A seven year old boy Anup loves his grandpa very much. His parents and his grandpa have a fight and grandpa leaves. Anup is shattered. Ten months later Anup's intense love and longing for his grandpa unwittingly comes out and the child's family is complete once again. This endearing tale titled The Complete Family is one of the eight stories in Ramendra Kumar's book The Mad Scientist and Other Stories published by Rupa & Co., the well known publishing house of India. 

The stories in this delightful collection are not about 'once upon a time'. You will not find boy wizards with extraordinary powers battling supernatural forces and macabre creatures in this collection. The charming tales are about kids who are normal but have to face predicaments, which are abnormal. How they go about fighting adversity not with wands but with will power, not with spells but with intelligence, not with potions but with pragmatism is what this book is all about. 

How the Losers Won is a story that is sure to appeal to children. In it a group of urchins who study in a 'school' without a building enter a short play competition. They lose the competition but manage to win a benefactor.

The Professor and the Pickpocket is a touching tale of a little girl and a pickpocket and how she reforms him. It is sure to remain with you long after you have put the book down.

The publishers need to be complimented for the excellent printing quality and aesthetic appeal of the book. The illustrations, particularly the cover design, are attractive. The book deserves to be picked up, read and passed on.