Madol Doova

Madol Doova (Sinhala: මඩොල් දූව is a children's novel and coming-of-age story written by Sri Lankan writer Martin Wickramasinghe and first published in 1947.

They learn that the deserted island, Madol Doova, is believed to be haunted, but start farming there with the help of Podigamarala.

[1] After spotting a mysterious light on the island, which was supposedly the ghost haunting it, they follow it and find out that it is in reality a fugitive hiding from the law.

After settling up a legal issue for farming on government land, he finally returns to the plantation on Madol Doova, which had now developed into a prosperous venture with the help of Jinna.

It is presented as a narrative by Upali Giniwella, and views the adults' treatment of the children and the inability to understand them, in a sarcastic and humorous way.

It was later translated into several other languages as well, including Tamil, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Dutch, Romanian and Bulgarian.

[5] Although some critics have doubted if the book sets an example to children because of the mischief done by Upali and his friends, it is seen as a depiction of the reforming and courage of a child who was once a "notorious imp".