I was a little sceptical about reading a book called When She Went Away. A book with a name like that could well be a melodramatic romance novel, which really is not my type. I typically don't even finish reading stories that are too melodramatic for me; enjoying them is a long way away. And I know because I've tried.The moment I read the first paragraph of When She Went Away, though, I knew it was not about a romantic 'she', but about Maria's mother who decided she'd had enough of living her life with her family and went away. That was when I was moved by the title. When Ammi went away, everything tumbled into chaos and had to be picked up bit by painstaking bit.The story filled me up with its twists and turns, its possibilities and surprises. Maria is not an entirely loveable character, but she rings true. When her mother goes away, she is torn between the desire to set things … [Read more...]
The Not-a-Pig
I'm still chuckling over Mango and Bambang #1 - The Not-a-Pig. It was just such a crazy, sweet book! Another story about an unlikely friendship, The Not-a-Pig is about a girl called Mango and a tapir! And I don't know about you, but I've never read a book about a tapir before.There is a huge traffic jam because there's a hump on (or is it in?) the zebra crossing. What could the hump be? It is black and white, just like the rest of the crossing. What could it possibly be?Enterprising young Mango is the only one who dares to find out, and she discovers Bambang, a very jittery tapir who has somehow wandered far away from the Malaysian jungle to which he belongs.What follows is a blossoming friendship between a short-sighted tapir who loves trying on hats and a sensible young girl. What will she do about the Collector who wants to put Bambang in a glass case? And … [Read more...]
The A-Z Djinn Detective Agency
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. At first, of course, he pooh-poohs the idea of a djinni. Later, though, a little intrigued, he decides to give it a shot. And he summons Zubeida.The A-Z Djinn Detective Agency had me chuckling time and time again. The characters were all lovely - from the grumpy old man Oz to Mrs Kamath, who is both immensely proud of her son and increasingly annoyed with his ability to get into trouble. The most wonderful character of all, though, is spirited (pun intended) Zubeida. She is an absolute joy to read. She is funny and hot-tempered, and has a … [Read more...]
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 to meet her, but also to get to know her. And Priya, man-hating as she is convinced she is, knows that this spells bad news.Characters leap out of the pages of Daddy Come Lately, and so many of them are wonderful! Priya is (mostly) a fun character. There is one bit towards the end of the book where she behaves a little more melodramatically than I would like, but that takes little away from how real she is. Mr Sarkar, aka Dad the Bad, is a wonderful character, and that makes me wish I had written this post in time for Father's Day. An independent, no-nonsense dad, he … [Read more...]
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 charm of the voice of the lead character Sarojini. She is one of my favourite characters in literature. I love how she writes!Twelve-year-old Sarojini goes to a government school in Bangalore. When a new teacher, Annie Miss, joins the school, Sarojini is puzzled by Annie Miss's strange ideas of a 'just-and-beautiful-world'. But Annie Miss's ideas lead her to a club on child rights, which in turn makes her learn that she has a right to education. Annie Miss says that writing letters can help her brain and heart grow, and honestly, Sarojini is more concerned about the brain bit because that is what will get her a job, … [Read more...]
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 far as to say it was thrilling, but it certainly was exciting.The twists and turns in the plot were sometimes surprising and sometimes predictable. As always, more than twisting plots, characters drew me in. The special relationship in this book is the one that blossoms between the street-urchin-turned-prince Danny and the elephant Maharajah. I am not at all a fan of elephants being domesticated - elephants belong in the wild. But then, this is historical fiction, loosely based on fact, so I couldn't really complain. I enjoyed the book!Additionally, The Elephant Thief was a quick read … [Read more...]
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 and read and read ... And the last page was missing. I don't need to write about how frustrating that was.Then I read it for the second time and sobbed over it all over again, but finished it. Ah. It's one of those books. I see it on the shelf and it fills me up just thinking about it.So, of course, when I saw another book by Michelle Magorian at the library, I had to borrow it. I was a little daunted by how thick it was - I haven't read a 700-page book since Harry Potter. But I borrowed it and started reading it.And just like Goodnight Mister Tom, I read and read … [Read more...]
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 as one. If I had read it as a young adult, I would have been traumatised. There's violence, abuse, isolation, drunkenness ...Hattie, who thinks she is in love with Reuben, needs to make an important decision. The one thing she takes a while to realise is that it is a decision. She must make a conscious choice, and it is not wise to base her decision on Reuben's reaction.The most important bit of advice she receives is from an old lady called Gloria, who has the beginnings of dementia. Do not be afraid of regret.Gloria and Hattie, two isolated and vulnerable individuals, embark on a journey together. … [Read more...]
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 anyway and it was only when I got it home that I noticed that it was by Frances Hardinge.I've read two books by her - A Face like Glass, which was gripping, and Fly by Night, which is famous, but not one that I enjoyed as much. If I'd read Fly by Night first, I may not have picked p anything else by Hardinge. But A Face like Glass was impressive, so The Lie Tree could go either way.It went the right way.For one, I found the protagonist superb. I can't say I loved her because that really isn't what the book wants. Faith Sunderly is too complex for that. She is a rebel who does not appear to be … [Read more...]
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 in a midnight treasure-hunt at a bookstore the day the seventh Harry Potter book was to be released. It pushed me to write today about all these other books I'm reading, books that aren't nearly as famous.The good part about reviewing books long after you've read them is that you have a little more perspective. You know which books stay with you and which ones just get lost along the way.The Thing about Jellyfish stayed with me. And I think the best thing about the book - without giving anything away - is that it ends perfectly.When Franny dies, her best friend Suzy stops … [Read more...]