We're rereading The Monster Hunters by Parinita Shetty at my book club in June 2025!Abhay is convinced that his mother has eyes at the back of her head. She knows everything and sees everything. Yet, she does not seem to believe that there are monsters in every child's room! Why can't she see them?It's time for Abhay and Nitya to get to work. They must find the monsters. In fact, they decide they will go one step further. For a school project where they have to narrate a real-life story, they will hunt down a monster and talk about the experience.I love books with driven characters, determined to prove something against all odds, and Abhay and Nitya are perfect. The book had me chuckling, shaking my head, but rooting for the characters anyway - and what more could I ask for from a book? Monster Games I love monster games! The wonderful thing … [Read more...]
Two Hook Books
Somewhere between picture books and chapter books are the Hook Books, and books for this age-group are so important! One step up from the 'Read It Yourself' series, they are slightly more complex than picture books, but still have full-colour illustrations right through.I remember reading hundreds--well, dozens--of Noddy books at an age when I could have read books like this. I loved Noddy because of the familiarity of a series. Characters I know, settings I love - these appealed to me, like they appeal to most children.The Hook Books aren't a series in quite the same way. Like the hOle books, they're clubbed together in terms of readership, rather than characters and setting. I finally got around to reading a couple of them - The Sweet Shop Wars and A Birthday Present for Aaji. I LOVED the illustrations in both books! I've always enjoyed Rajiv Eipe's work - Ammachi is one of my … [Read more...]
The A-Z Djinn Detective Agency
Ashwin Kamath is determined to earn enough money to sponsor his own school trip. Unfortunately, his determination translates into one disastrous idea after another. On the surface, each idea seems perfectly harmless. When the idea turns into action, the madness begins.Things take a delightful turn when Ashwin finds a book on summoning a djinni. At first, of course, he pooh-poohs the idea of a djinni. Later, though, a little intrigued, he decides to give it a shot. And he summons Zubeida.The A-Z Djinn Detective Agency had me chuckling time and time again. The characters were all lovely - from the grumpy old man Oz to Mrs Kamath, who is both immensely proud of her son and increasingly annoyed with his ability to get into trouble. The most wonderful character of all, though, is spirited (pun intended) Zubeida. She is an absolute joy to read. She is funny and hot-tempered, and has a … [Read more...]