My Name's Not Friday. I love the title. My name is not Friday. It says so much to me.In the afterword, Jon Walter talks about markers in the book like the embargo on cotton, which happened in the first year of the American Civil War. Yet, he warns the reader that if you try too hard to figure out the timeline of the novel, for there is one red herring after another - he did not want to restrict himself to a 'true' timeline or even to just real places. If I ever write historical fiction, I wonder, will I have the courage to do that? Somehow, I doubt it.Perhaps the book would not work for people who are very familiar with the American Civil War. Perhaps it would make them cringe and shake their heads with annoyance at the liberties Walter has taken. But for me, the story was paramount.A young black boy being raised in an orphanage is secretly sold into slavery. The priest who … [Read more...]
Workshop for Women’s Day
Yes, I was a bit sceptical about doing a workshop for children to mark International Women's Day. What would I do? How much would I say? How would I even begin to talk about the inequality we see around us every day without even noticing it?Talking about equal pay means nothing to these children. Pay is something far, far in the future. Unequal opportunities and conditioning do not ring true to them. Believe me, I've tried. Most are too idealistic to think that these could be true - and perhaps that's a good thing.So, I began with home.How many of you have mothers who work outside home? Six out of seven.Who cooks at home? Two children said both their parents do. The others, you know the answer.Laundry? Three said both parents. Then, as an afterthought, another agreed.Who buys groceries? Both parents.Who does 'extra' cleaning - windows, dusting, cobwebs … [Read more...]
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World
The British Library is organising several women's day related events this weekend, and thanks to that, I came across a gem: Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World.Featuring Jane Austen, Gertrude Ederle, Coco Chanel, Frida Kahlo, Marie Curie, Mary Anning, Mary Seacole, Amelia Earhart, Agent Fifi, Sacagawa, Emmeline Pankhurst, Rosa Parks and Anne Frank, Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World is an absolutely lovely read.With wonderful illustrations and an engaging layout, I think it's a delightful book, no matter how old you are, and this despite the fact that it is an 'educational' book.(Oh, and I just had a look at a related activity book, and that looks fun too!)Title Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the WorldAuthor Kate PankhurstGenre Non-fictionRating (out of 5) 5Age-group 6+Based on this book, I will be conducting a … [Read more...]
Writers’ Club – Another Year Ends
The Writers' Club at St. Mary's School has been running for three years now! The third year ended on a high, with children (and me on the inside) running, shouting and celebrating. All through the year, we played games around writing, kept inspiring one another, wrote and rewrote - and this was the result.In 2016, the children had their work published in a collection called Flickering Flames. This year, a fourth standard child suggested the title that we finally chose - The Book that Speaks.To add to the excitement, the children took part in a competition that was judged by two ex-students of the Writers' Club, and we announced the results during the last session. Here's the winner of the first prize.Thanks to all the poetry we read together, many children played with style and form. Here's a poem that received a special mention from the judges.The … [Read more...]
Unbroken
I would be lying if I said that I read award-winning books objectively. Sometimes, my reading is tinged by, Oh, it won this award; I'm sure it'll be great! And sometimes, by Okay, let me read this book and see what's so great about is.Especially when I approach a book with the latter, I find myself overly critical. I recognise that and apologise for it. Yet, Unbroken affected me enough to write about it, and I rarely, if ever, write about books I don't like much.The first thing that annoyed me about the book (I read the Kindle edition, so I don't know about the others) was the number of typos. I cringe at typos. So when Ranjith suddenly becomes Ranjit and Preethi suddenly becomes Preeti, there's a shifting of gears in my head. Oh, s/he's temporarily North Indian! The worst of all is one of the pivotal lines in the book - where Akriti reveals … [Read more...]
Charmed Life
I remember reading something by Diana Wynne-Jones a few years ago and not particularly enjoying it. I can't even remember which book it was. I don't know what made me pick up Charmed Life, but I'm so glad I did! Not only did I find a wonderful book, but I also found a list of books waiting to be read!Gwendolen is a witch, and her younger brother Cat knows that. In fact, he thinks the only reason he is alive is that she is a witch who saved his life when he was drowning. Gwendolen is talented and ambitious, determined to rule the world. No one can stand in her way, not even the most powerful enchanter in her world.On an aside, you could blame it on Enid Blyton's Malory Towers, but from the very beginning, I disliked Gwendolen. I hope that if I ever meet someone called Gwendolen, my impressions aren't as tinged with prejudice as they were when I started reading this book!Coming … [Read more...]
The Wolf Wilder
The Girl Savage. Rooftoppers. And now, The Wolf Wilder. How can one person write three such wonderful, and wonderfully different books?I started reading The Wolf Wilder with unfairly high expectations. For one, I've read and loved Katherine Rundell's other books. For another, the cover of The Wolf Wilder has a quote from Philip Pullman saying it is a triumph. What more validation does a book need?Yet, about halfway through the book, I was conscious of disappointment. Sure, it was a nice book. But it wasn't great. It wasn't the kind of book that forced me to keep reading. I could not gasp at Rundell's imagination, somehow. It wasn't a story that I'd find myself reliving and telling people about. It did not have the punch of things I love in stories - friendship, loyalty, bravery ...And then, as I continued to turn the pages, the narrative shifted again, and … [Read more...]
Planetarium and Science Park, Bengaluru
Every year since I was born, I've visited Bangalore, or Bengaluru, if you prefer. Yet, I've barely done any touristy things there. Last year, I went to Cubbon Park, which was lovely. That opened my eyes to everything else I could do in the city!So, this year, we went beyond Corner House and all the other usual eating things, and visited the planetarium and Science Park. I didn't even know Bangalore had a planetarium! It does, with shows right through the day in English and Kannada. It is nice and easy to access by metro - the closest metro station is Vidhan Soudha. Entry to the planetarium is 60 rupees per adult, and the Science Park, which is just outside, is free and very well worth a visit.My first visit to the planetarium was when I was ten. If I remember right, the tickets were about 20 rupees each, maybe even less. I wrote a story for Kid-Day, the children's … [Read more...]
Perijee and Me
Caitlin is sure her disguise will work. She will escape from the camp that is supposed to keep her safe from the monster that is taking over the world. She will save her friend. Caitlin dons a chef hat, and even writes 'chef' on it. If that's not convincing, what is?Unfortunately, she looks like a ten-year-old. Also, she has always found reading and writing difficult, so she's spelt 'chef' with an 's', and she's put the 'e' the wrong way around. Somehow, the guard is not convinced that she's a chef.Caitlin is an absolutely charming character. Lonely and friendless, she has no idea what she's going to do during her summer holidays, especially since her mother refuses to let her adopt animals and bring them home.When Caitlin finds a little creature that looks like a prawn, everything changes. Before she knows it, the creature begins to grow. It can control its shape and as it begins … [Read more...]
Sophie Someone
When I started reading Sophie Someone, I simply could not figure it out. I was also a little put off by the idea that the whole story was told from the point of view of a pigeon. I have no love for pigeons.But then, something made me frown and say, 'Let's give this another shot.' I turned to the back of the book and saw a little pie-chart put there by the publisher. The pie-chart said the book was mainly about secrets. A small part of the book would deal with pigeons. And a bigger part would deal with word play.Eyes a little wider, I began reading the book again--and could not stop until I had finished. And finally, when the last page was over, I found myself thinking, 'Oh, my God! That was such an incredible book! Are there really people in the world apart from me who understand it?'Sophie Someone is an unusual book, to say the least. Sophie has a secret and she … [Read more...]