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The Paper Dolls

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I love Julia Donaldson! I came across her work for the first time when I read and watched The Gruffalo's Child. Then, I read Running on the Cracks - a completely different book for a completely different audience. And now, as part of the Record Breakers Reading Challenge, I read The Paper Dolls, first by myself and then during my workshop with children at MGM Clover Dale. It was just lovely! I'm one of those who prefer picture books that rhyme to those that don't. I find rhyme, when well done, truly delightful and very easy to read. More than anything, I love how children respond to rhyme, like when I make them repeat Ticky-and-Tacky and Jacky-the-Backie and Jim-with-two-noses and Jo-with-a-bow. The Paper Dolls was delightful from start to end, both to read aloud and to act. What makes it even more special is that after the story, there's a page that shows you how to make your own … [Read more...]

The Imagination Box

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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

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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...]

Flickering Flames

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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

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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...]

A Monster Calls

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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...]

More First Prints!

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I wrote not so long ago about the first prints of The Duronto Adventure and Bholu at the Level Crossing. The next two books for young readers are here! A little about these two books ... Kevin has lost his lucky coin! Bholu volunteers to help him look for it, and Deven, Priya, Rohit and Ruth come along. Would you like to explore the train with them? Forty-two children go on a school excursion to the railway station. What happens when one child gets lost? … [Read more...]

Flickering Flames – Now Available!

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During the last academic year, a group of girls from St. Mary's School worked with me at the Writers' Club. They imagined, wrote and rewrote. Now, their work is available in the form of an anthology of poems and short stories! Flickering Flames, written by girls from classes VI and VII of St. Mary's School, is now available online. The proud authors are Advaya Venbakkam, Advika Dhar, Ananya Banerjee, Anika Garg, Anushka Shinde, Ashna Bhavnagarwalla, Jayde MacFarland,Lavanya Dua, Pareesa Irani, Rashmin Kaur Juneja, Riva Verma, Samiksha Deshpande and Tejasee Khurjekar. The illustrators (also girls from the school) are Advaya Venbakkam, Ananya Banerjee, Anika Garg, Ashna Bhavnagarwalla, Chahat Agarwal, Nandini Ghosh, Pareesa Irani, Paridhi Kumar, Riva Verma, Samiksha Deshpande, Shanaya … [Read more...]

Duronto and Level Crossing Resource Packs!

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I wrote about first prints and the joy of having the resource packs in hand. But how could I cut up the one electric loco kit I had? Now, armed with a spare set, I'm ready to make my own electric loco model. As a child, I loved jigsaw puzzles. I loved them so much that I used to compete with myself as I tried to make my puzzles faster and faster. And I had enough puzzles to make a mat of puzzles on the drawing room floor. Do you see the whizzing hands? Old habits die hard! And then, we have stage one of the electric loco for The Duronto Adventure. We're cutting the sheets, slowly but surely. I cut badly, rarely in a straight line. But does that stop me from enjoying it? Never! The process is slow ... Working on it a little every day, and loving it! … [Read more...]