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 with big bullies?
And finally, Ajju is upset and grumpy about having to leave his home and stay with his grandchildren – until they meet Bahadur Shah Zafar who was sent away by the Company to faraway Rangoon.
The imaginative telling of historical events through the eyes of young, modern protagonists made me choose this book for my reading programme. Here’s what we’ll do with it!
Whom Would You Meet?
During my very first reading programme, we read Manya Learns to Roar, where I encouraged the children to recite poems or deliver speeches, as if they were auditioning for Manya’s play. It was such fun to see what props they brought and how they got into their roles! We’ll do something similar with this, in the sense that I will ask them to bring one prop to help them talk about what historical character they would like to meet if they could time-travel like Rattu and Poorie!
Home
Ajju’s home is with his bees, cows, parrot, chickens and fish. What is your ideal home like? If you had to leave your home behind, what would you want to take with you? I think this could be either a fun conversation or a thought-provoking one and honestly, it’s only when we start talking that I’ll find out what direction it will go!
Time Machine
Rattu & Poorie meet historical characters thanks to three magical wishes. Rattu wishes she had a soldier on a big horse, then she wishes someone would get their ice-creams back and finally, she wishes her Ajju had a friend. Each one leads to a new experience!
How would you travel through time? Would you just make a wish or would you need some sort of time machine? Who would make this time machine for you and how? I’m waiting to see what ideas my book clubbers come up with!
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