What's the best kind of surprise? An unexpected book in the mail! Last week, I ordered books from KoolSkool and Funky Rainbow. The following day, I received a message saying that my shipment from Scholastic India was on its way. I was puzzled, but I let it go. I don't know how things work.Except that I do.I know that Funky Rainbow sends books by speed post. And a few minutes later, I got a message saying my shipment from KoolSkool was on its way. So what was Scholastic sending me? A brand-new book for review! Joy! WeirDo is a hilarious graphic novel featuring a boy whose parents have a dubious sense of humour. Weir's parents could have chosen any name in the world. But what did they choose? Weir.And what's Weir's last name? Yes, it's Do. And in case there's any confusion about it, Do rhymes with go not to. I'm not a big fan of humour that employs disgust to function, so … [Read more...]
Granny Ting Ting
Let's be honest. I picked this book up because of the name. Granny Ting Ting. I didn't know anything about the book. I read the title and looked at the cover image--and bought the book. Every two months, I buy a set of chapter books. I love that I do this for work! I need to choose appropriate books for my reading programmes, so I need to read a range of books, right? To be honest, most books I read do become part of my book club. A handful don't - usually because they aren't easily available (more about that in another post, hopefully). Sometimes, though, as with Granny Ting Ting, there's another reason I don't choose certain books, and that is, that I am not equipped to lead a discussion on the book. Yes, I enjoyed Granny Ting Ting thoroughly. I like the characters and the exposure to a cultural milieu that I know little about. I love the competition between Shayla and Michael … [Read more...]
One Day Elsewhere
One Day Elsewhere is such a lovely series! Looking at events in history from a child's point of view is always special. Yes, we know people were arrested during the Dandi March. But what of the children of those arrested? How did they make sense of things happening around them?Each book in this series is a story woven around a significant event in history, and each story has a child at the centre, making the event more accessible to young readers. My Father's Courage 4/5 A beautifully nuanced story about community, solidarity and bravery, My Father's Courage looks at the Dandi March from the point of view of young Aslam, who witnesses his father's arrest. There are so many layers to this story, which make it a heartwarming read.For one, I love the question that bothers Aslam, Why? Why was my father, … [Read more...]
Rattu & Poorie’s Adventures in History: 1857
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 … [Read more...]
Rise of the Earth Dragon (Dragon Masters #1)
I love introducing children to book series. It's heartwarming to see children come back to a subsequent edition of my reading programme bursting with excitement because they're reading the next book of a series to which I introduced them! It's happened with the hOle books, Amelia Bedelia, the A to Z Mysteries, Moin and the Monster ... More often than I can count! And the Dragon Masters is a fun, exciting series too! Rise of the Earth Dragon is the first of the series, the book where Drake discovers that he is a Dragon Master. But-but-but dragons don't exist! They do? But what if he can't connect with his dragon at all? Rise of the Earth Dragon is a lovely story about new experiences, making friends, adventure and magic! Here's what we will do with it at my book club. Diary of a Dragon Master What if you were a Dragon Master? Write about your dragon! What is its name? What … [Read more...]
Cricket for the Crocodile
I launched my online reading programme for ages seven and eight in December last year, which means that this is the sixth edition of the programme. Each time, I've focused on Indian books - books written by Indians, published in India or set in India - usually all three. On the whole, I've tried to avoid the big names in children's literature, mainly because one of the goals of the book club is to introduce children to books they might not otherwise read. Yet I have included well-known names - Roald Dahl and Dick King-Smith twice each, for instance! And so, this time, I'm introducing a book by Ruskin Bond, Cricket for the Crocodile. It's shorter than the books we usually read, but that should give us more time for bookish activities! Ranji is determined to be a Test cricketer, and his team comes from different parts of town. Sometimes, they even need to let the adults take … [Read more...]
Pinkoo Shergill – Pastry Chef
Two days ago, at my reading programme, we discussed portmanteau words - words created by combining existing words. The children came up with words like roli (a rose and a lily) and brellow (brown and yellow). I must introduce them to Pinkoo Shergill next, with his delightful portmanteau words! Fabtastic! Wowmazing! Spectaculous! Just like those three words there, the book Pinkoo Shergill - Pastry Chef sparkles with energy and life. I love it when there is a sense of urgency in a book. When characters run around, hide, keep secrets and rush, readers experience the same thrill - of something that must happen, and FAST! And when something must happen fast, we turn page after page, eager to know what will happen next. Pinkoo Shergill wants to be a pastry chef, but his Papaji wants him to become a shooting champ. Pinkoo knows that that that was his grandfather's unfulfilled dream, so … [Read more...]
Dreamers
Dreamers.What a beautiful title for a series of illustrated stories about children who dared to dream and then dared to live their dream. The first two books in the series are about light and song, and I found that quite lovely too.Richly illustrated with stark, contrasting colours, The Boy Who Played with Light and The Girl Who Loved to Sing are a visual treat.Shadows lurk everywhere, even as the young Satyajit Ray hunts for the light. He tries to draw them out; he runs from them; he watches them from corners. Until he discovers the magic of light and darkness and the beauty they create together.Satyajit Ray's story was lovely, but to be honest, I enjoyed Teejan Bai's story much more. Red, black and white come together to create powerful pictures, and I love the use of repetition. Jhunjhuni! Pagalpana! Teejan sings!'Teejan sings', especially, is such a powerful affirmation. How strange … [Read more...]
The Absolutely True Adventures of Daydreamer Dev
Daydreaming! Sigh. You can be what you want to be. You can do what you want to do.And Dev is the ace daydreamer. In The Absolutely True Adventures of Daydreamer Dev, the boy embarks on three adventures. He climbs Mount Everest, travels along the Amazon and then across the Sahara. Each adventure is real to him, and so, of course, he has no time to pay attention to mundane things like school and marks. In fact, even when he is being told off by his father, he's off on another flight of fancy.Dev's stories are full of possibility, and that's why I chose to include them in my reading programme. Imagination has no limits; let's see how far-fetched we can get! What could it be? Look at the cover of The Absolutely True Adventures of Daydreamer Dev. There he is, lying on a Kwality Carpets carpet and dreaming. A carpet can take you on an adventure, can't … [Read more...]
Sandy to the Rescue
Another reading programme, another delightful hOle book! I remember reading a YA book by Rupa Gulab, Daddy Come Lately, and I enjoyed it. How would a chapter book be?The answer? Lovely.Sandy, aka Sandip when his mother is angry, makes a new friend, Aftab, who needs rescuing from Mrs Gupta, the witch next door. The problem is that he needs to sneak Aftab into his house, feed him and give him a place to stay. And of course, Sandy has got to be braver than Aftab when it comes to an adventure of this sort. After all, Sandy is a whole year older.I'm sure this hOle book is going to be equally fun to read at my book club! Here are some bookish activities we're going to do. Making Up Words 'It's greeny blue, not bluey green. It's, um, grue!''You need spectacles,' Aftab scoffed. 'It's not grue, it's breen!'What words can you make up by combining two words? What … [Read more...]