The Telescope Fund

How do you turn £23.40 into a telescope?

Asha Mistry is twelve, lives in the seaside town of Hollins Bay, and has fallen for a brass telescope priced at £240. She wants to see Saturn's rings. There's just one problem: she's £216.60 short.

Enter Mrs Winifred Oddie, owner of Oddie's Books & Bits, keeper of Barnaby the till, Dividend the cat and an orange tree that hasn't fruited in more than fifty years. Mrs Oddie used to work at the town's bank, and she offers Asha a deal: help around the shop, and every Saturday she'll teach her how money really works.

What follows is a gentle, funny and surprisingly gripping story in which real financial ideas arrive through rock pools, tide tables, jam jars and a bakery that needs a new oven. Asha's friends and family learn alongside her, sometimes the hard way. Her cousin Ravi chases a hyped coin. Her brother Kit borrows with interest. And Asha herself faces a choice that tests everything she's learned.

Inside, readers will discover:

• Why money is a kind of stored work, and how tracking spending reveals the leaks
• Needs versus wants, and the power of the 24-hour rule
• Spend, Save and Give jars, and the habit of paying yourself first
• How to earn: value, costs, profit and what your time is worth
• Savings accounts and interest, explained as rent the bank pays you
• Compound growth and the rule of 72, brought to life by an orange tree
• Inflation, and why cash in a tin quietly loses value
• What shares, dividends and stock markets are
• Why prices go up and down, and why panic-selling locks in a loss
• How to spot scams: hurry, guarantees and strangers who gain if you buy
• Diversification and index funds (never keep all your crabs in one bucket)
• How debt feels from the inside, and why giving can matter as much as saving

Written for readers aged 8 to 16, The Telescope Fund works as a story to enjoy on its own, a book for parents and children to share, or a friendly starting point for classroom conversations about money. Each chapter builds on the last, so complex ideas feel simple, memorable and fun.

Perfect for curious kids, young savers and anyone who has ever wanted something badly and wondered how to get there.

S. Choudhary writes books that help young readers make sense of the world around them. The Telescope Fund grew from a simple belief: that the ideas behind saving, earning and investing are not just for grown-ups, and that they are easiest to understand when wrapped inside a good story. By pairing real financial concepts with memorable characters and everyday settings, S. Choudhary aims to give children and teenagers the confidence to ask questions about money, make thoughtful choices and think about the future with curiosity rather than worry.