At the beginning of each year, I make a list of books I read and loved in the previous year, and I always begin with the same disclaimer – these books were not necessarily published in 2020. They came my way in 2020, and so I read them.
One thing that I’m doing differently this year, however, is that I’m not listing ten books for each category. Rather, I’m just compiling the books that got a five star rating from me in 2020. It works better for me this way! So, here goes – in the reverse order that I read them.
Manya dreams of becoming a famous actor. And of course, it’s never to early to prepare your Oscar acceptance speech, is it? So, she practises it, tweaking it here and there, adding a bit, making sure she thanks the right people and slyly brings notoriety to those who pull her down…
The first step towards achieving her dream is the school play, an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. Manya has her eyes set on her dream role – that of Shere Khan. Is she going to let bullies stand in the way? What if – worst of all – the bullies have a point and she really isn’t good enough?
Powerful protagonists, loyal friends and warm-hearted, open-minded teachers always win my heart. Manya Learns to Roar has them all!
I had such a wonderful time working with Trouble with Magic at my online reading programme! Just like Aunt Malu’s herbal potions in the book, the story itself has the right ingredients in the right measure – laughter, a feisty protagonist, optimism and surprise.
Even as I read it with the children at my reading programme, I chuckled at how much fun the hole in the book is. Put your finger through it, or a pencil, or play with it in whatever way you like. Everything is fun!
This was another fun read at my online reading programme! Vanita has a superpower – she can shrink. The doctors, however, think of it as a problem to be solved, refusing to believe that Vanita loves being the way she is. She knows that someday, her power will help her save the world, and sure enough, that day arrives!
At my reading programme, we played with magnets, talked of what we would do in Vanita’s place and even did a little bit of role play where I interviewed a famous Vanita who saved the world. That was fun! The best part, however, was that even though we talked at length about what Vanita’s plan could possibly be, she still took us by surprise. It’s a lovely book!
I just noticed that this one is the only non-Indian book on my list this year! I do know that one of the reasons for this is that the British Library shut down. While I’ve been buying and reading books by Indian writers for a while, I depended on the library for books that aren’t available as easily and cheaply. I miss the library all the time!
I bought Crenshaw because Katherine Applegate is a favourite. I read and loved The One and Only Ivan, and I was warned by writer friends not to watch the movie. Crenshaw was just as lovely, full of those moments of quiet beauty shared by a young boy and his imaginary friend, a giant cat. Friends are important, and this book is all about friends – both real and imaginary.
Two hOle books and two books by Shruthi Rao that I loved this year! In many ways, the themes of Susie Will Not Speak and Manya Learns to Roar are similar – they’re about a girl who stutters and takes steps to come to terms with it. That’s where the similarities end, though.
Susie, unlike Manya, decides that the best way to avoid making a fool of herself is to stop talking entirely, much to her friend Jahan’s exasperation. Susie simply will not speak. And Jahan must find a way to get his friend to break her silence.
Susie Will Not Speak is a funny, heartfelt book that left me wonderfully satisfied.
A Bonus Not-Quite Chapter Book
I do this all the time. I choose as many books as I want to include on my list and just as I finish making my list, another book wiggles its way in, as if to ask, “What about me?”
And I simply could not leave out The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. I didn’t even review it on my blog because how does one review a book like this? It’s an ageless, timeless book, full of innocence and beauty. As I read it, I could help thinking that somehow, in some way, this one is like The Little Prince – a classic. The moments of poignancy, the sudden laughter and the simplicity of the book make it the gem that it is.
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