About a year ago, I read Kenneth Oppel's The Boundless. I did enjoy it, but it wasn't a book that wowed me. I read it, quite liked it and moved on. That's why Half Brother was not high on my list of books to read. I knew I would read it, but it sat on my shelf for a bit, while I read other books, including Nomad's Land and To Night Owl from Dogfish.And then, Half Brother made me sob the way only the best books can. Just like Pig Heart Boy, it raises all kinds of questions - about experiments on animals and human selfishness.Thirteen-year-old Ben's father is a behavioural scientist. He is convinced that chimps, being closest to humans, can be taught to use language to communicate. And he's determined to prove it. Ben's mother, who is doing her thesis on cross-fostering, is delighted with the experiment. They bring home and eight-day old chimpanzee, whom they call Zan, and begin … [Read more...]
Creating Memorable Characters
Both batches of my online creative writing programme began in October. Two months out of three have flown by, and I can't quite believe that I've had eight sessions with each batch. We've had two wonderful guest sessions too - one with author Nalini Sorensen and one with Dr. Sreeja Nag. It's time to announce my third and last guest session for this batch, with a multicultural writer-friend, Sophie Gaden.About the FacilitatorSophie is a French-Brazilian writer, teacher, and translator. She spent her childhood in Brazil, but at the age of 12, she moved to India where she lived for eight years. As if three countries with three different cultures weren't enough, she took another step across the world and graduated in English Literature and Creative Writing from Lancaster University. She is now based in London, writing poetry, translating, and teaching English at a secondary school. … [Read more...]
Science Stories with Sreeja
What a whirlwind weekend I've had! With the Scholastic Writing Awards ceremony, a guest session at my online creative writing programme, and a weekend workshop for the ten winners of the Scholastic Writing Awards, the weekend has flown by in the best possible way!As with every guest session, yesterday was special. I've invited Sreeja before and I know how exciting conversations with her can be for a group of curious young writers. She's exciting, warm and generous with her interactions, never dismissing a question or an idea out of hand. For instance, there was a moment yesterday when a child asked her, "Could there be mermaids on some other planet?"Sreeja paused and then responded, "Why not?"Sreeja is a scientist at NASA and also leads a team at a start-up that is building and deploying what could be the first self-driving robotic fleet on public roads. She has a PhD in … [Read more...]
To Night Owl From Dogfish
I love epistolary novels. I think I've always loved them; they intrigue me. Off the top of my head, I think about Dear Mrs Naidu, Ketchup Clouds, Daddy Long-Legs and The Night Diary, though I'm sure I'll think of several more by the time I finish writing this blog post.To Night Owl from Dogfish is right up there with the best of them. It's crazy, full of laugh-out-loud humour, and poignant (yes, I did cry over it). Dogfish, aka Bett, loves snooping on her father. She checks his email and discovers that he is in a relationship with Avery's father, Sam Bloom. In fact, the relationship is so serious that they want their daughters to get to know each other.Bett writes to Night Owl, aka Avery. It's a crisis. They don't want two families to become one! They're happy by themselves and determined to cast a spoke in their fathers' wheels.In the way of stories - and real life - … [Read more...]
The Sheep-Pig
A few months ago, one of my publishers, Mango Books, began a series of posts on social media about books authors read when they were young. The book I chose was The Sheep-Pig, a delightful chapter book by a favourite writer, Dick King-Smith.Dick King-Smith's stories are a treat. I loved The Sheep-Pig, the sequel Ace and so many more - Saddlebottom, A Mouse Called Wolf, The Hodgeheg ... Every time I went to the library, I would look out for his books, hoping to discover at least one more book I hadn't read.Why is this book part of my reading programme?Obviously, the first reason is that I love it. Here's what I said to Mango Books about it."The Sheep-Pig is a delightful story, and I'm so glad I read it as a child! The book left me with the feeling that anything is possible. More than that, I loved the idea that kindness and courtesy can help you achieve … [Read more...]
Shrinking Vanita
Shrinking Vanita is a delightful read, full of laughter, madness and the unshakeable belief that children can and will save the world! With a little help, of course. From a puppy called Giggles and a bag full of fridge magnets.Three days to go before a gigantic killer asteroid will end life on Earth! Everyone is in a panic. Everyone, that is, but Vanita, who has things to do. Such as saving the planet. - from the blurb of Shrinking VanitaIsn't that a wonderful premise? Shrinking Vanita delivers what it promises - a feisty protagonist, a mixture of science and madness and a joyous aha! moment.Oh, and the book won the Peek a Book children's choice award, so it's child-approved. Like every other book we've read at my book club, I chose this one because it's full of possibility! What if? I love doing activities around the question 'what if?' … [Read more...]
Reflections – Part 2
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the first series of reflections, written by children from my first batch of the creative writing programme. The idea of a reflective statement is something that I came to appreciate when I was teaching the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. While I was teaching, however, many students hated writing reflections because they had to write them. The checkbox needed to be ticked for the IB. Now, on the other hand, I find that most children enjoy taking this time out to think about how far they have come and how much they have learnt.It's a moment I enjoy too. Take a look at some of the work they've put together! All this is shared with their permission, of course!This was a guided writing activity, inspired by a poem I read by Ken Nesbitt. Guided writing of this sort is something I especially enjoy facilitating at workshops because the results … [Read more...]
A Few More Writing Activities
A few days ago, I posted five writing activities that I created last month; here are a few more. I find that short activities of this sort are wonderful ways both to get started and to wind down. Finishing a workshop with some sort of activity leaves participants feeling energized, rather than exhausted. Quick ones of this sort are always handy! Humorous HyperbolesChildren are masters of hyperbole. Think about the way they tell stories and how, with each telling, the story becomes grander and more eventful. Adults do it too, even if they pretend otherwise!So, naturally, working with hyperboles is always hilarious. Here are two more hyperbole ideas that work well:How would you describe the most boring class you've ever had? Who has the loudest voice in your class? How loud is her voice? No, don't imitate it! Describe it.Fun with Homophones and HomographsHomophones and … [Read more...]
Nomad’s Land
Last evening, I spoke to the friend who gave me Nomad's Land for my birthday."Are you okay?" she asked. "You sound like you have a cold."I promised her I was fine. "But I just sobbed over Nomad's Land."How does one review a book as beautiful as Nomad's Land? It's one of those books that you just have to put aside once in a while to take the time out to feel, even though you're itching to know what happens next. It's poetic and lyrical, and silly and sweet. It made me cry. It made me smile and roll my eyes because teens and pre-teens will be teens and pre-teens.The book begins with a confession, where author Paro Anand tells the reader that she has deliberately tampered with the historical timeline to set the story in the 2000s and make it more relevant to youngsters today. The exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits took place in the late 80s and early 90s, but the story pushes these … [Read more...]
Five Writing Activities for Children (and Adults!)
As I was preparing to launch my online creative writing programme, I posted one writing activity per day on social media, and I loved the responses I received.Writing activities can be so much fun, and not just for children. They work just as well for adults who want to sit down and start writing too! Here are the first five; you could do one a day for the next five days to get you started. Surprising SimilesThis one is always a favourite!During a creative writing session, I asked a child to complete the simile as annoying as ____ "As annoying as my sister," she replied. I know that this child has a brother and a sister, so I asked, chuckling, "Is your sister more annoying than your brother?" There was a small pause as she looked up. He was, possibly, in the room. She gave a tiny smile and said, "No, but it's his birthday today."Have fun with your similes! Funny Fairytales We … [Read more...]