Poetic. That's the first word that comes to mind when I think of Bena's Summer. It's a slow, almost languorous read, evoking the in which summer in a small town stretches before us. And this summer, we see through eight-year-old Bena's eyes. Bena, who is a precious, precocious child, a mix of childlike innocence and equally childlike wisdom.Bena is short for Benazir. She is innocent, generous, and, in the way children sometimes are, cruel. What makes her special, though, is her courage. Her moral compass points true, and she knows when she must stand up for those who are not as strong as she is. She also knows when she is in the wrong and with all the generosity of her spirit, she reaches out to beg for forgiveness.With Bena, the reader experiences love that almost hurts. We see life through her eyes; we see her courage, her indomitable spirit, and the complexity of her family. … [Read more...]
Ahimsa
Ahimsa has been on my TBR list for a long time and finally, it was my first read of 2021. What a lovely, lovely book.When I started reading it, I was a little puzzled. We've studied about the independence struggle several times in school. We know about Gandhi, his fasts, the swadeshi and boycott movements and his call for ahimsa or non-violence. We know about freedom fighters having been imprisoned and about the Hindu-Muslim riots that erupted all over the country. There seemed to be nothing new in Ahimsa, nothing that would make readers everywhere to talk about the book for so long.And then, Ahimsa went on to be so much more. We do know about social reformists and about Gandhi moving from the word Untouchable to the word Harijan. Ahimsa goes deeper. Was Harijan an acceptable word to people who felt rejected by the god that supposedly created the caste system? Was change even … [Read more...]
Half Brother
About a year ago, I read Kenneth Oppel's The Boundless. I did enjoy it, but it wasn't a book that wowed me. I read it, quite liked it and moved on. That's why Half Brother was not high on my list of books to read. I knew I would read it, but it sat on my shelf for a bit, while I read other books, including Nomad's Land and To Night Owl from Dogfish.And then, Half Brother made me sob the way only the best books can. Just like Pig Heart Boy, it raises all kinds of questions - about experiments on animals and human selfishness.Thirteen-year-old Ben's father is a behavioural scientist. He is convinced that chimps, being closest to humans, can be taught to use language to communicate. And he's determined to prove it. Ben's mother, who is doing her thesis on cross-fostering, is delighted with the experiment. They bring home and eight-day old chimpanzee, whom they call Zan, and begin … [Read more...]
To Night Owl From Dogfish
I love epistolary novels. I think I've always loved them; they intrigue me. Off the top of my head, I think about Dear Mrs Naidu, Ketchup Clouds, Daddy Long-Legs and The Night Diary, though I'm sure I'll think of several more by the time I finish writing this blog post.To Night Owl from Dogfish is right up there with the best of them. It's crazy, full of laugh-out-loud humour, and poignant (yes, I did cry over it). Dogfish, aka Bett, loves snooping on her father. She checks his email and discovers that he is in a relationship with Avery's father, Sam Bloom. In fact, the relationship is so serious that they want their daughters to get to know each other.Bett writes to Night Owl, aka Avery. It's a crisis. They don't want two families to become one! They're happy by themselves and determined to cast a spoke in their fathers' wheels.In the way of stories - and real life - … [Read more...]
The Sheep-Pig
A few months ago, one of my publishers, Mango Books, began a series of posts on social media about books authors read when they were young. The book I chose was The Sheep-Pig, a delightful chapter book by a favourite writer, Dick King-Smith.Dick King-Smith's stories are a treat. I loved The Sheep-Pig, the sequel Ace and so many more - Saddlebottom, A Mouse Called Wolf, The Hodgeheg ... Every time I went to the library, I would look out for his books, hoping to discover at least one more book I hadn't read.Why is this book part of my reading programme?Obviously, the first reason is that I love it. Here's what I said to Mango Books about it."The Sheep-Pig is a delightful story, and I'm so glad I read it as a child! The book left me with the feeling that anything is possible. More than that, I loved the idea that kindness and courtesy can help you achieve … [Read more...]
Shrinking Vanita
Shrinking Vanita is a delightful read, full of laughter, madness and the unshakeable belief that children can and will save the world! With a little help, of course. From a puppy called Giggles and a bag full of fridge magnets.Three days to go before a gigantic killer asteroid will end life on Earth! Everyone is in a panic. Everyone, that is, but Vanita, who has things to do. Such as saving the planet. - from the blurb of Shrinking VanitaIsn't that a wonderful premise? Shrinking Vanita delivers what it promises - a feisty protagonist, a mixture of science and madness and a joyous aha! moment.Oh, and the book won the Peek a Book children's choice award, so it's child-approved. Like every other book we've read at my book club, I chose this one because it's full of possibility! What if? I love doing activities around the question 'what if?' … [Read more...]
Nomad’s Land
Last evening, I spoke to the friend who gave me Nomad's Land for my birthday."Are you okay?" she asked. "You sound like you have a cold."I promised her I was fine. "But I just sobbed over Nomad's Land."How does one review a book as beautiful as Nomad's Land? It's one of those books that you just have to put aside once in a while to take the time out to feel, even though you're itching to know what happens next. It's poetic and lyrical, and silly and sweet. It made me cry. It made me smile and roll my eyes because teens and pre-teens will be teens and pre-teens.The book begins with a confession, where author Paro Anand tells the reader that she has deliberately tampered with the historical timeline to set the story in the 2000s and make it more relevant to youngsters today. The exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits took place in the late 80s and early 90s, but the story pushes these … [Read more...]
Welcome to Nowhere
When I read books like Welcome to Nowhere, part of me reads with a sinking heart for I realise that I don't have the courage to tell stories like this. Yes, I do know that every story matters and each one has a role to play, but powerful books like this are in a class of their own.Elizabeth Laird's books are exceptional. Look at Oranges in No Man's Land, set in Lebanon, or The Witching Hour, a wonderful work of historical fiction. Then there's the wonderful YA book Red Sky in the Morning and the very different Paradise End.Welcome to Nowhere is set in war-torn Syria and told from the point of view of twelve-year-old Omar, an enterprising youngster with dreams of becoming a big businessman. He's smart, friendly and confident, so the stage is set for him to achieve his dreams.Except that civil war breaks out. Omar has always been advised not to talk about politics, but it … [Read more...]
Out of My Mind
Why had I never heard of this book? Published in 2010, Out of My Mind was on the New York Times bestseller list for two years, and I just read it!When I wrote about Moonrise a few weeks ago, I mentioned how children often ask me which the first book that made me cry was. I usually respond by telling them, instead, about the most recent book that made me cry - and now, it's Sharon M. Draper's Out of My Mind.Eleven-year-old Melody Brooks is smart. She has a photographic memory and a delicious sense of humour. She loves her family, and her family loves her.But she can't show this part of herself to anyone, at least, not until she finds out about the Medi-Talker, a machine that can help her communicate. With cerebral palsy, she is confined to a wheelchair. She can make jerky movements at best, and easily loses control over her limbs. She drools, she cannot feed herself, and she … [Read more...]
How to Be a Writer
My online creative writing programme served as the perfect excuse to get a copy of How to Be a Writer. And as I read it, every few lines, I found myself thinking, "This, exactly this!" For the first time, I highlighted sections all over the book (ebook, not physical book, just saying) simply because so much of it resonated with me. In some places, I was drawn to the words as a writer; in others, as a teacher of creative writing.Instead of my usual kind of review, I'm going to share tiny excerpts of the book.If I talk too freely about a story I am going to write, chances are it will never be written. I have talked it to death.This is me! I can never, ever talk about my current works in progress. I used to think it was superstitious nonsense, but I realise that what Bond says above is true for me. It's also the reason why I don't usually plot my stories. If I know what's going … [Read more...]