We read The Very Glum Life of Tootoolu Toop a couple of years ago at my reading programme for ages nine and ten, and we loved it. That's why I picked up The Adventures of Tootsie Lama. It has the same kind of craziness, which makes it perfect for my book club.Tootsie Lama is reminiscent of Pippi Longstocking in her independent, almost amoral, way of functioning. She wants thukpa, and she will steal it if she must. Her friend Tenzing is the perfect ally, more than willing to be part of her madcap schemes, even if it means getting into trouble with his mother. But in this adventure, perhaps Tootsie Lama goes a little too far and has to face consequences that she didn't quite imagine ... It's such a fun story! Food Tootsie Lama goes to astonishing lengths for a bowl of thukpa. What food would you do anything for? And if we're being completely wacky, how … [Read more...]
Ottoline and the Yellow Cat
I love Chris Riddell! I read Ottoline Goes to School sometime last year, but I couldn't introduce it to my book club because it wasn't available in India. Less than a month ago, I learned that Ottoline and the Yellow Cat is available, so of course we must read it!I love serious humour. I know that's an oxymoron, but for me, it's the kind of book that's earnest and written in such a way that something utterly ridiculous reads like it is perfectly normal. And that's what makes the Ottoline series delightful. Lovely pictures and a perfectly lovely story come together in this quick, beautifully illustrated story about a girl and her unusual friend. Here's what we'll do as we read Ottoline and the Yellow Cat at my book club. Collections Ottoline's parents travel all over the world and collect all kinds of things, including masks, extremely small paintings, … [Read more...]
The Lizard of Oz and Other Stories
As a child, I adored animal stories. Dick King-Smith was a favourite, and I scoured the British Library for his books. Another favourite was the Animal Ark series - completely different in the sense that the animals aren't anthropomorphic, but fun, all the same.That's one of the reasons we're reading The Lizard of Oz at my book club. Although I haven't worked with short stories with my book club for ages seven and eight before, they work excellently with the older ones, so I'm excited to read this set next month. Humour, adventure and sparkling surprises come together in this collection that I'm sure we'll have fun exploring! Word Puzzle Several years ago, the theme for the reading challenge at the British Library was 'Animal Agents'. I loved the books in the collection, as well as all the activities we did! One of those activities is a word puzzle … [Read more...]
Petu Pumpkin: Cheater Peter
Petu Pumpkin is a cheat! Or at least, so Jatin is convinced. And if Petu Pumpkin continues to cheat and lie, what will become of him? One day, he fakes a stomach ache. He used to be a tiffin thief. Tomorrow, he'll be a pickpocket. And then soon, he'll be a murderer! His friends have a duty. They must get him to confess, no matter what it takes. That's the only way they can save him from a life of crime.Humorous and fun, Petu Pumpkin: Cheater Peter has that element of silliness that I know my book club will enjoy. Here's what we'll do as we read it. Book Cover The episode featured on the cover of Petu Pumpkin: Cheater Peter is probably my favourite part of the book. It's as mad as it looks, and so, I'm going to begin by asking the children what they think is happening there. Is that ... an egg? What are the boys doing?And with all the hypotheses my book … [Read more...]
Chitti’s Travelling Book Box
I love books about books, so I knew I would enjoy Chitti's Travelling Book Box. When Chitti comes back from her Madras Mama-Mami's place with a surprise gift, her friends can't wait to find out what she's brought. Unfortunately for them, it's a box of books. Who gets excited about books?Chitti can't believe how biased her friends are. They aren't even willing to give the books a shot! And when push comes to shove, she has to choose between her friends and her books. And she does.Set in a small village in Tamil Nadu, Chitti's story has much to offer. I loved the satirical comment on the only stories in the school library - moral stories! And not just moral stories, animal moral stories. Written by the principal. Of course. A set of five stories for the well-behaved, homework-loving child.Full of little details on reading, books, and falling in love with stories, I enjoyed … [Read more...]
Gupshup Goes to Prison
Why do some books sit on my shelves for months before I get around to reading them? I bought my copy of Gupshup Goes to Prison in August last year. In September, I met author Arefa Tehsin at the Neev Literature Festival and got my copy signed. I finally read it today!And what a fun book it is. Featuring a boy, a cat, an amateur detective, and a pair of twins, it sparkles because of the characters. I love the twins Che and Guevara best of all! They're experts at getting the best deal in any given situation, and I could learn a thing or two from them. Khalid wants to find his cat? He has to make a deal with Che and Guevara.Amateur detective Kodi wants a client? He has to make a deal with Che and Guevara too. Smart and sassy, they're my favourite characters in the story, making me marvel and chuckle at their entrepreneurship.While being a fun story, Gupshup Goes to Prison is also … [Read more...]
Nisha Small: The Knot of Gold
Nisha Small (née Kutty) is the best detective in Madurai. And it's time for her to compete with mustachioed detectives to catch the thaali thief.A missing thaali! That's the knot of gold. But what does the word thaali mean to you? Different things depending on where you're from. Or perhaps it means nothing at all, which made me wonder about the universality of the story.Despite my questions about what unilingual people would make of the book, I couldn't help chuckling at the inter-language wordplay. I've lost track of the number of times people have asked me why south Indians write Seetha, Geetha, Bharatha Natyam ... the works. But I've never thought of writing a book about it! Nisha Small: The Knot of Gold was fun!With Nisha and Jamie, the reader investigates the mystery of the thaali thief. Jamie has complete confidence in Nisha. She is the best detective in school, … [Read more...]
Talon the Falcon
We love the Feather Tales series at my book club! I didn't choose to read Talon the Falcon earlier because it is much shorter than The Golden Eagle and The Paradise Flycatcher, but when children fall in love with a series, how can we not read the whole lot together?Set in the familiar Rose Garden, Talon the Falcon opens with a beloved character, Shikar, who wonders where all the birds have disappeared. He soon finds the reason - the presence of a falcon in the neighbouring garden! Of course, the birds, terrified, have flown away. But everything isn't as it seems, and Shikar soon realises that the mighty falcon needs their help.Here's what we'll do as we read Talon the Falcon together.Idioms and Proverbs Birds of a feather flock together. Bird-brained. Chicken-hearted.I never tire of working with theme-based idioms with children. A quiz always … [Read more...]
Gulgul in Jungalu
It's time to introduce another series to my book club - the Gulgul series! I wonder if the book is targeted at slightly younger readers than my book clubbers, but the number of things we can do with Gulgul in Jungalu prompted me to select it.Gulgul is mischievous, resourceful and friendly, the perfect protagonist of an adventure story. She must befriend not just elephant-like creatures, but also flippots, bluglugs and longfellows in order to help her mother Megha build a zingjuck that will shoot them into space where they will have phone coverage to call a spacecab!Full of wacky words and even wackier animals, Gulgul in Jungalu promises to keep my book clubbers giggling as we read. Space Travel Imagine you're travelling through space. What planet are you from? How do you travel? How old do you have to be to drive a space vehicle? What are your … [Read more...]
Yikes! Bikes!
We had so much fun with The Reading Race a few months ago that I was sure I wanted to do another book from the Ready, Freddy! series sooner or later. Yikes! Bikes! is perfect.The animal shelter in Freddy's town has organised a fundraiser, one that involves a Bike-a-thon. Max Sellars goads Freddy into making a bet with him, and the young protagonist rashly bets that he can ride more laps than the class bully. The problem? Freddy can't ride without training wheels yet and he has just two weeks to figure it out!Lighthearted and humorous, Yikes! Bikes!, like The Reading Race, allows us to do a lot as we read it together at my book club. The Hidden Fin As we read The Reading Race, everyone took part in a different sort of race - seeing who could find the word "fin" hidden in the pictures first! The protagonist Freddy loves sharks, so the word is hidden in … [Read more...]