Grow up Messy by Paromita Goswami

A Hilarious Coming of Age Series Book 1



How is it possible not to fall in love with a five-year old named Misry, who ends up being called Messy because she is anything but tidy? Her many endearing traits make her adorable, but she has her moments of mischief that get her into trouble often. Befriending children who are older than herself, asking crazy questions and craving the company of children apart from her cousin, Raju, Messy has a mind of her own which makes her do exactly what she wants to do. She is fearless, and does not shrink from waging war with Bheeru and the other village kids.

However, there is another side of Messy as well, her fear of ghosts which prevents her from sleeping during the day. She enjoys listening to her father, Anurag, who regales her with bedtime stories of the BSF and others filled with adventure. Her mother, Madhavi, takes over this task when her father is not around, which is often.

 Misry misses her father when he is away, patrolling the borders. But at a young age, she understands that he has to go away in order to keep her, and children like her, safe.

Amusing incidents abound in this delightful book. The appearance of the baby gibbon, Hoolock, addicted to fruits, the excitement of meeting the handsome ‘Raja’, the bungled attempt to pilfer ripe mangoes and litchis and leading a blind-folded Bheeru into a pile of slushy cow dung, all make for a perfect background for the high-spirited little girl, loved by all.

Paromita Goswami paints a picture of life in the Border Security Force, where major festivals like Durga Puja are celebrated with great gusto. Messy’s love for animals, especially goats, comes across, especially in the Meru episode. Her love for lungar (the cookhouse) food and the warmth she experiences from the jawans who love her because they miss their own children, is truly heart-warming.

Messy’s innocence comes through when she believes that God gave mothers superpowers so that they could take care of their children from the Oogly Boogly. Her school days are also amusing, as her friends and teachers try to discipline the spirited young girl. When she finally gets her Talking Doll, her excitement knows no bounds.

Her relationship with her grandfather (Dadu), her rivalry with her twin cousins who look like divas, and the ceremonies surrounding her aunt, Pallavi’s wedding, bring out further nuances of the little girl’s stellar personality. 

The pun in the title adds on to the playfulness of the book. Paromita has a style of writing that is effortless and breezy, so vital in a book which has a tiny, pint-sized heroine so full of life.


At the end of the book, the reader is left with only one plea. “Please don’t grow up, Messy.”






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