What's the best kind of surprise? An unexpected book in the mail! Last week, I ordered books from KoolSkool and Funky Rainbow. The following day, I received a message saying that my shipment from Scholastic India was on its way. I was puzzled, but I let it go. I don't know how things work.Except that I do.I know that Funky Rainbow sends books by speed post. And a few minutes later, I got a message saying my shipment from KoolSkool was on its way. So what was Scholastic sending me? A brand-new book for review! Joy! WeirDo is a hilarious graphic novel featuring a boy whose parents have a dubious sense of humour. Weir's parents could have chosen any name in the world. But what did they choose? Weir.And what's Weir's last name? Yes, it's Do. And in case there's any confusion about it, Do rhymes with go not to. I'm not a big fan of humour that employs disgust to function, so … [Read more...]
The Boy Who Grew Dragons
Dragon fruit. Who hasn't heard the name and considered the possibilities? I remember when I first came across dragon fruit at Shivaji Market. Ooh! Dragon fruit! And the way I see it, that tiny spark lit a fire in author Andy Shepherd. She took the idea to its logical conclusion - a fantasy story about dragons hatching out of fruits on a tree! The Boy Who Grew Dragons is a charming read. Tomas grows his first dragon by chance. Soon, however, he realises that there's more to growing dragons than the thrill of having a fantastic pet. Firefighting becomes second nature to him as his dragon Flicker sheds exploding poo all over his room. That's not the only thing Tomas has to contend with, though. The class bully Liam is determined to prise out what Tomas is hiding. Tomas's little sister is too little to even understand that a dragon, however exciting, must not be shared with adults. … [Read more...]
Four Workshop Anecdotes
So many tiny things happen during workshops! Here's a quick roundup of things that make me smile. Whispering During one of my sessions, a child raised his hand. I quickly summed up what I wanted to say so that I would not lose my chain of thought, and then asked him to speak.'Actually, I want to talk to A,' he said.Amused, I nodded to him to go ahead.What he wanted to say to A was utterly and completely unrelated to what we were doing. And that's what made me realise - at online classes, whispering has to happen with the teacher's permission! I like The protagonist of The Vampire Boy is Kris, a vampire who hates blood. With that in mind, I asked the children to come up with sentences about themselves, telling us two things: one, something they like that their friends also like, and two, something they like but their friends don't. My favourites? My friends like … [Read more...]
Uncle Oscar’s Chairs From A to Z
It's sometimes amazing how a book comes into your world at just the right time. A dear friend whom I don't talk to often enough sent me Uncle Oscar's Chairs: From A to Z out of the blue. I had not heard of it, but a book is always an exciting gift, right? Plus, she picked up the book at Storyteller, one of the lovely independent bookstores that supply books for my book clubs. And the book was perfect in so many ways. For one, it's unusual. It's a book about chairs. Real chairs. A is for Ant designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1952B is for Ball designed by Eero Aarnio in 1963C is for Coconut designed by George Nelson in 1955You get the picture. So it's an alphabet book, but also an introduction to all sorts of chairs, some of which are familiar and some so zany that they surprise a laugh out of you. I loved it! But the reason I call it a perfect book at this time is that my online … [Read more...]
Muggie Maggie
I promised to write about the books that I don't end up using at my reading programmes because they aren't easily available - and Muggie Maggie is at the top of the list. I've read barely anything by Beverly Cleary. She was somehow one of those famous authors whom I never encountered as a child. It was when she died that I made a conscious effort to look for her books, pick them up, and read them. And when I read chapter books, of course, it is always with the ulterior motive of introducing them to my book clubs. I loved Muggie Maggie. It is such a delightful book! Maggie is determined not to learn cursive writing, but Mrs Leeper, her class teacher, has other plans. She comes up with an ingenious plan, playing on Maggie's curiosity, to make Maggie learn her letters. Maggie's stubbornness, Mrs Leeper's seemingly innocent support of it and the telling of the story were all … [Read more...]
Granny Ting Ting
Let's be honest. I picked this book up because of the name. Granny Ting Ting. I didn't know anything about the book. I read the title and looked at the cover image--and bought the book. Every two months, I buy a set of chapter books. I love that I do this for work! I need to choose appropriate books for my reading programmes, so I need to read a range of books, right? To be honest, most books I read do become part of my book club. A handful don't - usually because they aren't easily available (more about that in another post, hopefully). Sometimes, though, as with Granny Ting Ting, there's another reason I don't choose certain books, and that is, that I am not equipped to lead a discussion on the book. Yes, I enjoyed Granny Ting Ting thoroughly. I like the characters and the exposure to a cultural milieu that I know little about. I love the competition between Shayla and Michael … [Read more...]
One Day Elsewhere
One Day Elsewhere is such a lovely series! Looking at events in history from a child's point of view is always special. Yes, we know people were arrested during the Dandi March. But what of the children of those arrested? How did they make sense of things happening around them?Each book in this series is a story woven around a significant event in history, and each story has a child at the centre, making the event more accessible to young readers. My Father's Courage 4/5 A beautifully nuanced story about community, solidarity and bravery, My Father's Courage looks at the Dandi March from the point of view of young Aslam, who witnesses his father's arrest. There are so many layers to this story, which make it a heartwarming read.For one, I love the question that bothers Aslam, Why? Why was my father, … [Read more...]
Rattu & Poorie’s Adventures in History: 1857
A book about a pair of sisters, where the protagonist is the younger sister ... of course I was intrigued! Additionally, historical fiction has attracted me for a while, and I have come across very little in the genre for seven and eight-year-olds. Rattu & Poorie's Adventures in History: 1857, shortlisted for the Neev Book Award for Emerging Readers 2020, is quite engaging, providing glimpses of three major events that comprised an uprising that all of us study in school - the revolt of 1857.The links between Rattu's life in modern India and historical events are interestingly created. Rattu wishes for a soldier with a sword and encounters Rani Lakshmibai and Jhalkari Bai, who encourage her to play a game of make-believe based on the siege of Jhansi. When bullies steal the sisters' ice-creams, whom should they encounter but Azimullah Khan and Nana Sahib, who teach them how to deal … [Read more...]
Reading, Reading, and Reading Some More
Yesterday, we came to the end of yet another batch of my reading programme for ages nine and ten. I wrote about our 'raise hand' anecdote, and thinking about that made me realise - again - that the main reason I conduct reading programmes is that I enjoy them so much! Yes, I spread the love of reading and all that, but more, I love what goes into each programme. I love choosing my books, planning my activities, and then, seeing how, despite all the planning, children take the workshop in whatever direction they like!This time, we read Karma Meets a Zombie, The Hodgeheg and When the World Went Dark. Each one was delightful in its own way. Karma Meets a Zombie I wrote about being a little nervous reading this one with my book club. Would it be too scary? Detachable hands, the undead - how much is too much?Ultimately, though, it … [Read more...]
Rise of the Earth Dragon (Dragon Masters #1)
I love introducing children to book series. It's heartwarming to see children come back to a subsequent edition of my reading programme bursting with excitement because they're reading the next book of a series to which I introduced them! It's happened with the hOle books, Amelia Bedelia, the A to Z Mysteries, Moin and the Monster ... More often than I can count! And the Dragon Masters is a fun, exciting series too! Rise of the Earth Dragon is the first of the series, the book where Drake discovers that he is a Dragon Master. But-but-but dragons don't exist! They do? But what if he can't connect with his dragon at all? Rise of the Earth Dragon is a lovely story about new experiences, making friends, adventure and magic! Here's what we will do with it at my book club. Diary of a Dragon Master What if you were a Dragon Master? Write about your dragon! What is its name? What … [Read more...]
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