How are such few people reading verse novels? They're so lovely, so full of emotion and magic! My latest read was The Stories Grandma Forgot (and How I Found Them), a beautiful middle-grade book about love, stories, and friendship. Nyla Elachi is of mixed heritage, and she's bullied for it. But in some ways, that's the least of her problems. Her beloved grandmother has Alzheimer's. Her mother is overworked. And her father is dead ... or so she thinks. When her grandmother says she saw Basim, her father, Nyla begins to ask questions. And as she follows one clue after another, hope, fear and anticipation alternate. She doesn't even know if she's ready to find out everything that is in store for her, but she hears snippets of whispered conversations that make her more curious than ever. With her grandmother's "time-travelling", as Nyla calls the tendency to mix up timelines, the … [Read more...]
The School for Bad Girls
I was reading The School for Bad Girls and I mentioned how much I was enjoying it to an acquaintance. Immediately, she said, "I thought Anandibai Joshi was the first female doctor from India." We looked it up, and of course, I found myself going down a rabbit hole. When I finished reading the book, I saw author Madhurima Vidyarthi's note about the ongoing and "largely pointless" debate about who the first Indian woman to become a doctor was, and I smiled. After presenting a list of undeniable facts, the author goes on to ask, But why should that be important? The race was not against each other, but a joint struggle against society, patriarchy and bureaucracy. The School For Bad Girls, p. 303 And that is what the book is all about---a struggle for something that should never have been a struggle at all, yet continues to be one. Set in nineteenth century Calcutta, The … [Read more...]
Kushti Kid
I've read and enjoyed so many of Vibha Batra's books that when I saw Kushti Kid, I knew I had to read it. And it's lovely! Several of Vibha's books challenge stereotypes, particularly gender stereotypes. There's Pinkoo Shergill, which features a boy who wants to cook. Kolam Kanna is about a boy who enjoys putting kolam. And The Chhau Champ has at its centre a girl who wants to do chhau. Many of her books are favourites of mine and more importantly, favourites at my book club. Kushti Kid, Vibha's latest book with Scholastic India, is the story of Qainaat, who, inspired by a movie she watches, wants to become a wrestler. Contrary to her family's expectations, her attraction to wrestling isn't just a fleeting infatuation; it lingers. And so, she joins a summer course ... and meets with one obstacle after another. Can a girl wrestle? Should she stand up to institutional bullying? … [Read more...]
The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle
Diaphoresis and dyslexia. Mason Buttle has both, and both trouble him. But that's just the tip of the iceberg of his troubles. His best friend Benny Kilmartin is dead. His parents are dead. And his uncle has sold off parts of their apple orchard to make ends meet. The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle is a beautiful story about innocence and friendship. Mason is a lovely character, a kind and gentle boy in a huge body. As he navigates a school where he is bullied, he finds a friend in Calvin Chumsky. With a new friend, it seems like Mason can finally begin to move on from Benny Kilmartin's death. If only the bullying would stop. The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle is at the same time pacy and slow, gripping and gentle. As the story progresses, even though we can guess how it will all end, we keep reading, wondering how the reveal will happen. I love simple characters, … [Read more...]
The One and Only Ruby
Is there any child who doesn't love elephants? Magnificent African elephants with their enormous tusks, the gentler-looking Asian elephants with their smaller ears---I loved them all. So, of course I wanted to read The One and Only Ruby, the story of the little elephant in the gorilla Ivan's life. And just like when I read The One and Only Bob, I was blown away by how beautifully Katherine Applegate tells the story. Ruby is getting ready for her Tuskday. Or rather, she ought to be getting ready for it, but she is actually running away from it. When she sees a friend from her life in Africa, though, she is taken back to her childhood. She begins to tell her friends Ivan and Bob her story for the first time. As she tells the story, she begins another phase of her journey of healing. The One and Only Ruby is a beautiful story. Innocent and wise, gentle and powerful, it is a … [Read more...]
The One and Only Bob
Katherine Applegate's books are a treasure. Recently, I reread The One and Only Bob, a lovely book featuring an unforgettable character. About a month ago, I reviewed Odder, and I wrote about how authentic the voice is. And with The One and Only Bob, that's the first thing that comes to mind. It is a story about cruelty, loneliness, courage and love, and yet, what makes the book sparkle is Bob's voice. If you've read any of the other books in the series, you know exactly what Bob is like, a street-smart, wisecracking dog who refuses to take anything seriously. He moves with a swagger, makes himself out to be a lazy good-for-nothing, and pretends there's no softness to him. And yet, as we read The One and Only Bob, we see again that his attitude is nothing but a mask. He can't afford to show weakness, and he has made himself believe that he is selfish and looks out only for … [Read more...]
Rick
I've been reading about Melissa and Rick on so many book lists that I've had Alex Gino's books on my (endless) TBR forever. I finally read Rick, and I realise why it pops up so often. It's such an important middle-grade book, one that I would have loved to read when I was twelve or thirteen. Everyone around Rick seems to be talking about crushes. His parents, being broad-minded, make it a point to ask whether there's a girl or a boy whom he likes. But Rick has never felt the way his classmates say they feel. He doesn't know what it means to have a crush, and he has no idea why. It doesn't help that his best friend is a homophobe, one who is always up for mischief if he isn't going to get caught. All at once, Rick feels like he is navigating too many new things - new experiences, an uncomfortable friend, and the big question of who he is. Sensitively told, Rick is a relatable … [Read more...]
When You Trap a Tiger
What an unexpected book! Often, I don't know much about books before I read them. Some books keep showing up on my social media. Others are recommended to me multiple times by children I teach. Usually, it takes me a while to get around to reading them, and based on who recommends a book to me, I sometimes have preconceived notions about what a book will be about. For instance, despite its name, I expected When You Trap a Tiger to be realistic fiction, with no fantasy or fable thrown in. I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong! Lily and her family move into her grandmother's house to take care of her. When the girl realises how sick her grandmother is, she knows that there's only one way to save her. The tiger from all her Halmoni's stories needs to be placated. She must do what it takes, and she must act on her own. The traditional Korean stories her grandmother has shared … [Read more...]
The Poet X
I've been meaning to read Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X ever since I read Clap When You Land and discovered that she had another, more famous verse novel. I borrowed this one from Kahaani Box (may libraries prosper forever!), and I loved it. A powerful, moving story told from a young Hispanic girl's point of view, The Poet X is about rebellion, love, and making your voice heard. Xiomara, the protagonist of the story, keeps her poetry to herself. Only her twin Xavier, whom she calls Twin, has listened to her work. But that is until she meets Aman, who, it seems, wants to hear her voice, wants to hear her poetry. Slowly, she begins to unfurl. But coming out of her cocoon may require more than she bargained for. Unlike her best friend Caridad, she questions the faith she is expected to follow blindly. She cannot find it in herself to listen to her mother and be a model … [Read more...]
Amil and the After
Five years ago, I read The Night Diary. It's a story that brings alive the bewilderment of children forced to move out of their homes during the Partition. But just like the "happily ever after" at the end of fairytales glosses over the beginning of a new, complicated phase of life, safely reaching a new home after the Partition cannot be the end of a story. And with Amil and the After, we see that it isn't. The struggles and questions Nisha and Amil face don't end with the end of their journey across an arbitrary border. Now, through Amil's eyes, we follow another kind of journey. A journey that involves settling in, finding friends, and building a new home. The emotions of the two adolescents in the story come alive to us. Most importantly, we understand their guilt. What right do they have to be safe when so many others didn't make it? How is it fair that they have a roof … [Read more...]
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