Ashwin Kamath is determined to earn enough money to sponsor his own school trip. Unfortunately, his determination translates into one disastrous idea after another. On the surface, each idea seems perfectly harmless. When the idea turns into action, the madness begins. Things take a delightful turn when Ashwin finds a book on summoning a djinni. […]
Daddy Come Lately
Priya knows that her father is dead. She is a ‘post-humorous’ child, as she calls herself until her mother gently corrects her, saying that it is ‘posthumous’, not post-humorous – and that she isn’t posthumous anyway. Her father is alive, and has just found out that he has a daughter. Worse, he wants not only […]
Dear Mrs. Naidu
Dear Mrs. Naidu has been on my list of books to read for a long time now. I finally read it today, and it came at the perfect time. Sure, the book is important. It is an eye-opener. But to talk about just those things to the exclusion of all else is to take away […]
The Elephant Thief
The Elephant Thief was one of those books that I would have loved to read as a child, and thoroughly enjoyed as an adult. At the back of the book, there are three words that describe it – animal, adventure and thrilling. I think the first two sum up the book perfectly. I wouldn’t go as […]
Just Henry
Have you read Goodnight Mister Tom? If you haven’t, you must. I can’t quite believe that I never wrote about the book. It’s a classic, one that touched something deep inside me, the way only classics can. I remember the first time I read the book – I borrowed it from the library, and read and read […]
How Not to Disappear
Wow. What a wonderful book. It kept me reading and reading and reading. I had to wipe away tears more than once, and I kept shaking my head at the power the story had over me. For me, How Not to Disappear is not a Young Adult book, and I cannot understand how it is classified […]
The Lie Tree
The Lie Tree looked fascinating, but I wondered if it was my kind of book. Everyone who was quoted on the cover said it was ‘dark’ and compelling, and I cannot say that I am a fan of dark literature. I get scared too easily, and I don’t enjoy getting scared. I decided to borrow it […]
Books that I must write about!
I couldn’t wait any longer. I just had to write about at least some of the books I’ve been reading. Last night, I sat and reread Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It’s not my favourite, but then, it’s Harry Potter, probably the only series of books I’ve ever stayed up reading. I even took part […]
My Name’s not Friday
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.’ […]
So Many Books, So Little Time!
I’ve been reading so many lovely books that I think it’s finally time to write about them. When I am on a train with co-passengers I don’t want to talk to (which is 99.999% of the time), I end up reading almost throughout the journey. And when it’s a 20-hour journey … Aubrey and the […]
Smart
How do you write a modern novel with a child detective? Famous Five and Secret Seven aren’t really believable anymore because now, everyone thinks of the tape that cordons areas off, and the fact that clues simply aren’t that easy to find. Smart by Kim Slater shows you how it’s still possible to write a mystery […]
An Eagle in the Snow
Every book by Michael Morpurgo that I’ve read so far has been gripping from the very first chapter. When I saw An Eagle in the Snow at the library yesterday, I snatched it up, thinking of a lovely weekend with a wonderful book for company. And then I had nothing to read while I waited for […]
Little Bits of Sky
The cover of the edition of Little Bits of Sky that I read is absolutely gorgeous. I felt like a child when I looked at it. I stared and stared. And then I played with the dust jacket a little bit. And then, just like a child, I was afraid I would damage it or something, so […]
Dreaming the Bear
Dreaming the Bear reminded me, in some ways, of White Dolphin. I loved it and I hated it. Because the story took the turn it had to take, and what ‘should’ happen did. Read the story to figure out what I mean. An intriguing story, Dreaming the Bear took me into minds that are distant from me. The […]