I've already shared two lists of books, but I think it's important to say - again - that reading levels differ widely, and in multiple ways. For instance, I know that as a child, my linguistic level (in English) was higher than that of some of my peers, but I often read books for children who were younger. I was still reading what was clearly children's literature, while friends of mine had 'graduated' to murder, romance and thrillers. A list of any kind must be taken with a pinch of salt, and this one is no different.With that out of the way, here are six young adult books I read and loved last year. Ben's parents want to conduct an experiment. They want to study different aspects of the same thing - his father is a behavioural scientist who is convinced that chimpanzees can learn a human language if the environment is conducive, and Ben's mother is writing a … [Read more...]
Half Brother
About a year ago, I read Kenneth Oppel's The Boundless. I did enjoy it, but it wasn't a book that wowed me. I read it, quite liked it and moved on. That's why Half Brother was not high on my list of books to read. I knew I would read it, but it sat on my shelf for a bit, while I read other books, including Nomad's Land and To Night Owl from Dogfish.And then, Half Brother made me sob the way only the best books can. Just like Pig Heart Boy, it raises all kinds of questions - about experiments on animals and human selfishness.Thirteen-year-old Ben's father is a behavioural scientist. He is convinced that chimps, being closest to humans, can be taught to use language to communicate. And he's determined to prove it. Ben's mother, who is doing her thesis on cross-fostering, is delighted with the experiment. They bring home and eight-day old chimpanzee, whom they call Zan, and begin … [Read more...]
The Boundless
The Boundless starts slowly; I almost did not read it. But that's what made me realise once again how important reviews are: I read on only because Katherine Rundell was quoted as having said, 'WHAT A BOOK!'And though there were parts I skimmed over, and parts that irked me (like the tiny peculiar sentence in Hindi), I have to agree - The Boundless is a phenomenal book in many ways. It's wild, imaginative and breath-taking, full of the kind of danger and adventure that keeps you reading on and on, however much you may skip on the way.The Boundless is the greatest train in history, but for young William Everett, it turns out to be much more than that because several people intend to rob the funeral car, which carries the body of the rail baron and some of his treasures. From sasquatch to the hag of the muskeg, William encounters all kinds of strange creatures during his journey in … [Read more...]