I read Journey to the River Sea years ago, probably over a decade ago. I loved it so much that it featured on my list of all-time favourite books for a long time. Eventually, I realised that even though I still thought about it as one of my favourites, I didn't quite remember the story. I remembered all the emotions I felt when I read it, but the story? I just had a hazy idea. It was time to reread it.And I enjoyed it just as much the second time around. Maia's guardian Mr Murray has been hunting for relatives who will take the child in ever since her parents died. When he finds distant relatives of hers in the Amazon, she is ecstatic. She reads up about the Amazon and imagines all kinds of wonderful things about her family. Instead, she finds two very English girls who hate everything that's not English and are terrified of going out into the jungle.As Maia quickly gets … [Read more...]
Magic Flutes
I love giving books away. I don't hold with the idea that if you have too many books, you need a new shelf. But on the other hand, I do think that there are books for keeps, comfort reads want to go back to and sob over.Eva Ibbotson's Magic Flutes is one of those. I read it in 2018 and loved it (even though it didn't make it to my top ten list), but rereading always brings a different kind of joy. Often, it's only when I reread that I look at the book as a writer. What draws me in? What captures my heart? Over and over again, I realise that it's setting and character. They go together, and they're far more important to me than plot.Set in Vienna just after the first World War, Magic Flutes tells the story of young Tessa, a princess who is a determined Republican. She believes that art and music are universal equalisers. They are what will help abolish titles and aristocracy, … [Read more...]
Top Nine Middle Grade Books I Read in 2020
I love middle grade reads, so this is my longest list this year. In no particular order, here are the books to which I gave a five-star rating in 2020.This is a book for keeps.More often than not, in India, books that address homosexuality are categorised as young adult or adult books, but with this book more than any others before, I disagree. To Night Owl from Dogfish is clearly a middle grade book. The characters, the themes, the tone - everything, for me, is middle grade. Avery and Bett learn that their dads are going to get married, and they start exchanging emails, laying plans to ensure that they don't get to know each other. They don't want two families to become one, thank you very much. They don't want to become sisters.Their fathers want to send them to summer camp together. They want to refuse to go and when that fails, they determine not to talk to each other. … [Read more...]
Books I Read in January 2020
I wrote already about the three hOle books I read, as well as about The Lilliputians. But there's so much more, as always, especially as I was travelling! Instead of doing one post per book, here's a list of books I read and loved.Neel on WheelsNeel on Wheels is a lovely picture book written by Lavanya Karthik (who also created the cover of The Prophecy of Rasphora) and illustrated by Habib Ali. I love picture books that play with rhyme and rhythm! In this delightfully imaginative book, Neel's wheelchair becomes his superpower. It can fight dragons and can scare monsters away!TitleNeel on WheelsRating (out of 5)5GenrePicture bookBoo! When My Sister DiedStories about dealing with grief are so important! I remember attending a session on death, divorce and other difficult subjects at the AFCC 2017 and thinking that we needed more books … [Read more...]