I read Shabnam Minwalla's When Jiya Met Urmila at least two years ago. I can't believe I didn't review it on my blog! I think I was probably waiting to use it at my book club, which didn't happen for several reasons. I think we'd read too many books by the same writer--Lucky Girl, The Shy Supergirl and Nimmi's Dreadtastic Detective Days. Whatever the reason, I'm so glad I noticed the book on my shelf again when I was choosing my books for the April edition of my book club! Peek and Seek Just like Miss Nutty (aka Miss Rati), we'll play Peek and Seek at the book club. Maybe I won't ask the children to find a snail or a shoe flower. But I already have a list of things that we'll try to find before our time runs out. Super Similes As I reread When Jiya Met Urmila, I loved all the unexpected ways in which Shabnam Minwalla uses words. It is foolish … [Read more...]
Twitch
Often, I read books like Twitch with a very clear agenda in mind--to decide whether to read it with my book club. One chapter in, and I was sure I would not. The beginning seemed rather too violent for me to read with a group online, when I cannot necessarily gauge how each child is reacting to it. It's a terrible scene, which comes alive with a graphic description of how a group of bullies would kill a pigeon. The next chapter seemed equally violent, but by then, I was sucked into the story. And soon, there was no stopping me. I read on and on, enjoying the pace, the descriptions and the style of the story. I love the gentleness of the narrative, and the fact that it lets the reader fully experience the poetry and beauty of nature. Twitch, the protagonist, is a sensitive, observant character, who makes us listen to the dawn chorus as the birds around him awake. He makes us feel the … [Read more...]
The Chhau Champ
Books about dance are close to my heart, especially books that challenge the status quo in some way. I remember reading Kali Wants to Dance and particularly enjoying it because I'm a dancer who often plays male roles because of the dearth of male Bharatanatyam dancers, at least here in Pune. The Chhau Champ deals with the opposite idea. A girl wants to practise a dance form usually restricted to men. I've watched chhau just once, and yes, it was performed by a male dancer. This is not unique to chhau; I remember reading about how men do Kathakali, while women do Mohini Attam. Yes, people have challenged this--Dr Kanak Rele, for instance, was one of the first female Kathakali dancers in India. But the idea remains that some dance forms are to be performed by women, while others are to be performed by men. Enter Shubha, daughter of a chhau guru. Unlike her brother, she wants to be … [Read more...]
Journey to the River Sea
I read Journey to the River Sea years ago, probably over a decade ago. I loved it so much that it featured on my list of all-time favourite books for a long time. Eventually, I realised that even though I still thought about it as one of my favourites, I didn't quite remember the story. I remembered all the emotions I felt when I read it, but the story? I just had a hazy idea. It was time to reread it. And I enjoyed it just as much the second time around. Maia's guardian Mr Murray has been hunting for relatives who will take the child in ever since her parents died. When he finds distant relatives of hers in the Amazon, she is ecstatic. She reads up about the Amazon and imagines all kinds of wonderful things about her family. Instead, she finds two very English girls who hate everything that's not English and are terrified of going out into the jungle. As Maia quickly gets … [Read more...]
When Fairyland Lost Its Magic
We need more illustrated middle-grade books! I read When Fairyland Lots Its Magic on my way to Kolkata for the Junior Kolkata Literary Meet, and there was so much to love about it! The way Bijal Vachharajani plays with fairytales (like Gretel and Hansel), the comments about odd names (Little Red Riding Hood? Who names a child after the clothes she wears?), and the puns about pages and trolls ... delightful! At the JKLM, Bijal and I were in conversation, purportedly about storifying important issues such as climate change and democracy through fairy tales and fantasy. Of course, we did talk about issues and why they find their way into fiction, but we also spoke about the joy of stories and the things we do when we write. We spoke of magic, and how we find it in nature, in ourselves, and between the pages of a book. Retelling fairytales with the idea of the climate crisis … [Read more...]
The Henna Start-Up
A determined protagonist, a family that's willing to change, and characters that evolve through the story--what's not to like? Abir Maqsood of The Henna Start-Up by Andaleeb Wajid is an imperfect, gritty character, the kind that never fails to make me smile. She is fuelled by her determination to get justice and to stand up for her mother and for herself. Fragile egos, annoying classmates and an overprotective family are obstacles she must overcome for she knows discrimination when she sees it, and she isn't one to take it lying down. She scorns the pampered, protected lives that her friend Keerthi and arch-enemy Arsalan lead. She knows they live in their own beautiful bubbles, and she holds her head high in the knowledge that her classmates are clueless about the reality of the world, unlike her ... until she is forced to accept that she's guilty of being more than a little … [Read more...]
My Favourite Late Middle-Grade and Young Adult Books from 2023
As usual, I begin my list of favourite young adult books wishing I had read more YA last year. Yes, I loved these books, but once more, I hope to read more young adult in 2024! Schooled Schooled is such a delightful read, featuring a quirky, fun character.I read many negative reviews about the book, which spoke of how it perpetuates stereotypes of homeschooled children not knowing how to behave in social settings, but that wasn't how I read the book at all! I made no generalisations about homeschoolers or, indeed, hippies, as I read--I enjoyed the book for what it was, a heartwarming story about a character I was rooting for! Book review The District Cup The District Cup recently won the Atta Galatta Bangalore Literature Festival prize for children's fiction, an award for which my Dhara's Revolution was shortlisted too! … [Read more...]
My Favourite Middle-Grade Books from 2023
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...]
My Favourite Chapter Books from 2023
I read dozens of chapter books each year thanks to my book clubs. Here's a round-up of my favourites from last year. Interestingly, in 2022, there were only three chapter books I really loved. This year, there are ten! Most of these are book club reads, so they're books children have enjoyed reading too! Gobi Goes Viral I love Vibha Batra's sense of humour, and that's why Gobi Goes Viral is one of the first books we'll be reading at the February 2024 edition of my book club! A story about friendship, music, and determination, it's about embracing and understanding difference in the most matter-of-fact way. It is both silly and profound, funny and serious. If you haven't read it yet, pick it up! Book activities Book review Strangus Derangus and Other Adventures of Little Shambu I'm always skeptical of books that draw on beloved characters from my childhood. For instance, I … [Read more...]
My Favourite Picture Books and Early Chapter Books from 2023
It's only as I was looking back at all the wonderful books I read in 2023 that I realised that five of my favourite picture books and early chapter books were Hook Books! I love the series, and I'm always excited to read new additions to it. A usual, I begin my list with a disclaimer - not all the books that feature in this list and the ones that follow were published in 2023. I just happened to read them in 2023. One difference this time, however, is that I received many review copies last year, so an overwhelmingly large number were actually published last year too! Here are my top six for ages six and under (though, of course, I'm not under six, but I loved these books anyway!). What Feelings Do When No One's Looking What Feelings Do When No One's Looking was the very best kind of birthday gift. It's a book I would not have bought for myself, but one that I treasure, not … [Read more...]
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