What a thrilling, chilling session we had with Shabnam Minwalla! It was interactive and fun, full of creepy examples and wonderful ideas.Shabnam began by telling us what inspired her book Saira Zariwala Is Afraid--mysterious messages on her daughter's phone. From there, we explored all kinds of things, from settings, to concepts for horror stories. I loved how many participants shared examples of regular places that become sinister! Playgrounds, people who are a little too sweet, mysterious lights ... Even ordinary places like schools and malls have so much potential for horror!One big takeaway for me was the idea that what we imagine is far more frightening than what is written. As a result, an unreliable narrator who makes us feel uncertain works perfectly for horror!Beginning with a setting that has potential, moving to a "what-if" sentence, and then creating a sense of … [Read more...]
No Matter the Distance
No Matter the Distance by Cindy Baldwin left me with such a mix of emotions! I almost didn't finish the book because the middle was a little draggy. But verse tends to keep me reading, and the burgeoning relationship between a girl and a dolphin was promising, so I persevered ... and I really liked how the book turned out.Penny has cystic fibrosis, which forces her to lead a life that is far from normal. Hospital visits and medication are not unusual, and what's irritating is how many people tell her that she's lucky. She's lucky to have got so far. She's lucky not to have it worse. But Penny doesn't feel lucky. Not when she's the only almost-twelve-year-old in her school sitting in hospital instead of school.The weaving together of storylines makes No Matter the Distance an interesting read. One storyline traces Penny's attempt to write a poem about what she knows about … [Read more...]
The Battle for Baramulla
The Battle for Baramulla, the latest book in the Songs of Freedom series takes us to 1947 Kashmir. The maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir wants his kingdom to remain independent. But when there are attacks from the northwest frontier, is staying independent really an option?The Battle for Baramulla begins slowly. I took a while to get into the story because the protagonist Zooni seems like a bystander, giving us a glimpse of how the world around her functions, but doing little else. One by one, we meet a range of characters, including Chandra, whose name means the same as Zooni's--the moon.It is when a pregnant Chandra returns to a charged Baramulla that the story picks up. Before we know it, we're sucked into a world of violence, terror and betrayal, and we cannot stop reading. Whom can Zooni trust? And what if her trust is misplaced?I tore through the story, caught up in … [Read more...]
Rosa in a Rush
Pai's purple dahlias are missing! Of course Rosa is in a rush--she must find out who stole them. Was it Dona Sylvia de Braganza, who won second-best garden when Pai won the prize for best garden? Or was it Cousin Mario who recently turned his house into a hotel? Rosa must find out!It's quite lovely how much this playful Hook Book does. In this tiny book, we have a determined protagonist, a gorgeous setting, and a mystery! The language, even while being simple, is rich with similes and imagery. What more could a picture book ask for?I love how Rosa immediately thinks that it is her job to find out who stole Pai's dahlias. She doesn't pause a minute to ask for help or to doubt herself. She's a child with a mission, and her determination powers the story.Rosa in a Rush is a pacy, joyous story that I whizzed through. I swerved around illustrations and braked for just a few … [Read more...]
What Could It Be?
Bapu is scared of something in the bathroom! What could it be? A gang of ghosts in a giggling gather? Scary skeletons covered in lather?When Diya discovers it's none of the things her imagination leads her to believe but just a lizard, she knows that she must save her father. Even if her Bapu says he isn't actually scared of lizards; he just doesn't like them.As someone who is much like Diya's Bapu, What Could It Be? made me chuckle more than once. I like the whimsical rhyme as characters in the story wonder what scary thing could be in the bathroom. And I love how Diya and Farah make amends for frightening a harmless lizard.Just like with so many of the Hook Books, the pictures are a treat. I especially like the expressions on the characters' faces, expressions that sometimes tell a different story from the text itself!Sweet, humorous and joyful, What Could It Be? is … [Read more...]
A Girl, a Tiger and a Very Strange Story
A Girl, a Tiger and a Very Strange Story begins slowly. We see Junglee, a wild child. She is faster than all the others, and she can’t sit still—except when the stillness comes over her.As I turned the first few pages, I wondered where the book would take me. Once I got into Junglee's world, though, there was no stopping me. I was moved to tears more than once as I marvelled at Paro Anand’s magnificent writing and Priya Kuriyan’s exquisite art. The book is a stunning read that beautifully reflects the wonder of the world around us.Told from two perspectives—that of Junglee, a Pardhi girl, and Raunaq, a tiger cub—A Girl, a Tiger and a Very Strange Story plays with form beautifully. Words tell Junglee’s story, while pictures tell Raunaq’s. The way the two are woven together is simply gorgeous.I do wish, though, that the pattern had been retained right through! In the third … [Read more...]
Queen of Water
I’ve been waiting to read Queen of Water, the fourth book in Devika Rangachari’s Queen books! I just finished reading it, and it didn’t disappoint. While I did enjoy Queen of Ice and Queen of Fire more, this one also drew me into a world of political intrigue, mistrust and loyalty, where women must fight their own quiet battles to be seen and heard. Queen of Water takes us back to the Chola dynasty, introducing to us Kundavai, the one who advised both Rajaraja I and his son Rajendra. We see the world through her eyes as she observes things playing out around her. Wilful and determined, her character comes alive to us. What sacrifices did she make to become the powerhouse she was? How did she balance her loyalty to her family with her newfound love?Just like with the other three books in the series, it is remarkable how human Kundavai and the others seem in this work of … [Read more...]
Delightfully True – A Workshop on Writing Creative Nonfiction
What is creative nonfiction? What makes it different from regular nonfiction?Award-winning author Mallika Ravikumar led us through the second guest session of the season, teaching students what makes creative nonfiction engaging. From techniques of writing--like showing instead of telling--to research methodology, Mallika helped students understand how to go about writing credible creative nonfiction.An important aspect of writing about true events is perspective. The same incidents can be viewed from multiple points of view. How do we choose a point of view? And what is our responsibility as writers once we've chosen a viewpoint?At the end of the session, lots of participants who had read Mallika's books had questions for her, which was heartwarming! She left them with an exercise that explores perspective and technique, which I hope will give them firsthand experience of … [Read more...]
Sneaker Paati
Kittu is delighted to discover that he has a cool Paati, the kind he can boast about! She does headstands, and is even willing to teach him to do them! Soon enough, Kittu discovers that his Sneaker Paati, aka Shobha Attai, can do more than just headstands. Maybe she'll be his new confidante and solve the problem of Big Bad Abby, the local bully.Sneaker Paati is an amusing story, one that I particularly appreciated because it breaks the convention of children solving everything themselves. While I do usually like stories that feature children with agency, I've noticed that the children's literature I read (and write!) hardly ever steers away from this formula, leading to a surfeit of orphans, boarding schools and conveniently missing parents. As a child, I did read several stories featuring grown-ups, and I didn't like them any less for it!In terms of plot, however, I did find … [Read more...]
Manya Learns to Roar
We're rereading Manya Learns to Roar by Shruthi Rao at my book club! We read it at the very first edition of my reading programme, when I tentatively started out in 2020, wondering if I would be able to sustain an online book club for children. All those who read it with me then are now too old to be part of the book club, so it's time to reintroduce a book I love!Banyan High School, is going to present a play based on Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, and Manya wants the role of Shere Khan. She knows it is the first step towards winning an Oscar, and she's already writing her acceptance speech for that.I loved Manya Learns to Roar because of how true it is to childhood dreams and the way each child is such a charming mixture of supreme confidence and deep vulnerability.Before I even read the book, I was drawn to the idea of a child with a stammer determined to take part in a school … [Read more...]