We're rereading Misfit Madhu at my book club! It was a favourite when I read it two years ago, although it's longer and slightly more complex than the books we usually read. I'm waiting to read it again!Madhu makes an app that goes viral. At first, she can't quite believe it, but soon, she begins to bask in the attention. Things quickly go wrong, though, and Madhu must decide between what she wants and what's right. Here's what we'll do as we read the book! Apps When we read Cricket for the Crocodile, we did an activity where we made our own games. One child made a rudimentary online game, which made me wonder: what apps do children feel they need? While we won't create an app (I know nothing about coding!), we will try to design one, coming up with a name, a purpose and details of what the app can do, no matter how farfetched. What … [Read more...]
My Favourite Middle-Grade Books from 2022
I read and loved so many middle-grade books in 2022! While some of these are early middle-grade books (I've read four of them with my book club for ages nine and ten), others are for ages ten and above. When I review a book, I usually indicate what age-group I think it is suited to, but do remember that reading levels vary widely! Secret Friends Secret Friends is heartbreaking, and that's the only reason I haven't introduced it to my book club. I meet children just twice a week, and online at that, so it's tough to see how affected a child is by a book. With my regulars, I know I can introduce a book like this as long as I include a trigger-warning. With newcomers, not really.Secret Friends is about the need to fit in, and about how we are willing to go to any lengths to belong. The problem is - how far can a child go? Read a … [Read more...]
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 give her a moniker like Misfit Madhu, or No Name, or something else equally annoying. But when she makes an app called School Santhe, she suddenly finds herself in the limelight because her app goes viral. She's earned herself a new name - Maker Madhu!The problem, however, is that when the app begins to be misused, she needs to decide what to do. Should she let go of her hard-earned popularity and reset her app? Or just try to fix things that might not really be fixable?Noor is the perfect best friend, Madhu's moral compass. She pushes Madhu to do what is right, and I love the way she does … [Read more...]