Book Review: The Detectives of Shangani: The Mystery of the Lost Rubies

Set in Zanzibar, an island in the Indian Ocean and part of the country of Tanzania, The Detectives of Shangani: The Mystery of the Lost Rubies by Nahida Esmail tells a fictional tale of two boys solving a mystery while combining the culture if Tanzania into it. As a parent raising her daughter in Tanzania, Esmail wrote the book for Tanzanians after she saw the lack of books of the Tanzanians and for the children (“Nahida Esmail”). With a familiar plot and incorporation of Tanzanian culture, The Detectives of Shangani allows international readers to gain insight of the lives of Tanzanian children and promotes Tanzanian literature within the country.

The story focuses on two young best friends, Bakari and Omari, who just began their school vacation. Just as their vacation began, a relative of Bakari visited town and both Bakari’s family and Omari were welcome to visit her house. While exploring the house and its contents, they discovered a ruby and a small clock hidden in an old chest. After accidentally breaking the clock, they found a treasure map and learned that their relative had inherited many precious gems that were hidden. The boys tasked themselves after they found out that their relative was in some financial trouble. However, they were not the only ones after the treasure. Borris Vendukal, disguised as the relative’s accountant going by the name of Captain Cook, attempted to search for the gems as well by deceitfully purchasing the relative’s house where he thought the gems we hidden. Solving several clues along the path to treasure, Bakari and Omari visited an island, inquired about peacocks, analyzed the inscriptions of the doors, and learned about the history of the land. After growing suspicious of Captain Cook, they discovered out that he had deceived Bakari’s relative and alerted authorities after they were almost kidnapped. Once Captain Cook was removed from the hunt, the duo resumed their search and discovered a safe hidden in the base of an old grandfather clock. After trying the numbers found along their search against the combination lock of the safe, they discovered a book titled “Secret to Life’s success” and three bags full of diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and pearls.

This book was the first I have read that was first published in Africa. I did not have any idea of what to expect before reading this book. I was half-expecting the book to have obscure references to the local culture. However, I was surprised to find that this was not the case. Instead, the story closely resembled several mystery stories that I had read as a child, such as The Boxcar Children and The Hardy Boys. It featured curious, driven characters who focused on solving the mystery at hand and dealing with adversity well. Although there were some references to the Tanzanian culture, they did not detract from the overall story. They instead added to the story as they were often an important aspect of the mystery. There were only about 40 unknown phrases or words that were foreign to me, which were all defined within the text in or in the appended glossary. Since the culture was involved with the mystery itself, the book served as a teaching tool of the local culture and history. An example of this was when the two boys were explained the different symbols on the Zanzibari doors (Esmail, p. 51-52). This made the book fun to read as it provided an educational perspective on Tanzania while remaining relatable to an American reader.

In addition with how the story was relatable, I found that many of the culture references to be relatable to me. I was surprised to learn that some of the culture I had experienced in a country in Malaysia was also found in Tanzania. For example, the boys enjoyed sugarcane juice that was squeezed from the cane on the roadside, which I also enjoyed while visiting South Asian countries. In addition, there was a reference to one of my favorite fruits, rambutan, which is native to Southeast Asia. All of the culture reference in the book shows how culture can be shared across borders. It also showed that there is a global spread of technology. The boys were shown to have a mobile phone. However, they had to go to an Internet café in order to Google anything, which shows a difference in the level of technology in the United States and Tanzania.

One of the major themes of the book was written on the treasure map the boys initially found in Arabic: Man Jadda Wajada, which means “He who is serious, will be successful” (Esmail, p. 36). This is reflected in how serious the boys were when they were on the hunt solving clues for the treasure and when confronting Captain Cook. This can also be life lesson that Esmail wants to convey. Writing books of and for Tanzanian children, she inspires them to be curious and to pursue their dreams and hopes that they will become successful. For this, I recommend this book to international readers along with its insight on the Tanzanian culture and history.

Works Cited

Esmail, Nahida. The Detectives of Shangani: The Mystery of the Lost Rubies. Mkuki na Nyota, 2018.

“Nahida Esmail.” NahidaEsmail.com.