Diaphoresis and dyslexia. Mason Buttle has both, and both trouble him. But that's just the tip of the iceberg of his troubles. His best friend Benny Kilmartin is dead. His parents are dead. And his uncle has sold off parts of their apple orchard to make ends meet. The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle is a beautiful story about innocence and friendship. Mason is a lovely character, a kind and gentle boy in a huge body. As he navigates a school where he is bullied, he finds a friend in Calvin Chumsky. With a new friend, it seems like Mason can finally begin to move on from Benny Kilmartin's death. If only the bullying would stop. The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle is at the same time pacy and slow, gripping and gentle. As the story progresses, even though we can guess how it will all end, we keep reading, wondering how the reveal will happen. I love simple characters, … [Read more...]
The One and Only Ruby
Is there any child who doesn't love elephants? Magnificent African elephants with their enormous tusks, the gentler-looking Asian elephants with their smaller ears---I loved them all. So, of course I wanted to read The One and Only Ruby, the story of the little elephant in the gorilla Ivan's life. And just like when I read The One and Only Bob, I was blown away by how beautifully Katherine Applegate tells the story. Ruby is getting ready for her Tuskday. Or rather, she ought to be getting ready for it, but she is actually running away from it. When she sees a friend from her life in Africa, though, she is taken back to her childhood. She begins to tell her friends Ivan and Bob her story for the first time. As she tells the story, she begins another phase of her journey of healing. The One and Only Ruby is a beautiful story. Innocent and wise, gentle and powerful, it is a … [Read more...]
The One and Only Bob
Katherine Applegate's books are a treasure. Recently, I reread The One and Only Bob, a lovely book featuring an unforgettable character. About a month ago, I reviewed Odder, and I wrote about how authentic the voice is. And with The One and Only Bob, that's the first thing that comes to mind. It is a story about cruelty, loneliness, courage and love, and yet, what makes the book sparkle is Bob's voice. If you've read any of the other books in the series, you know exactly what Bob is like, a street-smart, wisecracking dog who refuses to take anything seriously. He moves with a swagger, makes himself out to be a lazy good-for-nothing, and pretends there's no softness to him. And yet, as we read The One and Only Bob, we see again that his attitude is nothing but a mask. He can't afford to show weakness, and he has made himself believe that he is selfish and looks out only for … [Read more...]
Rick
I've been reading about Melissa and Rick on so many book lists that I've had Alex Gino's books on my (endless) TBR forever. I finally read Rick, and I realise why it pops up so often. It's such an important middle-grade book, one that I would have loved to read when I was twelve or thirteen. Everyone around Rick seems to be talking about crushes. His parents, being broad-minded, make it a point to ask whether there's a girl or a boy whom he likes. But Rick has never felt the way his classmates say they feel. He doesn't know what it means to have a crush, and he has no idea why. It doesn't help that his best friend is a homophobe, one who is always up for mischief if he isn't going to get caught. All at once, Rick feels like he is navigating too many new things - new experiences, an uncomfortable friend, and the big question of who he is. Sensitively told, Rick is a relatable … [Read more...]
In the Bear’s Den
Little Shambu is such fun! I read In the Bear's Den and Other Adventures of Little Shambu some time ago, and at my book club, we read the first book in the Little Shambu series earlier this year. Short stories are fun! I'm looking forward to reading more of this young animal lover's adventures with my book club! Dialogue Role play for dialogue reading is something that I repeat frequently at my book club. Paying attention to paragraph structure and punctuation, and understanding how we know who says what is an important step towards creating stories as the children grow older! Drawing an Animal When we read Ostrich Girl, we discovered that drawing an ostrich isn't actually very difficult. What about a bear? We'll draw a bear together and perhaps a couple of other animals too! Unscramble I know that unscrambling words … [Read more...]
Paati vs UNCLE
We're rereading Paati vs UNCLE by Meera Ganapathi at my book club! It is a delightful combination of funny and serious, action-driven and character-driven, making it a perfect book club read.Inju is all set for a quiet, boring holiday with his Paati. That's just the way he likes it. Unfortunately, from the moment he gets to Parijat Retirement Colony where his grandmother lives, he realises that it's going to be an exciting, adventurous holiday, not a quiet, boring one. It isn't what he wanted, but when his Paati is upset and angry, what can he do except take charge? Making Posters Inju makes a poster inviting people to join PAATI - People's Association Against Thieves International. Someone else puts up a poster about a missing parrot, Gangaram.Posters are always fun to make! What if you want to get people to adopt kittens in your society? And … [Read more...]
The Magic Finger
I typically shy away from very well-known books at my book club because I feel that children will come across these books through schools and bookshops anyway. But I've always loved Roald Dahl's work, and what is a book club for if not to spark the joy of reading? We've read Fantastic Mr Fox and Esio Trot. Next month, we'll read The Magic Finger! Anger While all of us might wish we had a magic finger to zap someone who makes us angry, that isn't practical, is it? What do you do when you're angry? What makes you angry? Superpowers Discussing superpowers is a great way to get creative. What superpowers would you like to have? What would you do with those superpowers?Taking this further, what superpowers would you need to solve specific problems that we see around us? Book Review With my book club for ages seven and … [Read more...]
Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor
I borrowed Leonora Bolt: The Great Gadget Games from a library recently, and my first thought was that the series would be perfect for my book club!A science-loving protagonist with imaginative, innovative ideas, a secret inventor, an unusual set of friends ... it's full of possibilities! And that's why we're going to be reading the first book from the series, Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor at my book club next month. Friendship Leonora Bolt's friends include an otter, a cook, a sea captain and a boy who washes up on the island. This will be our prompt to write about an unusual friendship we'd love to have. If you could befriend anyone, whom would you befriend and why? How do you think you could help each other? Inventions If you are on an island in the middle of nowhere, but you were the smartest person in the world, what would … [Read more...]
Bookasura
Some books demand to be read at reading programmes. Lucky Girl, with its exploration of poetry. Chitti's Travelling Book Box with its message of spreading the love for reading. Book Uncle and Me, with the need to save a lending library.And Bookasura, with its book-eating asura. And that's why we're rereading this one at my book club!Bala loves books. He devours them. Not literally, of course. The problem, however, is his baby sister Meera, who actually likes to eat books. When Bala meets Bookasura, a book-eating demon, he sees a strong resemblance between Meera and the asura. What can he do to defeat Bookasura? What weapon does he have to destroy this book-loving monster?Bookasura is a fun, funny book about a boy fighting a villain who is bigger and stronger. He uses the skills he has - his stories and his wit. Imaginative and thrilling, I know this is the perfect book to read next with … [Read more...]
Birds on the Brain
Uma Krishnaswami's Birds on the Brain is such a lovely book! I've read Book Uncle and Me with my book club, and I just revisited the post I wrote about it. Three years ago, I wrote about having discovered verse novels "quite recently" and now I have two verse novels of my own!In Birds on the Brain, we meet lots of familiar characters, and although I love verse novels, I enjoyed this book more than the first. The characters, particularly the protagonist Reeni, are wonderfully relatable. Reeni, for instance, is a balance of self-centred and selfless. She has birds on her brain and it takes her a while to notice that not everyone is motivated by the same things. Yet, she makes an effort. She doesn't want to lose her friend Anil and she does want to help the istri lady. But how?This endearing story shows us just how she can catch two birds with one phone, to use her words, much kinder than … [Read more...]
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