I am Queen Bee in a house full of boys, and for five days every month, I feel alone in my struggles, like there is no one who understands what I am going through. Yes, it isn’t unique. Every woman goes through it, but it is nice to feel seen and to be understood. Uma […]
If you have read The District Cup by Mallika Ravikumar, you know this sequel was much awaited! The District Cup came into our lives a little after COVID and instantly became a favourite in our football-obsessed home. When the State League came home, we had to pick lots to see who got to read the […]
I began reading Off With Their Heads by Mandira Shah, knowing that it dealt with the theme of AI. Little did I know I was in for a real mind-bending thriller. This story set in a school in 2050 feels so far away and strangely all too familiar at the same time. I may be […]
How do you write a children’s book on a tragic event from history? With clever research and a gripping fantastical element to hook young readers, of course! The Prisoner of Bhopal is a gripping historical-fiction novel featuring 10-year-old Amil, who is forced to work for a businessman, Mr Kumar, as indentured labour in a dilapidated […]
Warning: When Blackbirds Fly is not a fun read. It is one of those books that will leave you shattered at the path history took. It will make you angry and then leave you with questions you will demand answers to. When Blackbirds Fly shows the protagonist, a teenage boy, living in Aizawl with his […]
I’ll admit I let this book sit on my shelf for too long and promptly forgot about it. But we recently went on a family vacation to Tamil Nadu, and I decided it was the perfect opportunity to read The White Lotus. Set in a small village in Tamil Nadu in the year 1901, The […]
There are many things characteristic of a Shabnam Minwalla YA book. 1. A mad scramble to see who gets to read it first. I lucked out this time, because the kids had their exams. 2. Blocking off a chunk of time so you can finish the hefty tome. Not unlike people blocking 6 hours of […]
Rarely does a YA novel come along that makes even an adult eager to research and curious to know more about the central theme. Children of the Hidden Land, written by Mandira Shah, had me spellbound, then sent me into a dizzying abyss about how little I knew of my own country. Fifteen-year-old April lives […]
Make sure you have your comforter around for this one, you will need it! If you have a teenager, you will understand the incessant pestering for a mobile phone. It’s as if their world will collapse without a phone. Saira Zariwala is a typical teenager who needs a phone and pesters her parents for one. […]
Monika Bhatkhande’s The Secret of the Star Sapphire is a sweeping saga of a tale that spans generations and will leave you breathless. Personally, it has been a while (since Shabnam Minwalla’s Zen) that I have read a book that criss-crosses timelines and plants ideas in your head, which lead you down research rabbit holes. […]