Greetings from Somewhere is a popular series of chapter books, and when I chose The Mystery of the Suspicious Spices for my book club, I hadn't yet read it yet. The book I wanted was not available, and I just went with the idea that this one was popular and available. I knew I would, of course, read it well before my reading programme began.And then, as I read it, I wondered if I wanted my book club to read it. It's set in India and, simply put, doesn't work. The picture of a sari looks nothing like a sari.There's a section where an Indian character eats a paratha and wants to say that it is gross. He exclaims, 'Sakala!' I had to look it up. And I discovered that Google translate had probably been used because yes, the word means 'gross', but in the context of gross weight!How could I possibly read this at my book club?And then, I began mulling over the fact that so many children I work … [Read more...]