Isn't the name wonderful?The Imagination Box is the story of a boy called Tim, who has convinced himself that all he needs in life are his pencil and paper (and some confectionery would do no harm). Recently adopted, he knows that all the papers have been signed, but cannot help thinking of his new home as temporary. His easiest defence mechanism is to convince himself that he does not need friends. He is happiest by himself. No one else matters.Until, of course, he meets Professor Eisenstone, inventor of the imagination box. Never one to curb his curiosity, Tim tries on a funny helmet thing connected to a box, not sure what to expect. And the magic begins ... He alone has been able to make Professor Eisenstone's imagination box work. And he can create anything he likes.The book has so much potential and so many truly brilliant bits. I love the finger monkey Phil. I love … [Read more...]
The Boy in the Dress
I started reading The Boy in the Dress long ago and never ended up finishing it. I don't know why. Maybe I was in no mood to deal with all the mucus in the second chapter. Or maybe I was just not in the right mood.I picked up the book again because I watched a "Britain's Got Talent" video and was charmed by the way David Walliams responded to one of the participants - a xylophone player. It made me think that I had to give the writer another shot.And I'm so glad I did! The Boy in the Dress was simply lovely. Though there were parts that made me suspend disbelief rather too much, I enjoyed the story. More than anything, I loved the tone of the book. The story is so lightly written and the characters emerge so sweetly. And of course, Quentin Blake's illustrations - when have they not charmed me? As I was reading it, I didn't get the impression that it was a brave book or that … [Read more...]
Author Visit
Yesterday, the Writers' Club at St. Mary's School welcomed Leela Gour Broome, author of Flute in the Forest and Red Kite Adventure. Mrs Broome introduced her two books and spoke to the children about the process of writing them."I'm not a fan of fantasy," she said when the children asked her what she reads. "I think we need more realistic Indian fiction that children can read!"Her own books are inspired by experiences she's had through her close interaction with nature, experiences that help her stories ring true. "Even when you imagine, there's a limit, right? For instance, you could write about a pony that is colourful and magical … Maybe the pony can fly. But would you be able to convince your readers that the pony can drive a car? Remember that the reader must be able to imagine with you, so don't let your imagination get away with you!"The … [Read more...]
Workshop on Communicative English
The six-hour journey from Pune to Beed was lovely. I love travelling in the monsoon through pouring rain, looking at all the shades of green passing by. I love the hills in the rain. They're so full of life, so different from the parched summer browns!My workshop last weekend was with Gurukul English School in Beed. Like so many other schools, it is an English medium school that is attended by children from non English-speaking families. It's a huge challenge for the teachers, one that we can barely begin to tackle. Walk through the corridors and you'll hear a mix of Marathi and Hindi, with just about a word of English thrown in.And so, my workshop was on Communicative English with Functional Grammar. Led by an enthusiastic vice principal, the teachers came forward to participate, interact and share. They laughed as they donned roles of reporters and sportspeople. … [Read more...]
Flickering Flames
Last week, St. Mary's School officially launched Flickering Flames, an anthology of poems and stories I edited as the facilitator of the Writers' Club. The teachers have their copies already, and I've heard some lovely comments about the book.Here's a little about it for those who are reading about this for the first time ... In the academic year 2015-16, I started a Writers' Club at St. Mary's School, Pune. We began with nearly sixty girls, but as they discovered how much work goes into writing, they slowly dropped out. Finally, thirteen girls submitted work that was put together in an anthology. As it is the sesquicentennial year of the school, Dr Kinjal Goyal came forward to help us publish it, and now it's a book!Written entirely by children aged 11-13, Flickering Flames is a collection of all kinds of stories and poems - ranging from … [Read more...]
Shine
What a puzzling book Shine was! It leaves me all mixed up in terms of what I feel about it.It's a page turner, that's for sure. I began to read and just kept reading without ever stopping. Yet, there were just so many places when I groaned and felt it was too predictable. There were things that were dramatised that were not, I felt, in any way dramatic. There were many places where I felt Nah ... This is just too convenient.But I never write about books that I dislike. In more than one place, despite its predictability and and the tinge of the unrealistic, I found myself moved to tears. I found myself thinking that Shine is such a brave book. How difficult it is to write a story about a girl whose mother is a thief who drinks too much!Tiff loves her mother. You and me, Mum, you and me ... But her mother can be so embarrassing! She pulls off bar codes from things in … [Read more...]
Kalakshetra 2015
One year ago, three of us had the privilege of dancing at Kalakshetra in front of my teacher's teachers. I can't believe that a year has passed since that wonderful day that was so filled with emotion.We were scared, but our teacher was terrified - she had to play the nattuvangam on the same stage that her teachers had played. What would they say about her? What would they say about her students? Her choreography? Would they criticise her? Would they criticise us? Would they be upset?And the three of us ... Were we capable? Would we let our beloved teacher down? Would we let our families down? They had all come for us - just for us! This was not a 300-rupee concert ticket. It was a ticket to Chennai and back, plus everything else.And not just our family - our friends, incredible people, had come to watch us. They did not live in Chennai and just drop in. We had friends … [Read more...]
A Monster Calls
Stunning. Absolutely stunning.I picked up A Monster Calls in the same way that I pick up all other books - randomly. No one recommended it to me. I read no reviews. I did not read the blurb. Sometimes it's better that way, simply because you have no idea what to expect.Patrick Ness's A Monster Calls is a truly remarkable book, so remarkable that I cannot write anything about it. It wrung my heart. I sobbed as I held on to the book I had just finished. It was over. I didn't want it to be over.Young Conor has the same terrifying dream, night after night. And then the monster, which is older than time itself, comes walking. The monster tells him three tales that twist and turn, and frustrate Conor. Yet, each tale is important. And each tale brings him closer to the fourth tale that he himself must tell - the one that's no easy story. It's the truth. The truth of his nightmare. … [Read more...]
Reflections: Day Three at AFCC 2016
The last day of my first ever literary festival ...I began day three at the Asian Festival of Children's Content by attending a roundtable discussion on entering markets abroad, conducted by Cynthea Liu, Emily Lim, Helen Mangham. What was particularly wonderful about this event was the rounded perspective it had, as the speakers comprised one publisher, one writer and one literary agent. Author Emily Lim's words spoke to me the most, as she told us with her charming tinge of humour about how the key to getting a publisher, national or international, is a mixture of perseverance and patience. She spoke of standing on the sidelines at the festival at Bologna, looking pleadingly at publishers until one took pity on her ...Attending the session on Immersive Storytelling: Augmented Reality and Games to Engage Young Adults, conducted by Saad Chinoy and Nataly Rios Goico, was like … [Read more...]
Reflections: Day Two at AFCC
Visiting a place for the first time can't be work and work alone, especially when there's so much to see and do. On days two and three at the Asian Festival of Children's Content, I attended fewer sessions, trying to make the most of my time in Singapore!Penning for the Preteen, conducted by Holly Thompson, was a good experience for me, since that's the age-group I write for, and it's always nice to have ideas and thoughts affirmed by a group of writers. It helps me feel a little less lost. During the session, what struck me most were views on what a preteen is like -- and the idea that preteens often have confidence that is almost irrational. They are superheroes! It's before the slide and crash of self-doubt and identity begin ... How interesting it was that this notion of preteens seems to cross so many cultures!Sarah Odedina's session, Lessons to be Learnt: Complex … [Read more...]