Author Archives: Thebookreviewindia

Gulab, the daughter of a manual scavenger—is mocked at by her class mates as ‘stinky Gulab’, not because she is filthy but because of her father’s profession which involves cleansing of clogged gutters.So, on science day in school Gulab takes the first bold step of showcasing a machine to clean up the drains without involving any human. She names it Gulab which will remove the dirt and spread fragrance.The story revolves around the inherent class divide existing in our society. Both Gulab and the bullies are the victims of this societal discrepancy, one as perpetrator and the other as victim…

The story revolves around two princesses created by the fairy queen Sheera to deal with her boredom. One of the princesses is sent to the kingdom of darkness and is to be protected from the sun while the other is sent to the prosperous kingdom of the light and is to be protected from the night. Sheera keeps adding up complexities to their lives as the plot progresses until they both finally meet each other and help each other’s kingdoms.The story has three female characters as protagonists and all three of them are appreciated for their beauty first and other characteristics later. The adjectives used for the females are only focusing upon their physical attributes which follows the standard beauty norms…

Fantasy is a tricky genre. It plays right at the heart of why many of us read: to escape, to find refuge. After the success of Harry Potter, publishers around the world flooded readers with YA fantasies, so much so that the genre became saturated with numerous worlds, each with their elaborate rules and patchwork characters. And while Tanaz Bhathena’s duology, Wrath of Ambar is based on one of the oldest tropes in storytelling, a hero, her destiny and the quest she embarks upon, the result is a refreshingly absurd world which attempts to hold up a mirror to the one we inhabit and create every day…

There used to be a time, long ago in most of our childhoods possibly, when we would have real, vivid and intense dreams, dreams within dreams, where we would experience physically acts of falling from a height, slipping, running and even as we awoke, our hearts would continue to race. Sangu Mandanna’s ninth adventure fantasy novel is a quick paced, vividly descriptive work of art and imagination.Kiki Kallira is the protagonist, recounting her life in the first person. She loves sketching and draws up characters from the Indian folklore of Mysore. Even as these characters come alive, threaten to destroy the real world, there is a parallel narrative of great courage and bravery displayed by Kiki—alluding to an aspect of herself that remains mostly hidden…

In all good Hindi movies, after a lot of trials and tribulations, the hero would come in and save the day. After all the trials and tribulations COVID brought upon us, it looks like the hero is ancient Indian traditions, which would sweep in and save the day. From doing namaste instead of shaking hands and exchanging viruses, to realizing that humble kaarhas worked better than unnecessary remdesivir. So maybe even for fighting the current ongoing epidemic of non-communicable diseases, worsened by COVID, the hero will be the same ancient traditions: food practices and exercise, based on sound scientific principles, which will sweep in and save all of us. Ayurveda recommends that meals should have something of all the six flavours: sweet, sour, salt, spicy, bitter and astringent…

My first introduction to the nonsense verse was a book gifted to me on my ninth birthday—Edward Lear’s Book of Nonsense. Growing up around that timeline on a diet of Enid Blyton’s works, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and Norton Juster’s works—this book deviated from the usual parameters that writers normally take into account when writing for children or young adults. The artwork in this work were exaggerated faces and as shocking/surprising as the images were; they were absolutely delightful. Later on, I searched for works in this genre in the Indian context that had for their audience children and adults as well and came across an anthology of translated works published in 2007…

A Pinch of Magic by Asha Nehemiah is a story about a girl named Veena and her aunty Malu. Aunt Malu makes herbal medicines. She is known for her herbal medicines that she learned from her Guru. One of the tools that Aunt Malu uses to make her medicines breaks and the story revolves around Veena and Aunt Malu looking for that pinching spoon that is required for making medicines.The story throws light on some very important issues and breaks stereotypes while sticking to the narrative. The role of women is a major part of the story. Aunt Malu and Veena go to Harrabharrapazham in order to look for the Guru. Initially, they are disappointed because they are not able to find the Guru. But later in the story we see that they find the Guru and she turns out to be a woman, when they were expecting a man…

There is a nightmare haunting each and every one of us—young and old—the fear of contracting the dreaded Coronavirus. Life has turned upside down ever since the pandemic made its presence felt, and the struggle to embrace ‘the new normal’ has taken a terrible toll on us. The risk of contracting the disease is grave indeed, but equally alarming are the mental health issues that are spreading as rapidly as the virus itself. Children have been severely impacted by this situation. With their regular routine completely disrupted, and talk of the dreaded virus blasting them from all corners, they feel bewildered and insecure, many are quite traumatized. Their need for assurance and understanding from the adults in their lives has grown immensely during the pandemic…

Susruta Patil is just another kid—but not quite so. He loves sketching, but is terrible at football. He is a great friend, but suffers at the hands of bullies. He loves poetry, but cannot punctuate. His name does not make it any easier, especially when he wets his bed!SP, as his friend Lobo calls him, sinks into the deep hole of depression. He feels the world is against him, and that he cannot catch a break. However, Lobo, and Kuhu, the best footballer around, help him see better. He opens up and shares his world with them, and suddenly the hole isn’t so deep and dark after all…

‘After all, a story survives only a few minutes…Who doesn’t know that most newspapers are waste in the afternoon?’ This is Ramayan Prasad, a journalist, working for one of the leading national newspapers in India. For past many years, he has swiftly and skillfully worked on some really troublesome reports; he follows the cases, files his copies and moves on. But something has changed since he started working on a case of a gang rape in the national capital…

If the children of India dream, let them dream of India.’Anant PaiOn Anant Pai’s 90th birth anniversary, it is fitting for Rajessh M Iyer to have penned a homage to the life and work of the father of Indian comics in his biography Uncle Pai: The Man Behind the Iconic Amar Chitra Katha. From the Author’s Note to the Epilogue, the biography pays glowing tributes to Anant Pai, his vision and dream, in such a way that some readers may even term it a hagiography.In terms of including criticism of Pai’s work, there do exist fleeting indications of ‘baseless criticism’ (p. 316), a passing reference to Pai’s anger and a brief section entitled ‘Objections’ describing Valmiki Sabha’s objection to Valmiki being portrayed as a thief, leading to Pai’s effigies being burnt…

This is the first time I have encountered a movie adapted to a book. It is based on an adivasi boy called Oonga and his story. The author has created a brilliant atmosphere around the whole plot. The book is an eyeopener for me. The words come alive right from the first few lines. The characters in the story are also so unique, they are brought to life in the story. The story woven is realistically displayed with all the flaws in life, in the system, in different people…

A well-written book with extensive vocabulary, Teji Grover’s Mann Mein Khushi Paida Karne Wale Rang is full of memories, stories, haikus and appealing art. Divided into fourteen chapters, the author reminisces about some of her childhood memories and describes them in detail. Each of the fourteen chapters tells a different story. Readers are able to vividly imagine the incidents, some of which include the rescue of a cat on Deepavali, the life story of the author’s friend Alan or the recollection of her visits to countries. She also writes about the art she made in her childhood, the use of natural colours and their importance…

Little America is the story of Sharif Barkati, a boy from the slums of Karachi who aspires for more—he wants love, he wants to be free. He achieves this by creating his own little haven of ‘freedom’, first in his school, then in his father’s car and then in a few ramshackle buildings with his friend in the city. He himself does not indulge in any of the freedoms he offers others—a space to drink, smoke, dress, speak and love as they want to; his exhilaration comes from their joy at expressing themselves unrestrained by society outside. And the space he creates is for everybody…

Everyone is a work in progress.’Go back and read that sentence, again and again. Andaleeb Wajid focuses on teaching us how to love ourselves while dealing with many problems in and around us. Although Mirror, Mirror is a young adult book, anyone can read it. It may seem like a young romance novel, but it is so much more than that. It deals with issues like fat-shaming, adult pregnancy, societal expectations, and first loves.Most importantly, it raises the issue that most teenagers face, ‘choosing the subjects/stream for their future’ and ‘deciding what they want to do in life…

Bringing Back Grandpa by Madhuri Kamat, a sequel to Flying with Grandpa is a realistic portrayal of the life of a single child in an urban, middle class Indian family of today. The child’s character is coloured with loneliness and control. This review begins with a brief summary of the story, which is followed by some observational comments. Finally, the reviewer poses a few questions on the current state of childhood in India and what role children’s literature can play to address children’s needs.The story appears as a page from the life of a single, privileged male child, Xerxes. He is quite close to his grandpa, who is his only friend and also his saviour. All of a sudden his grandpa falls ill. Before Xerxes could make sense of the situation at home, he finds himself being bullied by his classmates…

In March 2020, the world was told to shut themselves in. The much-condemned mobile phone became the center of our lives. Children who till February 2020 were told by WHO that screen time was evil and they should play vigorously outdoors at least 60 minutes every day, were forced to stare at screens for study, and stopped from playing outside. In short, everything turned upside down, or rather, to make a bad pun, outside in. They do say, though, that every cloud has a silver lining. Well, this little book is part of the silver lining. I have carefully mentioned the cover pages, because the front cover sets the tone, while the inside front cover and the back cover also have little gems tucked into them…

The book under review comprises twelve chapters, with eye catching illustrations, and easy to relate style of prose, that act as nothing less than a Bible for young adolescent girls. It beautifully explains the transition from hoops of puberty to fabulous adulthood. Young girls often tend to become self-conscious owing to the changes that occur during puberty. A proper guide, the right information and knowledge is what is needed to battle the dilemmas of adolescence like: their first period, picking up their first bra, encountering pubic hair, relationships, boys, developing pimples, gaining weight, periods hacks, menstrual hygiene, etc. This book is a good pick for that…

Sami is a young adult; a ‘girl’ who felt more at ease in carrying herself in a way that’s conventionally attributed to ‘boys’ only. This was often met with a wide range of inconsiderate, harassing (and vulgar) remarks and humiliating questions… Are you a boy or a girl? Her parents were thoughtful and sensitive enough, but that did not mean an escape from the occasional, You know you’re not a boy, right? Why don’t you make an effort to look more like the other girls?Sami soon discovers that she is gay and seems to be accepting and willing to explore her sexuality. As she is about to start exploring this newfound realization, a major shift comes in; she has to move to Chandsarai with her mother, a small village in the hills. Being away from her father, Nisha (her best friend) and the place she felt so connected to wasn’t easy…

Childhood, that precious time of intense loves and hates and hopes and disappointments, has been marvellously captured by Divya Anand in her story for children I Hate my Curly Hair, a story, beautifully illustrated by Rujuta Thakurdesai, that is reminiscent of the illustrated stories by that wonderful writer for children, Dr Seuss.The primary objective of any literature be it for children or adults is to entertain and give pleasure.  I Hate my Curly Hair does this  amply by using a rhyme pattern that would delight any young reader by the way it trips and slips off one’s tongue with its tizzy and frizzy and giggles and squiggles…