Author Vidya Varadarajan on a mission to kindle a love for reading in children

Author Vidya Varadarajan talks about her latest children’s books — the AKA Detective Series

Bengaluru-based children’s author Vidya Varadarajan is on a mission to reignite a joy for reading in young minds. With her AKA Detective Series The Mystery of the Graveyard Gold and The Missing Geometry Boxes, she aims to engage the imagination of children in the nine-to-12 year bracket.

Vidya’s books blend adventure, curiosity, and everyday experiences in an engaging manner. While her AKA Detective Series has already gained a dedicated readership, the third instalment, The Mystery of the Disappearing Drones, is set to be released in June.

Through her books, Vidya hopes to make reading fun and relatable for children, particularly those growing up in contemporary India. Set in familiar urban landscapes, the books resonate with young readers who see glimpses of their own lives in the characters and settings.

Born in the United States and raised in Chennai, Vidya’s love for reading began early, inspired by an intensive reading and writing curriculum in her childhood. She recalls, “I grew up seeing my sister reading a lot of books; that is how my interest in reading grew.”

Mystery novel series such as Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys fascinated her and shaped an early love for storytelling in her. Her family moved to India in 1986, and as she continued her education, Vidya found that writing became an essential part of her life. “I had a strong foundation and my writing skills helped me in many ways — from academics to expressing myself through fiction and essays.”

Encouraged by her father, she pursued an MA in Communication at a time when cable TV was booming, leading her into the fields of advertising, copywriting, and later, digital marketing.

But how did she step into the world of children’s books?