We're going to reread Dungeon Tales II by Venita Coelho at my book club! And thanks to the Neev Literature Festival, I have an autographed copy!Short stories work well with my book clubs, especially as we read just excerpts in class. Both volumes of Dungeon Tales were wonderfully received by the children, so I'm excited to read three more stories from this volume! Roman Numerals I loved Roman numerals as a child, and I always waited for the chance to use them. Letters that are actually numbers? Fascinating!We'll look at numbers, why the introduction of zero was important, and see how difficult it is to add XCIV and VI, for instance, while 94 + 6 is as easy as it gets! Structure Stories within a story within a story - I love the idea! What unique structures have writers played with? Is it possible for us to write a story using chat … [Read more...]
Dungeon Tales
We read Dungeon Tales II in September last year and loved it. In fact, it was everyone's favourite read from the August-September selection, even though it competed with Paati Vs UNCLE and Frindle. So how can we not read Dungeon Tales, or, as the children at my book club call it, ungeon ales?A brilliantly crafted collection of stories, this book takes us through the creation of the tome we encounter in the second book. The Badmash Badshah is all set to make heads roll, until one young prisoner comes up with a plan - of regaling the emperor with stories. One by one, the prisoners are brought before him, and they tell him their magnificent, fantastical, hilarious tales. Word Choice Why does the author Venita Coelho use the word 'dungeon' rather than a word like 'prison' or 'jail'? How does word choice affect a story?Through a quick vocabulary activity, … [Read more...]
Dungeon Tales II
Munni finds an old book in her Mamaji's shop. What does it say? ungeon ales? What could that possibly be? There's only one way to find out - Munni must learn how to read, and properly. There's a tiny problem - girls are forbidden to read in her village. But can that little detail stop a protagonist like Munni? Stories within a story within a story - Munni reads a book about the Badmash Badshah, who has prisoners in his dungeon come tell him stories. And these stories comprise not ungeon ales, but the Badmash Badshah's Dungeon Tales.I loved the book. Layered with powerful themes and comprising a range of stories from the heroic to the horrific, Dungeon Tales is a glorious celebration of both rebellion and storytelling. I chuckled as I read tale after tale, rejoicing in triumphs, both tiny and tremendous. And the alliterative titles used to address the Badmash Badshah! I smile even … [Read more...]
Top Nine Middle Grade Books I Read in 2020
I love middle grade reads, so this is my longest list this year. In no particular order, here are the books to which I gave a five-star rating in 2020.This is a book for keeps.More often than not, in India, books that address homosexuality are categorised as young adult or adult books, but with this book more than any others before, I disagree. To Night Owl from Dogfish is clearly a middle grade book. The characters, the themes, the tone - everything, for me, is middle grade. Avery and Bett learn that their dads are going to get married, and they start exchanging emails, laying plans to ensure that they don't get to know each other. They don't want two families to become one, thank you very much. They don't want to become sisters.Their fathers want to send them to summer camp together. They want to refuse to go and when that fails, they determine not to talk to each other. … [Read more...]
All of Me
It's been a while since I wrote a book review, simply because I haven't been reading much for the last two months. I wrote about that for The Curious Reader - about reading old favourites, but not really taking the plunge and reading something altogether new. Finally, a few days ago, I settled into a newer kind of reading. I began (finally!) to look for books to buy and read on my Kindle to keep me going until libraries reopen and I feel comfortable enough to go visit them.And the first book I bought was All of Me by Venita Coelho.There are some books that when I read, I feel, "I write much better than that, come on! This story is ... just ... mediocre."And then, there are some books that make me wonder why I am a writer at all when there are people who write so well, sucking you into the story and keeping you there, chapter after chapter.Considering I never review books I … [Read more...]