It's only when I began writing this post that I noticed that most (six out of seven) of my favourite middle-grade reads from 2023 have blue covers! How odd!I made a conscious effort to read more middle-grade books this year, also because I want to write more middle grade. It's an age-group I enjoy interacting with, and I want more MG literature that moves and changes me, urging me to read on. Here are the books that I read and loved in 2023. An Alien in the Jam Factory I read this wacky book at the end of November 2023, and I loved it so much that it's going to be part of the February 2024 edition of Read, Write, Explore. An Alien in the Jam Factory is a book that I think most children can identify with, even though the protagonist is a genius who meets an alien, a situation that most children cannot identify with. What makes me feel it has … [Read more...]
Munni Monster
I read Munni Monster a few months ago and loved it. It's a beautiful book, written with empathy and ending with hope. I knew I had to introduce it to my book club, and I can't wait to do so.Munni Monster is a book about a difficult subject, but for me, dwelling on only the subject matter of the book as we read is a bit of an overkill. The children will, I know, understand the messages the book conveys without any interference on my part. Of course, we will talk about cerebral palsy, but that cannot be the only thing we discuss without ruining the beauty of the book, so here's what we will do as we read. Secret Hiding Places Mishti has her own little hidey-hole that no one else is allowed to enter.Do you have a private place of your own? I know I did, as a child. I made my own hiding places too, with umbrellas in a corner, or saris under a dining … [Read more...]
Munni Monster
Mishti's life is good. She has a best friend (never mind if said best friend is a little annoying), parents who love her, and a grandmother whom she adores. Everything's perfect--until Munni, her grandmother's cousin, comes to stay--no, live--with them. And suddenly, things are not idyllic anymore. Munni is a weirdo. She is old, but behaves like a baby. She dares to come into Munni's private cave under the dining table. And Mishti has to sleep like a sausage between her parents even though she is "of age", to use a phrase she's just learnt.And that is the crux of the story. Munni is a monster, and Mishti must figure out how to get rid of her. She wishes Munni were dead.Munni Monster is a lovely book, empathetic and heartwarming. It worked for me so much better than Madhurima Vidyarthi's My Grandmother's Masterpiece. Cuteness in children's stories is not something I enjoy, and … [Read more...]