We read our first Amelia Bedelia (Amelia Bedelia Means Business) at the second edition of my reading programme, and what fun we had with it! Even though there were children who didn't understand much of the word play, the humour came through, and we enjoyed the book thoroughly.Amelia Bedelia Goes Wild promises to be just as much fun. Amelia is "sick as a dog", and she can't go to the zoo with the rest of her class. But it isn't like Amelia to give up and give in. Oh, no. If she can't go to the zoo, she must make one of her own!Powered by her optimism and bursting with ideas, Amelia can do anything, as she shows us in this humorous chapter book that I'm waiting to share with my book club. Wordplay How can we read an Amelia Bedelia and not engage in wordplay? From idioms to homophones, this series explores the madness of the English language, … [Read more...]
A Boy Called Bat
What does it mean to be autistic? What exactly does the word inclusive mean?I think these are conversations we must keep having, and the earlier we have them with children, the more likely it is that they will be sensitive to neurodiversity, and the fact that we can look at things from other points of view.For me, the best way to have these conversations is through books - books like A Boy Called Bat.Bat, aka Bixby Alexander Tam, is an unforgettable character, and his story is both funny and lovely. Bat may be autistic, but the truth is that all of us - neurotypical or neurodiverse - know what it is like to want something with all our heart. And what does Bat want? To convince his mother that a skunk kit is the perfect pet.A story about friendship, sibling rivalry, and being different, A Boy Called Bat is another book we're rereading at my book club because it's such a rewarding, lovely … [Read more...]
Help, My Aai Wants to Eat Me!
Yes, Help, My Aai Wants to Eat Me! is as mad and fun as it sounds. I know LOTS of people who express affection by saying they want to eat people up. People like Avi's Aai who thinks Avi is so adorable that she wants to eat him.The problem is that Avi thinks she's for real. And when his Aai is ill, he's sure that he is being fattened up for her, rather like the story of Hansel and Gretel, where the witch fattens children up to eat them ...It's humorously horrifying, but also sweet and charming; we're definitely going to enjoy reading Help, My Aai Wants to Eat Me! at my book club. Pros and Cons Avi looks at the pros and cons of everything, and we're going to use this idea in class. What are the pros and cons of reading in a group? What about of online book clubs? Schools reopening? Notes Each day that his mother is sick, Avi … [Read more...]
Tiger Boy
Sometimes, it takes a while to get to a book, even though you come across it everywhere. Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins was like that for me. I knew it was set in the Sunderbans, and that it has sold over a lakh copies. I bought a copy, and yet, it sat unread on my shelf for months. I finally read it, and I'm looking forward to introducing it to my book clubbers! It's a story about being true to yourself, making difficult decisions, and persevering even when it feels like the world is against you. Another book that reminded me of Red Eyes, I loved venturing with the protagonist Neel deep into the forest, as he struggles to balance what he wants with what he must do. Imagery As someone who loves visiting jungles, a book set in a forest opens up all kinds of possibilities. As we read Tiger Boy, we will work on bringing all five senses alive … [Read more...]
Mahalaxmi Will Go to Mysore
In some ways, Mahalaxmi Will Go to Mysore is a difficult read when it comes to my book club. A lot of children grow up in bubbles, unaware of what it means to be poor, oblivious to privilege and prejudice. I don't know how effective our conversations will be, but I said it even when I reviewed the book--this book is a conversation starter. It needs to find its way into school libraries and from there into children's hands. Hoping to make a tiny beginning with my book club, although I have no idea where our discussions will lead! Friends Most of our friends come from similar backgrounds because we meet them at school or at one of the many classes we go to. Do you have friends who are different from you? What would you do if your friend could not come on a class trip with you? Holidays Since Mahalaxmi Will Go to Mysore is all about … [Read more...]
A Drop of Golden Sun
I remember reading Five Children on the Western Front several years ago, and if I remember right, I enjoyed it. The idea of writing about characters I had encountered in another book was fascinating, and perhaps that was what drew me into the book in the first place. With A Drop of Golden Sun, I was intrigued by the idea of a book inspired by the making of The Sound of Music, a movie I've always loved. While the parallels are clear, author Kate Saunders writes instead about a film called The Music Makers, with the Daudet family at its centre. In many ways, A Drop of Golden Sun is an old-fashioned story. Slow paced and anecdotal, it immerses us in Jenny's world, as she and her film siblings navigate through life, the filmmaking world, and a variety of eccentric and sometimes frightening people. I thoroughly enjoyed this story with its multi-faceted characters, and I liked how the … [Read more...]
No Matter the Distance
No Matter the Distance by Cindy Baldwin left me with such a mix of emotions! I almost didn't finish the book because the middle was a little draggy. But verse tends to keep me reading, and the burgeoning relationship between a girl and a dolphin was promising, so I persevered ... and I really liked how the book turned out. Penny has cystic fibrosis, which forces her to lead a life that is far from normal. Hospital visits and medication are not unusual, and what's irritating is how many people tell her that she's lucky. She's lucky to have got so far. She's lucky not to have it worse. But Penny doesn't feel lucky. Not when she's the only almost-twelve-year-old in her school sitting in hospital instead of school. The weaving together of storylines makes No Matter the Distance an interesting read. One storyline traces Penny's attempt to write a poem about what she knows about … [Read more...]
The Battle for Baramulla
The Battle for Baramulla, the latest book in the Songs of Freedom series takes us to 1947 Kashmir. The maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir wants his kingdom to remain independent. But when there are attacks from the northwest frontier, is staying independent really an option? The Battle for Baramulla begins slowly. I took a while to get into the story because the protagonist Zooni seems like a bystander, giving us a glimpse of how the world around her functions, but doing little else. One by one, we meet a range of characters, including Chandra, whose name means the same as Zooni's--the moon. It is when a pregnant Chandra returns to a charged Baramulla that the story picks up. Before we know it, we're sucked into a world of violence, terror and betrayal, and we cannot stop reading. Whom can Zooni trust? And what if her trust is misplaced? I tore through the story, caught up in … [Read more...]
Rosa in a Rush
Pai's purple dahlias are missing! Of course Rosa is in a rush--she must find out who stole them. Was it Dona Sylvia de Braganza, who won second-best garden when Pai won the prize for best garden? Or was it Cousin Mario who recently turned his house into a hotel? Rosa must find out! It's quite lovely how much this playful Hook Book does. In this tiny book, we have a determined protagonist, a gorgeous setting, and a mystery! The language, even while being simple, is rich with similes and imagery. What more could a picture book ask for? I love how Rosa immediately thinks that it is her job to find out who stole Pai's dahlias. She doesn't pause a minute to ask for help or to doubt herself. She's a child with a mission, and her determination powers the story. Rosa in a Rush is a pacy, joyous story that I whizzed through. I swerved around illustrations and braked for just a few … [Read more...]
What Could It Be?
Bapu is scared of something in the bathroom! What could it be? A gang of ghosts in a giggling gather? Scary skeletons covered in lather? When Diya discovers it's none of the things her imagination leads her to believe but just a lizard, she knows that she must save her father. Even if her Bapu says he isn't actually scared of lizards; he just doesn't like them. As someone who is much like Diya's Bapu, What Could It Be? made me chuckle more than once. I like the whimsical rhyme as characters in the story wonder what scary thing could be in the bathroom. And I love how Diya and Farah make amends for frightening a harmless lizard. Just like with so many of the Hook Books, the pictures are a treat. I especially like the expressions on the characters' faces, expressions that sometimes tell a different story from the text itself! Sweet, humorous and joyful, What Could It Be? is … [Read more...]
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