Sunday morning saw the end of my two-day workshop, Weekend with Words, at JustBooks Aundh. With Word Search, Word-Building and Word Train, we came to the end of a fun workshop!At the British Library, we had a day based on Roald Dahl!Today, we have: Storytelling Workshop Time: 11 am to noon Age-group: 5-8 Venue: Friends Library, Salunke Vihar Road Registration Fee: Rs. 350 … [Read more...]
Charlotte’s Web
No other title do they know, The refrain is scarcely new - Tho the chances are their knowledge Came from a book review; They ask me if I’ve read it - I humbly whisper “No” (Thank God, again I’ve said it!) They clap their hands and glow.- From Louis L'Amour's "I Haven't Read Gone with the Wind"Unlike Mr L'Amour, I have read Gone with the Wind. Not once, but several times, I think.But when it comes to Charlotte's Web, the poem reaches out to me and makes me cry out, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" People who have read nothing else have asked me if I have read Charlotte's Web. And yes, once or twice, I have been pressured into saying that I have, deriving my opinion from 60 seconds of an animated movie I watched.Finally, though, I read it.It's a sweet book, there's no denying that. Yet, the overwhelming feeling of relief is much stronger than any other emotion I feel. An easy, comfortable read, … [Read more...]
Day One: Read Something New!
Spending a Sunday afternoon with enthusiastic children at the British Library is such a joy!The idea of this workshop was to get over Geronimo Stilton and Wimpy Kid, and begin to read something new. I know too many children who finish their Geronimo Stiltons and then say they have nothing more to read.With twenty children in the library with me, we began with a game of names. Children chose names for themselves - names of characters, books or authors. I had in my room, a range of children, from Hermione Granger to Amelia Jane. All twenty ran from person to person, trying to figure out who was who, whispering, discussing ideas, trying to remember all the names ...And then there was Dahl. With The Crocodile, The Porcupine and The Tummy Beast, we had an hour of poetry. They pieced bits of the poems together and then recited them. We left the workshop there, with the promise of more … [Read more...]
Magnus Fin and the Moonlight Mission
If you watched and loved Captain Planet as a child, I know you will feel as warmly about Magnus Fin and the Moonlight Mission as I did. When I watched the heroism and drama of Captain Planet, I loved the idea of people getting together to save the world. This book feels something like that.The downside of the book is how it begins, though. When I started reading it, I found it rather painstaking. As I went on, though, I realised how much of a problem I experience with first chapters. Sometimes, however hard I work them, first chapters are not perfect. I may edit, rewrite and edit again, but still not feel happy. I may force myself to be satisfied, but somehow, the punch is lacking. Magnus Fin and the Moonlight Mission waslike that. The beginning was dull. I wondered if I would finish it. Then, just two chapters later, I felt the characters grow on me. I felt the story become close to … [Read more...]
Esty’s Gold
I never stay up reading. I love books and I enjoy reading, but staying up beyond my bed-time? No, that's not me. I remember when I was reading the fifth Harry Potter, I had one chapter left to finish and I went to sleep, to the horror of some of my friends. Maybe that was because I wanted to hold on to my fictional friends a little longer.Esty's Gold forced me to stay up reading. I read page after page. Just one more chapter. And one more. This chapter was too short to count. So just one more. And I stopped when I finished the book.The characters grew and changed. The story was layered with unselfconscious girlish giggling and the singularly quirky humour. I experienced each of the class struggles and felt the starkness of life in Ireland and Australia.It is difficult to create a character like Esty. In some ways, she is a shadow of Scarlett from Gone with the Wind. Yet, she is … [Read more...]
Tilly’s Moonlight Fox
When I started reading Tilly's Moonlight Fox, I did not quite like it. Both the story and the writing style seemed outdated. The kind of finish that so many new books have was not there.But the book grew on me. It's the kind of book that you should read when you are eight or nine years old, growing up on books like Anne of Green Gables and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. There are no complex twists in the plot. There is nothing that keeps you waiting with bated breath. But it is a charming book nonetheless.The story of a girl who finds it difficult to fit in, Tilly's Moonlight Fox is one that is perhaps easily forgotten, but charms you while you are reading it. Just like a fairy-tale. … [Read more...]
The Lost Island of Tamarind
The first word that comes to mind while reading The Lost Island of Tamarind is 'vivid'.I don't usually like descriptive stories. I feel, "Sure, things around look like that; the weather is like that; the people look like that. Get on with the story!"The Lost Island of Tamarind was not one of those. It was probably the first book I have ever read where my eyes widened at the descriptions. The richness of detail and texture astounded me. I could feel the humidity, see the blue fireflies and hear all the sounds of the jungle. It was fabulous. Sometimes, during the book, I had to close the book just for a few seconds and then peek at the next sentence, dreading what author Nadia Aguiar was going to do next. No, no, that can't be happening! I gasped, held my breath, and felt the characters' fears and doubts.The Lost Island of Tamarind. I am waiting to read the … [Read more...]
Read Something New!
Back to British Library with my next reading workshop!Dates: 17th August, 24th August, 7th September and 14th September Time: 3 pm - 5 pm Age-group: 9-12 Registration fee: Rs. 1,200 for members; Rs. 2,200 for non-members (You get a complimentary Gold 6-month membership free when you register)See you there! … [Read more...]
Small Change for Stuart
When crossword puzzles, triplets and magic come together, the combination is a delightful mixture of commonsense, logic and madness. Small Change for Stuart is about a very short boy with slightly crazy parents. The parents do not realise that their short son is going to be traumatised through life because his first initial and surname invite a nickname that he has to live with - S. Horten.Moving to the tiny village of Beeton, Stuart is lost. He has no friends yet because he cannot count the irritating triplets next door called April, May and June. Stuart does, however, have the prospect of a great-uncle who disappeared during the second world war. Stuart follows his great-uncle Tony's treasure-trail and discovers many things. The reader - especially the adult reader - winces at his mistakes and then marvels at his triumphs.Full of puns, wordplay and wry humour, Small Change … [Read more...]
The Famous Adventures of Jack
When a little girl called Jill is told that she has to meet Jack, she begins a wonderful journey of stories with Mother Greenwood and a few Jacks here and there.The Famous Adventures of Jack by Berlie Doherty is a collection of new tales that have the same charm, predictability and comfort of well-loved classics.With Jack the Giant-Killer, Jack's magical snuff-box and Daft Jack, the book is packed to the brim with familiar, old-world stories that are utterly new. It's almost like taking a quilt you love and stitching it into different patterns that are just as beautiful! … [Read more...]