The World of Butterfingers works so well in the comic format! I've read just one book from the popular series by Khyrunnisa A before--Smash It, Butterfingers!--and it was an enjoyable read. This one, illustrated by Abhijeet Kini, is fun and engaging, reminding me of the Tinkle comics I read as a child. The Halloween Adventure and Other Stories is a collection of three stories featuring Amar Kishen, aka Butterfingers. Butterfingers is clumsy, enterprising, and a whole lot of fun. In each of the three stories in the book, Butterfingers finds himself in a sticky situation, but manages not just to escape, but to make everything better. The comic book style works perfectly, drawing us into the hilarity of the world Butterfingers inhabits. While I did find some of the narration unnecessary, I loved how easy and readable the format was. The expressions on the characters' faces, as well … [Read more...]
Koobandhee
Koobandhee is such a fun book! We've read Bookasura twice; now we're rereading Koobandhee too!Bala is excited about meeting Bookasura again, but when he goes near the well at Navaneeth Uncle's farm, he discovers another monster there, a monster that's even scarier than Bookasura! Worst of all, Koobandhee seems like an asura who is out to destroy all Bala's precious library books, and the librarian Mrs Shashee is not going to be happy ...A hilarious book about books, Koobandhee is perfect for my book club! Insults I've always loved imaginative insults. Of course, Shakespeare is the first to come to mind in this context, but Koobandhee has its share of wonderful ones too. Creepy cockroach! Poisonous predator! Foul flea!We'll do a blind activity on insults, where we make two separate lists - of adjectives and of insects. We'll put them together at … [Read more...]
Blame It on the Untz
I learned one new word when I read Left-Out Paru, and I learned another when I read Blame It on the Untz! Untz. What a delightful word! And just like so many books I've read by Lavanya Karthik, Blame It on the Untz is such a fun book! Adi is excellent at the keyboard. And he never tires of telling people that. The problem is that for the Music Gala, he is stuck with a group that is nowhere near as serious as he is about winning a medal! It looks like his arch-nemesis, Risha (alternatively spelt as Hhriisha or Hrryssa or Rriisha), is all set to win. What can Adi do about it? Maybe it's time to feel the Untz with Fuzzy, aka Faizal. The problem is that Adi isn't ready to do that. Full of quirky characters like Angry Angira and Human Spelling Bee Hhriisha (and even a dangerous cat), Blame It on the Untz is a hilarious story with unpredictable twists and turns that keeps you … [Read more...]
October, October
We live in the woods and we are wild. That's what eleven-year-old October says, over and over, about her father and her. The woman who is her mother is not like them. She isn't wild. She left them in the forest, choosing to go closer to civilisation and live with human comforts. And October cannot forgive her for it. October, October by Katya Balen is the story of a girl brought up in the wild, far away from the human world. She thrives on stories, eagerly creating one story after another about the little treasures she finds on the forest floor. Life is perfect.Until it isn't. A unique story told from the point of view of an 11-year-old girl, October, October begins slowly, but soon draws us in. Katya Balen's words bring to life every flawed character, from October herself to her parents and her new friends. As we turn the pages, we are sucked into a story about … [Read more...]
Willodeen
Screechers. Hummingbears. Peacock snails. I’m always amazed when writers seem to effortlessly bring a fantastical world to life, and Katherine Applegate is a master at it. I came across it first in Crenshaw (one of the top 5 chapter books I read in 2020); Willodeen left me awestruck. Willodeen plays out in a world very much like our own. In some ways, it is an older world, which has a Faire, and a steam engine chugging through the woods. It stands for our world, though, and the climate crisis that threatens to crush us all. What is most striking is how the author draws us into this fantastical world. Without the details ever coming at us like an info dump, we learn every aspect of this world: from the ugly, stinky screechers that cry out at night to the gorgeous hummingbears that blow bubbles that stick to a tree. Gently, sensitively, she makes us care for the unloved. … [Read more...]
The Upside Down River: Hannah’s Story
Sometimes, you read a charming story, almost old-fashioned in its telling, and you don’t quite know why you like it so much. My Father’s Dragon was a book like that; The Upside Down River - Hannah’s Journey was another. When I picked up the book, I didn’t know that it was the sequel to a million-copy bestseller, Tomek’s Journey. Nor did I know that it wasn’t originally written in English; it’s translated from French. And sometimes, I think it’s that elusive detail that you can’t quite put your finger on, some cultural or contextual disconnect, something different from what you’re used to, that makes the book striking. Hannah is determined to find the river Qjar, an upside down river. Only water from the river can save her songbird, who is actually an enchanted princess. With Hannah, we go on a journey across deserts and through forests, meeting impossible creatures and having … [Read more...]
And Yet You Shine
I’ve read two books by Supriya Kelkar, and I’ve enjoyed them both—Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flame more than Ahimsa. In some ways, And Yet You Shine is even more ambitious because it’s a picture book, while also being a work of historical fiction. And Yet You Shine tells the story of the Kohinoor, beginning with its formation of the Kohinoor and subsequent discovery. The story then takes us through the centuries, briefly touching upon all the places the Kohinoor has been. Even through fires and war, the Kohinoor continues to shine, and that is the refrain of the story. As I read this book, I couldn't help wondering about the target audience. With concepts like colonization and resistance, as well as the detailed information at the end of the book, wouldn't it be more suited to older children? Yet, through it all is the metaphor that reminds you to recognise your own worth and … [Read more...]
Lion of the Sky
I love historical fiction, and I love novels in verse. A middle-grade work of historical fiction in verse? I knew I wanted to read it. And Lion of the Sky by Ritu Hemnani didn’t disappoint. Set in Sindh in August 1947, Lion of the Sky tells the story of Raj and his family, who are confused by all that is happening around them. On the one hand, India is soon to be independent. On the other hand, they hear that a line is going to be drawn through the nation, carving out a separate country for Muslims. Initially, Raj thinks that his best friend Iqbal will have to leave. Soon, however, he realises that it is not the Muslims who must leave Sindh, but the Hindus. Lion of the Sky is both heart-breaking and optimistic. When suspicions run high and we are inclined to think the worst of one another, what do we do? Do we hold on to love, kindness and hope, or do we grow angry and … [Read more...]
Life’s Magic Moments
Some books come your way in the most unexpected of ways. Ruskin Bond’s Life’s Magic Moments was never on my reading list—not for any reason except that there is always so much I want to read that I have to pick and choose what I make time for. But this beautiful, hardbound book, with its gorgeous pages came to me, and it sat on my shelf for a while unopened. It promised something gentle and lovely. How could it stay unopened for long? And so, I found myself picking it up. Before I knew it, I was smiling, feeling all those magical moments Ruskin Bond’s words bring to life. What is it that makes us write? What makes us create art? A sense of yearning, beauty, wonder, and magic. In little snippets, Bond describes these moments—fresh water when you’re parched, the suddenness of a wildflower growing in a pot in your window, earthworms wriggling in the soil … And of … [Read more...]
1 2 3 Idlis in a Sambar Sea
A picture book that brings together numbers, food and places all over India? Yes, please! Although I’m usually a stickler and don’t like near rhymes like fry and style or sea and puris, I found myself enjoying 1 2 3 Idlis in a Sambar Sea. Books that appeal to all our senses are always a treat, and this one does it perfectly. The illustrations by Tanya Sharma bring to life the sights, sounds and smells of all the places we visit. And the text by Ashwitha Jayakumar has us eating a jalebi on page 1 (though how is one jalebi enough for anyone?), then parathas, egg curry, bhel puri, aamras … Yum! More, the book is not just a culinary treat; it takes us on a journey across the length and breadth of the country. With kebabs and fish, biryani and chaas, we visit Amritsar, Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur—a new place on every page. What a delightful book! Title1 2 3 Idlis in a Sambar … [Read more...]
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