Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Sarah Bankuti ILLUSTRATOR: Kristina Dutton GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: December 1, 2021 RATING: 4.5 stars. Oh, this won my heart over! Princess Lily is upset at having lost her hair while undergoing treatment for an illness. She is worried about looking funny but her parents are extremely supportive and do their best to appease her. Imagine her surprise when she finds out that there's a Hair Fairy, just like a Tooth Fairy. When she discovers what the Hair Fairies use the lost hair for, Lily feels quite proud and satisfied. This is a sweet and heartfelt book, which would be the right read for young children who are facing any illness or treatment that results in hair loss. It's a feel-good story that will generate a smile on the faces of those brave little warriors. ( I smiled too, but I was also left a bit teary-eyed. ) The illustrations are really cute and will remind you a bit of Disney's Tinkerbell story books. The effect is just as remar...

AUTHOR: Elle Spellman GENRE: Contemporary Fiction, Romance. RATING: 2.75 stars. In a Nutshell: Unlike what the cover and the blurb suggest, this book is quite intense. It clicked only to some extent with me, partly because I had very different expectations from it. Story: Steph has moved to a new city after her breakup and is desperate to show everyone through her Instagram that her life is on perfect track. The reality however is that she is lonely and broke. Eric is battling a relationship hangover ever since his breakup with “Perfect Clarissa” almost a year ago. As all his friends are married, having kids, and in their own homes, Eric feels left out as the bachelor still living in a houseshare. What Steph and Eric don’t know is that they are only… … “Two Doors Away”. Their homes are on either side of house number 26, from where dulcet piano melodies can be heard playing every night at 10pm. All of a sudden, the music has stopped and number 26 is dark and silent. What happened? Can ...

AUTHOR: Janet Sumner Johnson ILLUSTRATOR: Eunji Jung GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: August 1, 2022 RATING: 4.25 stars A nice and quick book with an absolutely important message: there’s more than one type of ‘brave’. Wanda wants to be like her big brother and her friends who have no trouble going on the “Coaster of Doom”. She is determined to be brave and practices every day. But when she actually reaches the roller coaster, her knees start buckling again. Will Wanda find her ‘brave’? I loved the concept of the book. Indeed, there are so many levels to bravery. It is not just doing supposedly daring or scary things. Children will understand how one person’s brave is another’s person’s routine. Even facing your fears takes courage and bravery. Also, one should do things for oneself and not because others want us to. You must use your own sense and gut instinct. The book thus delivers on two levels: it teaches kids to find their own ‘brave’, and to not laugh at oth...

AUTHOR: Mike Shiell GENRE: Graphic Novel RATING: 3.5 stars. Imagine reading a whole graphic novel where the main character is a tiny ball of lint! What creativity!!! (Don’t be confused by the genre ‘graphic novel’ – this is strictly for little children.) So, Linty, who is a ball of lint stuck in a jeans pocket, is unaware of life beyond his blue residence. He spends his day entertaining himself with many solo games and exercises. But one day, some new objects unexpectedly land up in the same pocket. (Which, by the way, seems to be astonishingly huge; we girls will never know the benefits of such large denim pockets. Sigh...) Linty finds himself overwhelmed with these new visitors but soon discovers that life is fun with friends around. Unfortunately, wash day is around the corner and these visitors make their move in the outer world. What will Linty’s experience be like in the washing machine? Will he ever meet his friends again? Read and find out. The biggest USP of the novel is that ...

AUTHOR: Nancy Garden GENRE: LGBTQ, Historical Drama. RATING: 4.25 Stars. At its heart, this is just a love story. A simple, heartfelt, emotional love story of a couple that faces hurdles and tries to overcome them. How is the book different from the umpteen other romance novels in the market? Well, the couple in love – Liza and Annie – happen to be young and female. Also, ‘Annie on my Mind’ happens to be one of the first queer fiction books where the gay characters were main characters, both survive till the end and stay homosexual till the end! Seventeen year old Liza and Annie meet, they become friends, and then realise that their feelings go much deeper. Despite pressure from school and family, they know their relationship is meant to be. Both Liza and Annie are high schoolers, and their voices are written so authentically that you’ll forget the author was in her forties when she wrote this. Every single one of their feelings comes out strongly, right from confusion over sexual ori...

AUTHOR: Holly Goldberg Sloan GENRE: Middle Grade Fiction RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: Well, I liked this more than I expected. Having zero expectations helped, I guess. Story: Twelve year old Willow Chance is a genius in many fields but finds it difficult to connect with people. When her adopted parents die in a car crash, she is left alone in a world where there’s no one to understand her. How Willow gets back on her feet again with the help of a motley assortment of people forms the crux of the story. The book is written in the first person perspective of Willow and third person povs of many other key characters. What I liked about the book: ✔ This was a very fast-paced read, despite its choppy writing style. I didn’t feel the 380 pages at all. It was easy to complete this within a day. ✔ The start is a bit challenging as the narrative goes on jumping from topic to topic, and also from person to person. (Reminded me of every single conversation with my kids where we begin with ...

AUTHOR: Indra Zuno NARRATOR: Sarah-Jane Drummey GENRE: Historical Fiction RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: Outstanding in its historical details, but why couldn’t the story have included some happy moments too? This was mentally exhausting. Story: 1729, Ireland. Blaire Eakins is a fifteen year old Scot living during the period of a nationwide famine. (Not the Great Irish Famine, as I had originally assumed, which came more than a century later.) When there is no hope of a better future for him in his town, he decides to accompany his brother to set sail to Philadelphia. As they have no money for passage, they commit to being indentured servants for a period of four years, at the end of which period they would earn their “freedom dues” – payment made in the form of money and some non-cash items to enable the ex-servant to begin a free life. But will things go as easily as planned? 1729, London. Mallie Ambrose, a ten year old orphan, is arrested on charges of pickpocketing. Her sentenc...

AUTHOR: Axie Oh GENRE: Fantasy, Korean, Retelling. RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: Minority opinion alert! This wasn’t my cup of tea. Sorry. But it just didn’t click with me. Story: Mina’s village is ravaged by severe storms since decades. To appease the Sea God, a pretty young girl is thrown in to the sea to serve as his “bride” so that someday, he will choose the right bride and be appeased, thereby ending the calamities. This year, it’s the turn of Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village to be the Sea God’s bride. However, Cheong is in love with Joon, Mina’s beloved older brother. To keep the two lovers united, Mina makes a last minute sacrifice and throws herself into the sea. Swept away to the Spirit realm by an underwater dragon, Mina is stunned to see that the Sea God is in an enchanted sleep. All she has for company is three strange young men – Shin, Namgi and Kirin – and a few spirits. But whom can she trust and who is out to get her? Will she able to serve her pur...

AUTHOR: Ruth Wielockx GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: March 22, 2022 RATING: 4.5 stars. What an adorable book this is! As the title clearly states, Luke and Lottie have decided to begin their own vegetable garden under the guidance of their dad. The book details out the steps they go through, right from purchasing the saplings/seeds to planting them, watering them, and then the most important ingredient of all – having patience to wait for them to grow. The book delivers on various levels: 👉 It provides age-appropriate information about how different plants grow in different ways and how planting needs to be done the right way. 👉 It is very practical in its approach and ensures that its little readers grasp all concepts easily. For instance, it shows how seed packet labels can be stuck on a stick next to where those seeds were sown. An easy way of remembering what you planted in that spot. Such a simple yet brilliant idea! 👉 It shows kids who listen to their da...

AUTHOR: Anna Weltman GENRE: Children's Nonfiction, Mathematics RATING: 4.5 stars. Did you know that ... 👉 The Venus flytrap uses maths to trap unsuspecting insects inside its leaves? 👉 Slender buildings bend a little during strong winds and might cause seasickness? 👉 A doughnut and a coffee mug are the same shape mathematically? 👉 The shape of a band-aid (rectangle with semicircles at the end) is called a ‘discorectangle’? This book contains many such fun bits of trivia. But it doesn’t stop here. As the title cleverly suggests, this is not your “average” maths book. (Don’t you love the punny sound of it?) I’ve read quite a few books on making maths comfortable for children, but all of them end up providing definitions and theorems, though in a fun way. This book strives to be different. There are hardly any staid definitions. What we get instead is an application-intensive book filled with examples of how maths is actually used in the real world. Right from architecture to shop...

AUTHOR: Laura Alary ILLUSTRATOR: Ellen Rooney GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: May 3, 2022 RATING: 4.75 stars. To my utter shame, I had not heard of Maria Mitchell. So when I saw this children’s picture book dedicated to her life, I knew I had to give it a go. And what an enlightening experience it has been! Maria Mitchell was the first professional female astronomer in the United States, the first female member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and one of the first female college professors, that too at Vassar. Society expected her to live a more traditional “womanly” life. But she was a little lucky that she was born to a Quaker family, who believed in education for all and equality of genders. Having an astronomer for a father and a librarian for a mother certainly helped Maria’s brilliance. What a loss it would have been for the world had she been part of a more orthodox family! The book details out Maria’s life from her younger years, her scholarly ...

AUTHORS: Various GENRE: Fantasy Anthology RATING: 3.75 stars. An interesting anthology with many outstanding stories. The book is the first of four planned anthologies based on the seasons, with summer, spring, and autumn to follow. The idea is to put on paper the inherent essence of each season. This book is based on winter, so all the stories are set against a cold, snowy background. As the editor’s note declares, for winter, the intention is to capture "its darkest, deepest depths." The tagline on the cover suggests that it is also a “folk and fairy tale anthology”. Thus all the tales have this fantastical setting that involves magic and mystique, spookiness and surrealism, romance and regret. The collection contains 17 stories from a variety of writing styles. Some are scary, some are funny, some are emotional, some are simply bizarre. The collection goes to show how fairy tales and folk tales are much beyond what people assume them to be. They aren’t always light and fro...

AUTHOR: Laura Jarratt GENRE: Contemporary Drama RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: This surprised me. It’s a well-written and well-paced drama with many thoughtful lines, memorable characters and difficult situations. Worth reading when you are looking for a book to prickle your mind and tickle your heart. Story: Cerys has decided that she has had enough of her life. She drives away to a remote spot, sets her car afire, and waits on the hillside to die. But life has other plans for her and instead of meeting death, she ends up bumping into Lily and her four year old, who also seem to be escaping something. The two women form an immediate bond. But how far can a bond be strengthened if it is based on incomplete facts and constant threats from the past? Will the two ever be able to trust each other and leave their earlier lives behind? Read and find out. The book is written in a third person narration mainly from the points of view of Cerys and Lily. Where the book worked well for me: ✔ Th...

AUTHOR: Siobhan Curham NARRATOR: Laurence Bouvard GENRE: Historical Fiction RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: The historical part of this book is very good (not excellent, but definitely good.) The rest of the book, nope. Story: 1939 onwards, somewhere near Paris: Laurence runs a little bookstore with a twist. She calls herself the book doctor and loves to give “prescriptions” of books/poems to her customers as per their emotional requirements. When the Germans come to her town in 1940, she finds the changes in her life overwhelming and thus begins resistance against the Nazis, both through her own little ways of protest and through an underground resistance network. Taking inspiration from her role model, Laurence decides to do what she can to see her beloved France free of the Germans. 1990s USA. On the funeral day of her mother, Jeanne seems to be uncovering some family secrets. One of these is through a box her father Wendell gives her. It contains the deeds to a bookstore in France,...

AUTHOR: Ben Feller ILLUSTRATOR: Mercè López GENRE: Children's Picture Book. PUBLICATION DATE: May 31, 2022 RATING: 4.75 stars. A sweet book that talks of several important “problems” in a very practical way. What makes it extra special is that the story comes to us from the interactions of a father and his son – a rare combination in the world of picture books. Sam and his Dad are the only two characters in this story. Sam gets flustered at a couple of things such as not being able to zip up his jacket or not finding his favourite cape. Dad helps him deal with those problems by teaching him the value of approaching the problem with the right perspective? Is the problem really that big? Can it be solved? Can there be an alternate solution than the one we want? On a day when Dad feels frustrated, it is little Sam who reminds him to have patience and handle the problem calmly. I simply loved the relationship shared by Sam and his Dad. They listen to each other, they talk to each other...

AUTHOR: Skye Wade ILLUSTRATOR: Anna Snowlet SERIES: Bug Books For Children, #1 GENRE: Children's Picture Book. PUBLICATION DATE: January 1, 2022 RATING: 5 stars. An outstanding book for youngsters! It’s the perfect combination of learning and fun. The book is structured around a Little Bug who doesn’t seem to know who he is. When he encounters a Ladybug and explains his predicament, Ladybug decides to help him out. They approach various insects around them, searching a clue that would help identify who Little Bug is. This story is presented on every alternate page. In between, there is informative content about actual photos of the bug they just approached, along with some interesting trivia about it. Thus you have the story on a page, the trivia on the next page, then a page where the story continues with a new bug, next comes trivia about this bug, and so on. I loved the structure on the trivia page. The information is so neatly organised. I especially liked the section that look...

AUTHOR: Tricia Cresswell GENRE: Historical Fiction RATING: 2.75 stars. In a Nutshell: Great in history, okay in mystery. As a debut novel, this aims high but gets mixed results. Story: Northumberland, 1838. After a storm, a woman is found naked near the high moor by a local villager. The woman has no memory of who she is or where she came from. But she somehow knows how to act as a midwife, dress up wounds, and even speaks French. With no signs of her memory returning, she settles in the village, going by Joanna (the name given to her by the fellow who found her), and tries to rebuild her life using the skills she remembers. But will she ever be content when she feels so lost about her past? London 1841. Dr. Borthwick is making a name as a physician and accoucheur (a male midwife), though he is careful to always visit expectant mothers with his female midwife assistant, Mrs. Bates. His official clientele comes from the upper echelons of society, but he doesn’t shy away from volunteeri...

AUTHOR: John Martz GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: September 13, 2016 RATING: 2 stars. This was nice but it could have been much better. Burt is an “intergalactic trans-dimensional time traveller” who is stranded on earth after a cosmic accident damaged his time-and-space travelling device. He is adopted by an older earthling named Lydia. While she does take good care of his physical needs, she seems to miss out on his emotional requirements. All Burt wants is a way to return home to his parents. The story itself makes for a poignant possibility. And to a certain extent, it delivers on the emotions. Lydia’s haplessness and Burt’s strong sense of ‘hiraeth’ is conveyed clearly. However, this is a picture book that might leave its little readers somewhat bereft of satisfaction because: 1. It doesn’t have a happy ending. Heck, it doesn’t even have a proper ending. It just has a dangling emotional scene at the end. 2. The story is written in a dual style. Lydia’s 1st pe...

AUTHORS: Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi GENRE: NonFiction, Racism. RATING: 3.75 stars. An interesting and enlightening read, though it didn’t quite work out the way I had expected (I thought it was more generic in nature. I totally forgot that the blurb mentions its focus on the USA.) Jason Reynolds declares that this is not a history book. But a great chunk of it is dedicated to US history and how racism and anti-racism became mainstream topics in the country. The range of topics covered is vast: skin colour and religion based discrimination, how racist ideas began, historical racists, contemporary racism, biblical scriptures being used for racist thinking, white privilege, gender discrimination, interracial relationships, segregation, black power… It goes from one hard-hitting idea to another. More importantly, it does so in a chronological order such that the development of these thoughts over the centuries is made vividly clear. Originally written by Ibram X. Kendi under the t...

AUTHOR: Catriona Ward NARRATOR: Christopher Ragland GENRE: Psychological Horror RATING: 4.5 stars. More than 24 hours later, and I am still caught in the tentacles of this book! It is so weird, and yet it is so well-written! There’s a saying in Hindi that goes, “Jo dikhta hai, wo hota nahi hai, aur jo hota hai, wo dikhta nahi hai.” Translated to English, it means, “What is seen has not happened, and what is happening is not seen.” That’s the book! Whatever story summary I write, you can be sure that it isn’t exactly what the book is about. So! Here’s all you need to know: 1. You will meet four main characters through the first person perspective: Ted, Lauren, Olivia, and Dee. Not giving any character insights except that Olivia is a cat. 2. Each of the characters has a strong and distinct yet weird personality. My personal favourite was Olivia, the Bible-quoting, self-righteous cat who wants to follow “The Lord”. 😂😂😂😂 Her portrayal, right from her hatred of dogs to her loyalty to ...