A couple of years ago, I finally read The Giver, a book that students at my writing programme recommended to me time and again when we were studying dystopia, mythopoeia, fantasy ... almost anything, in fact. And that's the book that kept coming to mind as I read Aparna Kapur's An Absence of Squirrels. An Absence of Squirrels is a fantastical, dystopian story about a perfect leader who wants only the best for her perfect island. Once, however, she was compared to a squirrel, and ever since then she's hated those creatures. And that's why, the tooth-shaped island of Thutta is made even more idyllic by a complete absence of squirrels. In fact, even saying the word "squirrel" leads to memory erasure brought to you by a hat that assures you that the Captain is everything that is perfect. You can trust her. She knows what's good for the island. Enter Katli--or a profusion of Katlis, … [Read more...]
Unplugged
Jett is rich, spoiled, and used to getting his own way. When he takes his mischief-making too far, however, his father packs him off to a place called Oasis where he must live a life completely screen-free. Jett is incredulous. What kind of place is this, where mobile phones are surrendered before you enter? Who are these people who willingly go into boiling hot spring water, as if it is some sort of leisurely activity? Jett can't wait to get out, and perhaps if he behaves badly enough, he'll be sent away. As days pass, however, things begin to change. Oasis seems to be far murkier than Jett had imagined. But with his reputation as a troublemaker, the chances of him being believed are low. Unplugged by Gordon Korman is a wholesome read that, like so many of Andrew Clements's books, teaches us something without being an overtly preachy book. In some places, I did feel that the … [Read more...]
A Demon in Dandi
We all know about the infamous salt tax and the march to Dandi. What would the people of Dandi have felt at the time? Were people even aware of this huge political upheaval brewing in various parts of the country? A Demon in Dandi by Lavanya Karthik is part of Duckbill's Songs of Freedom series, and it reimagines a few days in this tumultuous period from the point of view of a Sherlock Holmes fan, Dinu. Dinu is slow to find motivation when it comes to Bapu's call to action. He can't spin and he can barely concentrate while he's praying. What role could he possibly have in Bapu's march to Dandi? As the story unfolds, Dinu finds that he does after all have the motivation it takes. Against the backdrop of the Dandi march, Dinu finds himself plunged in a murder mystery, one that he must solve, if only for his friend Alif. In true Sherlock Holmes style, he begins his investigation, … [Read more...]
Some Places More than Others
Finding your roots can be such a complicated thing. Amara has never visited New York City, where her father grew up, and there's nothing she wants more than to go meet her father's family and get to know them. What's even more intriguing is that even before she goes, she learns tiny things like the fact that her Grandma Grace died on the day Amara was born. Or the fact that her father hasn't spoken to his father for twelve years. Could she have had something to do with that? Amara manages to convince her mother to let her embark on a journey to New York City with her father, and she has more than one project to do while she's there. For one, she must find out about her family both because she really wants to and because of a school project. For another, she must ensure that her father and her Grandpa Earl spend some time with each other and work through their differences. Some … [Read more...]
The Double Life of Danny Day
The Double Life of Danny Day by Mike Thayer is such an unusual book! I haven't read anything quite like it ever before, and I loved it! Danny Day is unique. He lives every day twice. As a very young child, he doesn't understand what's happening to him. He remembers conversations that never happened, and he can freakily predict what is going to happen. His parents consult one doctor after another because Danny himself has no idea why the world is so confusing. An unusual therapist, open-minded and observant, finally helps him figure out what is happening and how to deal with it. The story opens several years later, when Danny has grown used to his 'Discard Days' and his 'Sticky Days' as he calls them. Discard Days are days he experiences alone, which prepare him for the day ahead. Sticky Days are the days everyone remembers. When Danny befriends Zak, he begins to realise that … [Read more...]
The Bridge Home
Eleven-year-old Viji has had enough. Her mother might believe that her father is repentant and will stop abusing her. But when he hits Viji and Rukku, she makes a decision. However harsh life on the streets may be, it is preferable to being home with a drunken, abusive father. And so, Viji takes her sister Rukku away, determined to find a place where she can be safe. Amongst untrustworthy adults and bullies, she finds friends who are better than family. She finds home. The Bridge Home is a story of grit and love, of finding home outside home. As a creative writing trainer, I thought about it as a mentor text too, a wonderful example of how well a story told in second person can work. Viji tells the story as if she is talking to her little sister Rukku. We hear every emotion in her voice--her longing, her regret and the depth of her love. Everything that she does is with Rukku in … [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...]
Echo
Do you ever read the author's note and acknowledgements? I love reading them! For example, at the end of Echo, author Pam Muñoz Ryan writes: It was [in the German Harmonica and Accordion Museum in Trossingen] in a glass case that I discovered the letters from thankful family members of soldiers whose lives were once saved by Hohner harmonicas, and the mutilated instruments, some with bullets still embedded, that had protected them. Echo - Acknowledgements I had gooseflesh as I read that because I would never have imagined that a harmonica could save a life. It made Echo all the more poignant because a harmonica, a very special harmonica, is what holds the whole story together. Echo is a blend of historical fiction and fantasy. It traces the story of an enchanted harmonica that finds its way to people who need it. In this gorgeous book divided into three parts, we read about … [Read more...]
Melissa
I've been meaning to read Melissa for a while, and more so since I read Rick some time ago. It's an important book for young readers, one that I found myself mulling over long after I'd finished. George knows she is not a boy. She looks like one, and everyone sees her as one, but that's not who she is, and she knows that. How can she come out to her family and friends? How long should she hide? When can she tell those around her that she is Melissa and not George? As the school prepares to perform Charlotte's Web, Melissa finds a tiny window of opportunity. As with Rick, which follows another character's journey, Alex Gino embraces the possibility of discovering kindness around you when you show your most vulnerable self, and this makes Melissa an optimistic read. At no point does it seem like it is easy to come out as trans; yet, in Melissa's world, her family and friends … [Read more...]
Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen!
What a lovely, lovely book! I don't know anything about baseball. I've seen what the bat looks like, and I've heard random terms like 'home run' and 'strike', but that's the extent of my knowledge. And yet, I loved Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen!, a book that's all about baseball! Vivy Cohen is fed up with people saying that girls should play softball, not baseball. When she's practising the knuckleball (and I have no idea what that is!) with her brother Nate, a coach spots her and wants her to pitch for the team, Flying Squirrels. Vivy has no idea if her mother will let her because her mother always, always wants to 'protect' her. Vivy is autistic, plus she is the only girl in what is traditionally a boys' sport. Things don't look very promising---and they get worse when she suffers an accident during a game. We learn all this, and more, through letters Vivy writes to Major League … [Read more...]