Vikram and the Vampire

by Natasha Sharma

King Vikram has a devil of a dilemma! In order to gain power and wealth beyond his wildest dreams, he must deliver a corpse to the sorcerer Shaitanish. The only problem with this simple task is that this particular corpse is home to Betal—an impish storyteller of a vampire with tricks up his sleeve. Betal gives the King a series of riddles to solve as he rides along on the King’s back. If King Vikram solves the riddle, but forgets to speak his answer aloud, the vampire will continue to haunt him—spoiling his plans for innumerable riches! Nobody is quite as foolish as King Vikram and Betal runs circles around the poor man, quickly turning him into a royal punchline.

Stories like this one of Vikram and Betal date back over a thousand years and in Vikram and the Vampire , Natasha Sharma brings the classic story to life in a hilarious and modern retelling. Children from eight to eighty will enjoy the tale of a dimwitted king and the tongue-twisting, punning vampire who is destined to outsmart him.

124 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2015

About the author

An award-winning children’s books author, Natasha has published eighteen books for children till date. Beginning with her ever-popular book ‘Icky, Yucky, Mucky’, Natasha has written across age groups and formats from picture books, early chapter books, historical fiction to her new book in a graphic novel format, ‘The Good Indian Child’s Guide to Eating Mangoes’.

Often wielding humour on the page, her stories are known to lead to many giggles.

Her poems have featured in anthologies, course-books for schools and on the CBSE recommended reading list.
‘Shah Jahan and the Ruby Robber’ won the Best Illustrated Children’s Book in Comic Con India 2018 while ‘Razia and the Pesky Presents’ won the South Asia Book Award in 2015.
Another book ‘Bonkers’ received the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for Asia and Middle East in 2014.
Her highly acclaimed History Mystery series has received numerous recognitions including the Rivo Kids Parent and Kids Choice Award. ‘Squiggle Takes a Walk’ and ‘Rooster Raga’ have featured on Flipkart’s Best Children’s Books in 2013 and 2014.

Natasha is an MBA with a graduate degree in Math and lives in Mumbai.

Reviews

[Lakshmi Mitter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have grown up watching the famous "Vikram and Betal" Series on television and thoroughly enjoyed it. So when I learnt that my favourite author Natasha Sharma has released a book with her own twist to the famous tale, I simply had grab a copy to read. I knew I was in for a treat and I was indeed. Extremely well written book with a dash of humour, it did feel like the author was narrating the story in person. This is a book that children above the age of 9 will definitely enjoy.

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful little book! Made me all nostalgic about the Vikram-Betaal tales I had read in my childhood in Chandamama. But these were even funnier and more enjoyable. Absolutely worth a read.

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