Advait Case Files · Case File No. 1
ADVAIT
Strange Boy or Alien
The new boy in Flat 402 laughs when he loses.
He dances when he gets OUT.
He’s happy with 11 out of 25.
Something is definitely wrong with him.
I’m going to find out what.
— Detective Arjun, Class 6-B
Inspired and edited by Dhairya (11 years)written by his dad · ages 8+ · 118 illustrated pages
The case
Arjun Kulkarni lives in Flat 502, Wing D, Shanti Kunj Co-operative Housing Society, Goregaon, Mumbai. He keeps a diary. Well, it was a diary. Then a packers-and-movers truck pulled up, a new boy moved into the flat downstairs, and the diary became a case file.
Because Advait is weird. He laughs when a cockroach lands on him. He eats chikki with ketchup. He wears one blue sock and one green one, on purpose. When the whole class panics, he just… doesn’t.
So Arjun starts investigating. Tests. Traps. An Alien-o-Meter that he updates after every chapter. What he finds is not what he expected, and by the last page, the person Arjun understands best might be himself.
Mumbai. Cricket. Exams. Cockroaches. And a boy who might be an alien.
The usual suspects
Every case file needs mugshots. Here are six of the people (and one possible alien) you’ll meet.
What’s inside
- The Case Begins
- The Terrace in the Rain
- The Tiffin War
- Operation Alien Test
- Rope or Snake?
- The Volcano Disaster
- Game Over
- The Ship Call
- Rocky’s Worst Day
- The Slowest Race in History
- Hand-written diary pages with doodles on almost every spread
- An Alien-o-Meter after every chapter for readers to fill in
- A secret case file at the back (no spoilers)
For grown-ups
On the surface it’s a funny detective story about building cricket, school tiffins and a very suspicious new neighbour. Underneath, Advait shows children something most of us learn far too late: that the marks, the wins and the labels other people stick on us are not the whole of who we are.
The book never stops to preach. Children just watch Advait stay calm while everyone else panics, and slowly start asking Arjun’s question: how does he do that?
Why it exists. It was written for one reader: my son Dhairya. He read it chapter by chapter, laughed a lot, then picked up a pen and became its editor. Every page has been through his hands. If it made one eleven-year-old that happy, it should make many more laugh too.
— Dhairya’s Dad
For adults, the same quiet ideas run through SEEK • SEED • GROW, my book on conscious growth and identity. More about the author.
Get the book
COMING NOVEMBER 2026
Paperback
India · Notion Press store, then other online stores
Hardcover
India · Notion Press store, then other online stores
Kindle & worldwide
Kindle eBook and international paperback to follow
Be the first to know. Join the Detective Club and we’ll tell you the day the book is out. Your child gets a free printable Detective Kit straight away: an official ID card, a blank Alien-o-Meter and a case file to investigate anyone (sisters count).
Join the Detective ClubQuestions
What age is it for?
Ages 8 and above. Confident readers of 8 can read it alone; younger children enjoy it read aloud. Adults reading along tend to laugh too.
Is it like Diary of a Wimpy Kid?
It shares the format: a hand-written diary on ruled pages with doodles on almost every spread. The setting, the humour and the characters are Indian: a Mumbai housing society, school tiffins, building cricket and power cuts.
When and where can I buy it?
The paperback and hardcover are being released in India through Notion Press in November 2026, followed by Amazon and a Kindle edition. Join the Detective Club to hear the day it’s out.
Who is Dhairya?
Dhairya is eleven. The book was written for him, and he edited every page: the jokes, the drawings and the order of the chapters.
