How could I not read a book with a title like this? Anyone who knows me knows that I’m happiest in my own company. If I spend time with people, I need to unwind; I need my quiet time. Yet, as a child, I was noisy and talkative, unlike Emile, the protagonist of I Am Quiet. Adults keep telling Emile not to be shy, but the truth is that he isn’t shy at all. He is just quiet. On the inside he has imaginative, colourful worlds that are vibrant and exciting. They are enough for him.I smiled page after page as I read about the places Emile inhabits in his head. The quiet confidence of an imaginative child comes through with each word, and the gentleness of the story won my heart. I love how the book is designed too, with the white space all around him showing how quiet he seems to the world outside, and the colour within that shows how perfectly happy he is. Like so many … [Read more...]
Agalya in the Spotlight
When I learned that Divya Anand had a new book out, I knew I had to read it. I loved Misfit Madhu. I’ve read it with my book club twice, and the children enjoyed it each time!Agalya in the Spotlight is just as breezy a read. I was invested in the characters from the very beginning. How could I not be when in the first chapter itself there’s a character called Varsha who loves dancing? Varsha makes no further appearance in the story, but the other characters more than make up.When class V A is to stage Rapunzel, Agalya is delighted. She loves the story, or more specifically, the movie Tangled. She’s determined to get the lead role, and she thinks the competition between her best friend and her will be simple, friendly rivalry.When she gets the role at the cost of her friendship, however, things start tumbling downhill. She must find courage within herself to keep going, … [Read more...]
Manvinder’s Medu Vada
Manvinder's Medu Vada by Riddhi Maniar Doda and Vinayak Varma had me chuckling at each page! I could completely identify with Manvinder, who refuses to eat something that doesn't look like it's supposed to look! As a child, I had a problem with the same food--vadas. How could it be a real vada if it didn't have a hole? This, despite the fact that vadas (without holes) were made at home for special occasions, and I enjoyed them too!When Manvinder's family moves to Bengaluru, he eats a medu vada for the first time. It's delicious. Somehow, gobi parathas no longer look so tempting! And so, the family sets off on a mission to make medu vadas for him.With each page, Manvinder grows more and more upset. A medu vada is supposed to be round! With a hole in it! The page that had me laughing aloud was the one where he's fooled into eating a donut instead!I love the wholesomeness of … [Read more...]
Everything Changes And That’s Ok
How do you read picture books? Do you pause as you turn each page, just to admire the pictures? Or do you race through the story and then come back to the pictures to take them in slowly?For me, it depends on the book, but with Everything Changes And That's Ok, I found myself trying to do both! A picture book in verse, each page is a visual treat! My favourite page was probably this one, a gorgeous forest scene:For children, change can be frightening, but Everything Changes and That's Ok reminds us that change is all around us. A playful puppy, full of energy, could grow up to be a dog that likes to lounge about all day. A new school is daunting, but perhaps new friendships are just around the corner.Rhyming verse doesn't always work for me, but this book did, for the most part. It's a gentle, beautiful read, inviting us to slow down and look at how the world changes both … [Read more...]
Unplugged
Jett is rich, spoiled, and used to getting his own way. When he takes his mischief-making too far, however, his father packs him off to a place called Oasis where he must live a life completely screen-free. Jett is incredulous. What kind of place is this, where mobile phones are surrendered before you enter? Who are these people who willingly go into boiling hot spring water, as if it is some sort of leisurely activity? Jett can't wait to get out, and perhaps if he behaves badly enough, he'll be sent away.As days pass, however, things begin to change. Oasis seems to be far murkier than Jett had imagined. But with his reputation as a troublemaker, the chances of him being believed are low.Unplugged by Gordon Korman is a wholesome read that, like so many of Andrew Clements's books, teaches us something without being an overtly preachy book. In some places, I did feel that the … [Read more...]
Until the Road Ends
What was it like for animals during the war? How did people have the heart to put them down? Food was scarce and feeding a pet was a "waste" of resources.Until the Road Ends is the story of three animals that survive thanks to a combination of bravery and sheer good luck. It's the story of an unlikely friendship featuring a strange and diverse range of characters, including a supercilious cat, a street-smart dog, an army-mad pigeon ... and even a crocodile!When Peggy saves and adopts Beau, a street dog, the strongest of bonds develops between them. And Beau is the first to recognise and treasure it, unlike Mabel, a cat who belongs to Peggy's brother Wilf. But Peggy is soon sent away to the countryside for safety, and the animals are left behind. What follows is a story of courage and loyalty. Beau proves his worth by saving one human after another, sniffing them out even when … [Read more...]
Dear Mr. Henshaw
I've said this dozens of times: I love epistolary novels. I made a video about a few favourites for World Post Day 2021, I love doing letter-writing activities at workshops, and I've written an epistolary novel of my own.When we read Dear Mr. Henshaw for the first time at my book club, I knew it would be a book I would introduce time and time again. So come June, we'll be rereading this delightful book at Read, Write, Explore!Leigh Botts writes to his favourite author, Boyd Henshaw, and in the beginning, he doesn't get a reply. Later, he gets a printed response, rather than a handwritten one, which is almost as disappointing. When he is in the sixth grade, however, he receives a proper letter, which he needs for his author report, and this is the beginning of a funny, moving series of letters he writes about himself, his school and family. As we read Leigh's letters, we get to know not … [Read more...]
Roop and the River Crossing
What was the Partition? What ripples do we see today, and how do people in power continue to exploit communal politics? These are difficult questions that one often wonders about whether to discuss with children. In some ways, books that talk about our history help, books like Roop and the River Crossing.Roop and the River Crossing written by Samina Mishra and illustrated by Shivam Choudhary uses the metaphor of a kaleidoscope beautifully to look at the Partition from the eyes of a child. In the beginning, the kaleidoscope is fascinating. The ways in which broken bangles create patterns is exciting and fun. But as Roop sees the same fractured reality in the world around her, the toy loses its thrill.Gently and powerfully, the book leads us through the turmoil of Partition. What I find most important since it is a children’s book is that she focuses more on kindness and caring … [Read more...]
Wrestling Day
When I went for the White Owl Literature Festival in Nagaland a few months ago, I attended part of an event that the author Theyiesinuo Keditsu conducted on her book, Wrestling Day. She spoke about how traffic piles up on Wrestling Day. People park everywhere, and that’s something that’s perfectly acceptable on that one day because that’s just the way things are. Wrestling is huge; everyone wrestles.Before I could ask, someone else did, ‘Do women wrestle too?’ The answer was ‘yes’; she used to wrestle too!A couple of days later I watched two young boys wrestling in Khonoma. It was such a simple, fascinating affair! They engaged in three bouts, and what I especially loved was the way they dusted each other off after their match was over.All this made me all the more curious to read Wrestling Day, and it didn’t disappoint.Aneingu should be all set to wrestle, but he … [Read more...]
A Demon in Dandi
We all know about the infamous salt tax and the march to Dandi. What would the people of Dandi have felt at the time? Were people even aware of this huge political upheaval brewing in various parts of the country?A Demon in Dandi by Lavanya Karthik is part of Duckbill's Songs of Freedom series, and it reimagines a few days in this tumultuous period from the point of view of a Sherlock Holmes fan, Dinu. Dinu is slow to find motivation when it comes to Bapu's call to action. He can't spin and he can barely concentrate while he's praying. What role could he possibly have in Bapu's march to Dandi?As the story unfolds, Dinu finds that he does after all have the motivation it takes. Against the backdrop of the Dandi march, Dinu finds himself plunged in a murder mystery, one that he must solve, if only for his friend Alif. In true Sherlock Holmes style, he begins his investigation, … [Read more...]