling of refreshing philosophy too- "Staying up all night is a waste of sleeping. A waste of sleeping is a waste of dreaming. And, dreaming is important because the more you dream, the better the chances that one of them comes true..."

While you're at 'Potato Chips', you might glance upon the occasional spelling error and grammar gone wrong. You might even roll your eyes at eternal hero, superman Aman Malhotra. Save some glory for someone else, will you, kid? And, you might even sicken at its oh-so-sweet, all things happy ending. But, it's likely, you won't back down. Because Potato Chips is all things you've grown up with, the assortment of Indian parental attitudes included!

If you're thirteen and looking to put that pocket money to good use, Anshuman Mohan's 'Potato Chips' is a wise bet. If you're nowhere close to thirteen and happen to spot this one, pick it up. The book's sure to take you down memory lane and let you indulge in the people, the incidents, the years long forgotten.

(This book is reviewed by Gayatri Makhijani)

(Potato Chips is published by Harper Collins, on sale for Rs 199)

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