Shabnam Minwalla's Jumble Sale is another delightful Silly Billy Book, a lighthearted mystery, which begins with a missing bottlebrush. Who could have stolen it? An evil crow? A ghost? Or a thin woman with a beaky nose?Jumble Sale takes us through a hilarious whodunnit featuring mischievous children Dina and Dorab Sethna, hapless parents, and a vengeful teacher, Tinaz Toddywala. Of course, we know who stole the blackboard, the Aadhaar card and the 'No Parking' sign. The question is, how will the whole story unravel?With Tinaz Toddywala, I found myself singing, Justchoo wait, Dorab-Dina, Justchoo wait! with a thrill of pleasure. With the children, I found myself chuckling and hoping they get away with mischief. And with their parents, particular Mrs Sethna, I had every sympathy!The pictures by Isha Mangalmurti make Jumble Sale all the more delightful--my favourite character … [Read more...]
Ghosts, Thieves and Aha! Adventures
I love the idea of a Silly Billy Book! That's what the series is called, and that's what drew me to Ghosts, Thieves and Aha! Adventures by Asha Nehemiah in the first place. With its full colour illustrations, the series is a great addition to books that bridge an awkward gap between age-groups and reading levels. It's perfect for ages eight and above, well suited to children who aren't yet ready to pick up middle-grade books, but enjoy colourful chapter books.Independent bookstores are close to my heart, and a book set in a bookstore was bound to be fun! At Aha! Books, there seems to be rather a lot happening. There's a ghost that keeps putting a particular book on display. There's a thief (or more than one thief, perhaps?) who steals scarves and harmonicas. Could a rambunctious dog called Kattabomman, a baby called T-Reks and a young man called Biplob be somehow involved?Like … [Read more...]
The Hunt for the Nightingale
Gone to a better place. Passed away. Moved on. Passed on. We have so many euphemisms to help us talk about death. But what if, sometimes, you need to hear the harsh truth, unembellished?Anxious, socially awkward Jasper Wilde puts all his faith in just one person--his sister Rosie. Rosie never breaks promises. She sits with him and helps him listen. She shows him birds and helps him create a book of birds, full of good, true facts, which calm him down whenever he panics. When he learns that she's gone to a better place, he knows exactly where that better place is. It's where Rosie told him they would go find their nightingale.And so, Jasper sets off on a journey alone. A journey to find Rosie and the nightingale they listened to together.The Hunt for the Nightingale by Sarah Ann Juckes is a heartbreaking, heartwarming story. It's the story of a boy who loves his sister so … [Read more...]
The Letter with the Golden Stamp
The Letter with the Golden Stamp by Onjali Q. Raúf is such a heartwarming story! As a lover of letters (psst: my first novel in letters, The Wall Friends Club, is just out!), I was drawn to the idea of a story about a special letter right away. With an enterprising protagonist at the centre, the book is completely unpredictable and utterly charming.The book opens with Audrey sitting in a police station, sure that she has been arrested even though the adults around assure her that she has not. They just want to know her story. And as she tells her story, the reader keeps wondering, What did she actually do? How outlandish could her ideas get? And the reveal doesn't disappoint!Stories with strong familial relationships and friendships always warm my heart. The desire to protect your family's secrets is so strong! It's what inspired my Sisters at New Dawn, and I keep encountering … [Read more...]
Nimmi’s Bizuper Birthday
Some time ago, we read Nimmi’s Dreadtastic Detective Days, and although it is longer than most of the other books I choose for Read, Write, Explore, we enjoyed it. It’s funny and engaging, and there’s so much we can do with the book!Nimmi's Bizuper Birthday is no different. Like in Lucky Girl, Nimmi finds herself eating (and sharing) all kinds of ... interesting ... foods. How can she admit that the chocolate-like things she distributes are jowar banana bites?The hapless Nimmi finds herself in one coil after another as she navigates her way through a birthday that is nothing short of bizuper. Portmanteau Words I love portmanteau words! When we put two words together—like bizarre and super to get bizuper—we have a portmanteau word. We’ll do a quick quiz about words that have come into being in exactly this way, before we go on to invent a few … [Read more...]
I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944
We’ve read one book from the I Survived series at Read, Write, Explore before—I Survived the California Wildfires, 2019. This one, I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944, was written way before that, and from what I can tell, it’s one of Lauren Tarshis’s most popular books. I thought long and hard before choosing to read this book with 9- and 10-year-olds. The horrific events of the second world war don’t make for easy reading, and like I’ve said before, it’s always more difficult to gauge the mood of my book clubbers online than offline.Yet, it’s an important story, and while I wonder what conversations will be triggered by the book, I’m looking forward to reading it at Read, Write, Explore. Symbols Different symbols mean different things. The star and the swastika on the cover, for instance, are relevant. What other symbols do we know, and what … [Read more...]
The Paradise Flycatcher
It's impossible to write about The Paradise Flycatcher without mentioning the gorgeous illustrations. I felt the same way about The Golden Eagle, which we read at my book club some time ago. Krishna Bala Shenoi's art work, right through the book, is stunning, and if for nothing else, I would have picked The Paradise Flycatcher for one of my reading programmes just for the pictures! (On an aside, I loved his work in Friends Behind Walls too, which I used at another reading programme.)We read it a few years ago; we're rereading it in April 2025!Mitalee is distraught. Shikar, aka Snowdrop, a white-headed squirrel, has disappeared! She knows Chintu and Arjun are behind this disappearance, but knowing that is not enough. She must save Snowdrop before something dreadful happens. The good thing is that she has help from a bunch of feathered friends - Bongo, Blackpie, Senora, Kabul ... And the … [Read more...]
The Scent of Roses
From the author of Boy, Bear, a poignant story that has stayed with me, comes The Scent of Roses, a book about fear, grief and loss. This latest hOle book by Adithi Rao is made all the more beautiful by Krishna Bala Shenoi's brilliant illustrations.When Sajad's Abu disappears, his Mauji and Badebub try to fill the gaping hole in his life. But it isn't enough. The terrifying Bram Bram Chok takes over, pushing Sajad to act in strange and unpredictable ways. For instance, he loses his temper and shouts at Jabbar, who is fourteen years old and cannot even recite the nine-times table. He feels remorse, of course, for he knows how simple and innocent Jabbar is. But what can Sajad do to quieten Bram Bram Chok? Can he just escape?The Scent of Roses reminds us of the impossibility of running away from grief. And yet, the problem with grief is that it erupts in the most unpredictable … [Read more...]
Leeva at Last
If you like Roald Dahl’s Matilda, you’re sure to enjoy Leeva at Last by Sara Pennypacker!Leeva’s parents, in a perfectly Roald Dahl-esque way are impossibly cruel. They have all kinds of rules for Leeva. She can’t go to school; in fact she isn’t even permitted to step out of her yard.When, one day, she breaks through the hedge around her yard and makes her way to the library that lies just beyond, a whole world opens for her. A world that is in equal parts fascinating and terrifying.Leeva is a lovely character with a question she must answer. The best place to find answers is, of course, a library. And she slowly does find answers to that impossible question: What are people for? As she meets more people (secretly, of course, for her parents must never know that she steps out), she finds more answers.At the same time, though, she discovers how much people hate her … [Read more...]
Top 10 Early Middle Grade Books – 2024
Many of the titles on this list of my favourite early middle grade books from 2024 are book club reads. Some, the children enjoyed thoroughly; others, I enjoyed more than the children did! On the whole, I recommend these books for ages nine and up. In no particular order, here are my top ten early middle grade reads from 2024. No Talking Even though I don't usually like books that follow a boys vs girls sort of dynamic, I thoroughly enjoyed No Talking by Andrew Clements! For me, his books are particularly useful because there's just so much I can do with them at a book club. With easy, readable text that is humorous and engaging, they are perfect for all kinds of readers; plus, my book clubbers love them. No Talking was no different! Book activities Kushti Kid So many books by Vibha Batra have featured on my lists of … [Read more...]