Bipathu often has the same dream. A dream where she, her Ikka Saad, and Hrithik Roshan are playing football. But dreams don’t come true, do they? Especially not very big dreams like this one?As we read the story, we find out!Bipathu and a Very Big Dream is about dreams, reality, and everything in between. All kinds of special relationships blossom in the story, and the most precious one of all, to my mind, is the one between Bipathu and her neighbour, whom everyone calls Madama. Madama has strange notions about how the universe comes to help people, and much to her surprise, Bipathu realises that Madama isn’t entirely wrong. The universe takes multiple forms, though. Sometimes, it even takes the form of a wounded puppy, one that leads to the spark of another unusual relationship.From gender stereotypes to bullying and disability, Bipathu and a Very Big Dream addresses very … [Read more...]
Ammini Against the Storm
Ammini Against the Storm is a reflection of the world we live in, a world where the urban rich are immune to the raging storms that destroy the lives of the poor. Ammini’s parents work hard to send her to a private school so that she can rise above her circumstances and be something other than a farmer. Even as we learn about Ammini's family and their ambitions, we hear the wryness of the narrative voice. This is a system where the farmers, without whom we cannot survive, are on the bottom rung of the ladder, and the only way for them to survive is to climb. Through Ammini, we experience both anger and vulnerability. When everyone grows paddy, Ammini’s father gets a fraction of the expected price for his crop. Why shouldn’t he move to cash crops like everyone else? Why should he and the other farmers, rather than the rich elite, be responsible for maintaining the … [Read more...]
Circus Mirandus
I remember the first time I came across the idea that you have to believe in magic for it to be real. I remember my skin tingling, and a kind of excited joy making my hair stand on end. That's the mood Circus Mirandus creates, although I'm no longer a child reading about magic for the first time.Micah's grandfather is dying, and it's on his deathbed that Micah learns something impossible: all the stories his grandfather told him about the magical Circus Mirandus are true. Micah's grandfather Ephraim really did go to a magical circus, and the Man Who Bends Light offered him a miracle. Ephraim saved the offer for a rainy day, and it's on his deathbed that he knows it's time. Time to ask the Lightbender for his miracle.Micah is sure that the miracle will save his beloved grandfather. But his great aunt Gertrudis wants nothing to do with those nonsensical stories. So Micah must … [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...]
Until the Road Ends
What was it like for animals during the war? How did people have the heart to put them down? Food was scarce and feeding a pet was a "waste" of resources.Until the Road Ends is the story of three animals that survive thanks to a combination of bravery and sheer good luck. It's the story of an unlikely friendship featuring a strange and diverse range of characters, including a supercilious cat, a street-smart dog, an army-mad pigeon ... and even a crocodile!When Peggy saves and adopts Beau, a street dog, the strongest of bonds develops between them. And Beau is the first to recognise and treasure it, unlike Mabel, a cat who belongs to Peggy's brother Wilf. But Peggy is soon sent away to the countryside for safety, and the animals are left behind. What follows is a story of courage and loyalty. Beau proves his worth by saving one human after another, sniffing them out even when … [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 Hunt for the Nightingale
Gone to a better place. Passed away. Moved on. Passed on. We have so many euphemisms to help us talk about death. But what if, sometimes, you need to hear the harsh truth, unembellished?Anxious, socially awkward Jasper Wilde puts all his faith in just one person--his sister Rosie. Rosie never breaks promises. She sits with him and helps him listen. She shows him birds and helps him create a book of birds, full of good, true facts, which calm him down whenever he panics. When he learns that she's gone to a better place, he knows exactly where that better place is. It's where Rosie told him they would go find their nightingale.And so, Jasper sets off on a journey alone. A journey to find Rosie and the nightingale they listened to together.The Hunt for the Nightingale by Sarah Ann Juckes is a heartbreaking, heartwarming story. It's the story of a boy who loves his sister so … [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...]