This is the first time I will be reading a spooky book with my book club for ages seven and eight! One of the British Council reading challenge themes was Creepy House, so I've worked extensively with slightly scary stories for all age-groups, but because it was never one of my go-to genres as a child, I took a while to bring myself around to the idea of introducing a scary book to the children I meet.Yet, The School is Alive is the perfect mixture of thrilling and comforting. When Sam Graves becomes the hall monitor at Eerie Elementary, he has no idea that the school is hungry to eat its students! Sam finds an unlikely ally in the caretaker Mr Nekobi, and together with his other friends, he's more than a match for his school!Here's what we'll do with the book at my reading programme. Creepy Alphabet This is an activity I never tire of … [Read more...]
My Favourite Middle-Grade Books from 2021
I didn't read as many middle-grade books as usual in 2021, something I hope to remedy in 2022. Of those that I read, however, these six stood out. The first two are early middle-grade books, while the other four are for more advanced readers. Roughly, I would set the age-group for all six as 9-12. As with my favourite chapter books, I've included only those that I read for the first time last year, not well-loved rereads! The Golden EagleThe Golden Eagle by Deepak Dalal is a gorgeous book, with stunning illustrations by Krishna Bala Shenoi and a thrilling story to keep us hooked. One of the children at my book club told me it is his favourite read so far!The white-headed squirrel Shikar wants to know about his parents, about where he came from and how he came to make friends with the birds. And so, Lovey and Dovey set out to tell him a story, the story of the golden … [Read more...]
Paati Goes Viral
Paati Goes Viral by Prabhu Vishwanathan is such a sweet book! At my reading programme, I like to begin with a short book because it gives us the time to get to know one another and warm up. Also, when the book is short, we have more time for activities!Dhruv's grandparents are excited about travelling, but the best laid plans often go awry. When Thatha dies in his sleep, Paati no longer has the will to keep doing everything that makes her happy. Her family coaxes her into travelling alone, and everything goes well until Paati loses her camera. A camera that belonged to Thatha. It's social media to the rescue as the world comes together to recreate Paati's memories of her solo tour in this heartwarming book about helping one another.Here's what we'll do as we read the book together! Viral What do you think the word means? Do you think it is a … [Read more...]
My Favourite Chapter Books from 2021
Thanks to my book clubs, I read so many chapter books and early middle grade books in 2021! Of the 30-40 I read, here are nine books that stood out to me. I've shared most of them with my enthusiastic young book clubbers, and the review link will take you to activities that you can do with the book. As there are so many books, I decided not to include those I reread last year, sticking only to those I read for the first time in 2021. Muggie Maggie This one is such a delight that I've held on to my copy of it, in the hope that one day soon, bookstores will let me know that it is back in stock and I can introduce it to my book clubbers.Maggie is determined not to learn cursive. Unfortunately, her teacher has other plans: sneaky, ingenious plans. I love fictional teachers like her! In some ways, Maggie reminds me of Dick King-Smith's Sophie. She has … [Read more...]
Peanut vs the Piano
Peanut is such a lovely character!Peanut thought she enjoyed playing the piano. But with piano exams around the corner, piano practice is just one more thing added to an endless list of things she has to do when she would rather play outdoors. Soon, she begins to think of the piano as a big, brown monster. Even worse is that she simply cannot understand what her piano teacher means when he tells her to play with feeling. How is she supposed to play with feeling when the only thing she's feeling is hungry?Humour and excitement come together in this lovely little hOle book. Here's what we'll do with Peanut Vs the Piano at my reading programmes! Likes and Dislikes As this is the first book we will be reading at the February edition of my reading programme, talking about what we like and dislike is a fun way to begin. I often find that talking … [Read more...]
My Favourite Picture Books from 2021
Each January, when I look through my blog posts and my shelf on Goodreads, I realise how much I've read! As always, many of these books weren't published in 2021; I just read them in 2021.Through the course of the year, I read a range of picture books from wordless ones (which I love) to long, beautiful stories that are more suited to older readers. I've tried to arrange them on the basis of reading level, but with 18 books on the list, I kept shuffling the order because children and their reading levels are so different! My Street My Street, written by Sadaf Siddique and illustrated by Habib Ali, is a lovely wordless picture book that I read nearly a year ago now. It's such a treat!It's a perfectly ordinary day in a familiar neighbourhood - but even an ordinary day is full of colour and adventure.I ‘read’ with round eyes until I reached the end. What more could I ask for from a … [Read more...]
White Socks Only
White Socks Only is a stunning piece of literature and art, a charming book about a curious child eager to find out whether something she's heard is true. I revisited this book purely for the purpose of teaching it, and there's just so much to explore! Of course, the obvious choices would be to visit the themes of racism and segregation. But as a creative writing trainer, there's much more.The book opens with the young narrator wanting a story, and not just any story, her favourite story. And she knows just how to get her grandma to tell that story - by asking if she may go to town alone. She knows what the response will be - she may not go until she can do some good there. But she also knows that this will lead to the story of the time her grandmother sneaked out, went to town--and unwittingly did some good there.Without revealing why her grandmother went to town and what … [Read more...]
Magic Flutes
I love giving books away. I don't hold with the idea that if you have too many books, you need a new shelf. But on the other hand, I do think that there are books for keeps, comfort reads want to go back to and sob over.Eva Ibbotson's Magic Flutes is one of those. I read it in 2018 and loved it (even though it didn't make it to my top ten list), but rereading always brings a different kind of joy. Often, it's only when I reread that I look at the book as a writer. What draws me in? What captures my heart? Over and over again, I realise that it's setting and character. They go together, and they're far more important to me than plot.Set in Vienna just after the first World War, Magic Flutes tells the story of young Tessa, a princess who is a determined Republican. She believes that art and music are universal equalisers. They are what will help abolish titles and aristocracy, … [Read more...]
November Reads
Generally speaking, I read so little literature in translation! Just by chance, however, this month, I've read three books in translation. One was adapted from several Russian editions, one translated from German, and one translated from Swedish. Each is for a different age-group, and each one was enjoyable in its own special way. Here are a few quick reviews. Little Girls Are Wiser Than Men I've never owned a collectible book before, and this one is such a treat. Illustrated with linocut art by Lebanese printmaker Hassan Zahreddine, printed on handmade paper, using a vintage 1965 Heidelberg letterpress, translated from Russian by an Indian ... I love how global the book is! And apart from all the elements that make the physical book special, the story is lovely. I hadn't read the original tale in any form, but I enjoyed reading this one. As I work … [Read more...]
A Very Naughty Dragon
I love Paro Anand's books, and when I learned that she had collaborated with a nine-year-old girl to write a book, I was intrigued. As a teacher and creative writing trainer, I've read many stories that children have written. Some are excellent, others not so much. A Very Naughty Dragon? I had to read it to find out.I did, and I loved it. It starts slowly, with a lot of repetition that I associate with books for much younger children, but as I read on, I enjoyed it more and more. I love the place where it sits in terms of a story - between picture books and chapter books, full of colourful illustrations, but with enough text to make the story more than a book for very young readers.Draco is a Komodo dragon, determined to show his father that he can hunt. Surely he can catch a Timor deer! No, it's too fast.A civet cat? No again.A butterfly? Nope.But Draco doesn't give up. He tries again … [Read more...]