We read Dungeon Tales II in September last year and loved it. In fact, it was everyone’s favourite read from the August-September selection, even though it competed with Paati Vs UNCLE and Frindle. So how can we not read Dungeon Tales, or, as the children at my book club call it, ungeon ales?
A brilliantly crafted collection of stories, this book takes us through the creation of the tome we encounter in the second book. The Badmash Badshah is all set to make heads roll, until one young prisoner comes up with a plan – of regaling the emperor with stories. One by one, the prisoners are brought before him, and they tell him their magnificent, fantastical, hilarious tales.
Word Choice
Why does the author Venita Coelho use the word ‘dungeon’ rather than a word like ‘prison’ or ‘jail’? How does word choice affect a story?
Through a quick vocabulary activity, we’ll discuss synonyms for simple words like said and walked. How do writers change the mood of their stories by choosing specific words?
Ballads
The stories in Dungeon Tales are old-fashioned ones with a twist, the perfect way to explore old-fashioned storytelling styles like ballads. Can we take a section of a story and rewrite it in the form of rhyming narrative verse? This is the perfect way to introduce the importance of meter and rhythm when we write rhyme!
Prisoners
Creative writing is an integral part of Read, Write, Explore, and so we’re going to write a story of our own. Imagine you’ve been thrown into the Badmash Badshah’s prison. Why are you there? What is your story?
At my creative writing programmes, we will be working on fractured fairytales, and this exercise will follow much the same pattern. What stereotypes and norms can we invert while telling a fantastic story?
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