I’ve been intrigued by the Girls of India series for a while, but I hadn’t read any of the books in the series until Penguin sent me A Chera Adventure to review. I enjoy historical fiction. And middle-grade historical fiction set in south India? I can’t think of a single example of a book that […]
The Train to Tanjore
It’s 1942 in Tanjore, and Thambi wants to know more about the Quit India movement. Encouraged by his father, he visits the library regularly to scour the newspapers. But there’s precious little in the papers about anything except the war raging in Europe. Thambi wants to know about Gandhiji and the other freedom fighters! Not […]
Misfit Madhu
I wish I’d known that author Divya Anand would be at the Neev Literature Festival; I would have taken my copy of Misfit Madhu along for her to sign! Misfit Madhu is a lovely book – an easy, engaging read that kept me hooked. Madhu is usually invisible. If anyone notices her, it’s only to […]
Nadya
Nadya’s family is perfect, or so it seems. It’s full of laughter and fun, and she knows that no matter where she is, her father will find her. But one day, things don’t seem so perfect anymore. Eventually, Nadya’s father tells her that he’s going away. He promises he’ll be back soon, but that’s a […]
A Conspiracy in Calcutta
A Conspiracy in Calcutta is the third book I’ve read from the Songs of Freedom series, and it’s my favourite so far! For one, Calcutta is a city that is close to my heart. I spent just a couple of years there, but they were important, full years. More than the setting, though (unlike with […]
The Best At It
Rahul Kapoor wants to be the best at it. The best at what? Honestly, anything. Football, acting … anything except Maths. He doesn’t want to fit into the stereotype of the nerdy American Indian. In fact, he wants as little to do with his Indianness as possible. For instance, he doesn’t want to be part […]
That Year at Manikoil
I couldn’t have read That Year at Manikoil on a better day if I’d planned it. I don’t even remember how long ago I bought my copy, but it was today, Independence Day, that I sat down with it. And it was only when I was close to finishing it that I realised what an […]
Fish in a Tree
Just like with Counting in 7s, I ended up reading Fish in a Tree because of the Neev Literature Festival Reading Challenge. I loved listening to Lynda Mullaly Hunt speak. She left me with so much to think about, both as a writer and as a reader. I’d read nothing she’d written, so I made […]
The Chowpatty Cooking Club
Who didn’t want to be a freedom fighter while studying about the independence movement? I know I dreamt of being a heroine – just like Sakina in The Chowpatty Cooking Club. I would do something meaningful and brave. I would do whatever it took! But like Sakina, the question was what? Bursting with humour, innocence […]
The Nameless God
Often, when I read a book written for children, I wonder if I would have liked it as a child. I was quite conservative in my reading tastes right through school. I wasn’t very willing to experiment, and I was drawn to just a few books. Yet, I think I would have enjoyed The Nameless […]
Mostly Ghostly Stories
If you want to start a conversation with her, send her an email here and she promises to reply I paused and sighed. That’s how Subhadra Sen Gupta’s bio note ends, and even though I never knew or even met her, that line right there warms me up. And even if she cannot reply now, […]
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise
How does one even begin to talk about a book like The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise? Coyote – why is she called Coyote? Why does the cover image show her sitting on top of a school bus? Coyote’s mother and sisters die in a road accident and for her father, the only way to […]
Unfair
Three years ago, when I read No. 9 on the Shade Card, I came across the concept of a shade card for the first time. As a child, conversations about skin colour bounced off me. People spoke of how one person was lighter or darker than another; they talked of having tanned too much after […]
Rain Must Fall
Rain Must Fall by Nandita Basu is such a beautiful read! I devoured it in one sitting, and I loved it. Anya, Rumi’s best friend, asks whom Rumi would like to go on a date with. Rumi makes the mistake of being honest and saying ‘you’. After all, you can be truthful with your best […]
The Boy Who Grew Dragons
Dragon fruit. Who hasn’t heard the name and considered the possibilities? I remember when I first came across dragon fruit at Shivaji Market. Ooh! Dragon fruit! And the way I see it, that tiny spark lit a fire in author Andy Shepherd. She took the idea to its logical conclusion – a fantasy story about […]
Neha and the Nose
Why did I not read this book earlier? It’s such a fun book, so witty and well written! I love it! Neha and the Nose are teen detectives. And they’re not just your regular detectives – they’re so good that even the principal calls on them when there’s investigation required. Of course, “the Nose” is […]
Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flame
Ahimsa by Supriya Kelkar left its mark on me. But Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flame was something else altogether. I devoured the book. Each chapter made me read just one more chapter, as compelling as the previous one. Meera is an unlikely protagonist, one who seems a far cry from the typical feisty girl […]