Rosh's Reviews

Author: A. Lee Hughes Genre: Coming-of-Age, Young Adult Series: Scars We Choose, #1 Rating: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A coming-of-age story with ‘scarred’ characters. Beautiful writing. Okay plot. Appealing lead characters. Stereotypical secondary characters. Incomplete narration, to be continued in Book Two. Story Synopsis: 2013, Louisiana. Thirty-something Scarlett Elizabeth Nell Waverly (who loves to be called “Scarlett” but whose mom insists on calling “Lizzie Nell”) is at her old friend Ms. Pinkie’s place. Ms. Pinkie is an expert practitioner of Haitian Vodou and is helping Scarlett trace her long lost love, Julian. But as she works, she wants to know Scarlett’s backstory. 1986 onwards. Georgia & Florida. From the minute 7-year-old Scarlett bumps into 9-year-old Julian, the two kids have had a bond. But her mom doesn’t approve of her friendship with the biracial boy. Scarlett meets Julian only when she spends her summers at her grandparent’s vacation house in Florida, but desp...

Author: Melissa Winn Illustrator: Ekaterina Putilova Genre: Children's Picture Book Rating: 4 stars. A cute little book to help children understand the signals their body gives. A little boy is the first person narrator of this story. As he goes through his day, playing in the sun or getting wet in the rain or getting a special surprise at home or being dismayed at the idea of going to the dentist, his body generates specific reactions. Through these signals of fluttering and legs shaking and shivering and so on, he decodes what his body is trying to tell him. This book offers a nice way to teach children to listen to their body and not exert beyond a limit. It covers a variety of sensations and feelings. I wasn’t convinced by the depiction of “enjoyment” (it was more a feeling of “relaxation” or “comfort”) but the rest of the sensations were spot on, with the reactions of the body and the response of the boy working perfectly in sync. There is a little activity at the end of the b...

Author: R.F. Kuang Narrators: Chris Lew Kum Hoi and Billie Fulford-Brown Genre: Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Dark Academia Rating: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: This was mind-blowing! The personal connect for me as an Indian might have made a little difference but even without that, the impeccable weaving together of facts and fiction with a tinge of magic astounded me. (This has been classified as a fantasy. It is not so. Go in with the right expectations. Magical realism fits the content better, though it is mainly ‘dark academia’.) Story Synopsis: Robin Swift, a Cantonese orphan, is brought to England by his mysterious guardian and trained in classical languages such as Greek and Latin as well as Mandarin (though he knows Cantonese.) Robin knows his destination once he grows up. He is to join Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation at Oxford. Babel begins as a paradise for geeky Robin, with its endless books, scholars and ‘silver-working’. However, soon he discovers that thing...

Author: Ada Rossi Genre: Literary Fiction, Retelling Rating: 3.25 stars. In a Nutshell: Blown away in many ways, both good and bad. A great retelling of a classic, but I can’t get myself to forget (and forgive) one scene. Story Synopsis: Hannah, who performed on streets as a ‘living statue’, gives up her home and her friends when she joins Emily’s performance troupe. Emily convinces her that Hannah will not only be able to climb up the social status but also find the match of her dreams through Emily’s excellent network. Buoyed by Emily’s encouragement, Hannah gives her all to her performances and continues to dream big. But is anything in life ever free? Soon Hannah finds herself bowing to anything Emily says, without even realising it. Where will Hannah’s dreams take her? The story comes to us in the third person perspective of Hannah. Where the book worked for me: 😍 I’ve NEVER even heard of a book with a character working as a ‘living statue’, forget about reading one, and that too...

Author: H.R. Sinclair Illustrator: H.R. Sinclair Genre: Children's Fiction Rating: 3.5 stars. A chapter book about a scared ghost. You read that right… not ‘scary’… ‘scared’. Oscar is a ghost who lives alone in an abandoned house and is quite afraid of the dark. One night, he receives a mysterious letter asking him to come to the old cemetery to collect a package. Oscar is jittery. However, he knows it is rude to ignore a note, so he decides to go. Along the way, he encounters some pretty scary moments with what he presumes to be monsters but who turn out to be innocent creatures. When he finally reaches his destination and realises who sent the note and why, he realises that being brave had been a good choice and that he should give himself more credit for showing courage even when he was scared. This is a sweet story because of its lead character and the various animals he encounters on his journey. The lesson that is brought up at the end is also worthwhile. Oscar is a cute fel...

Author: Matthew Outerbridge Genre: Humour Rating: 4 stars. A resourceful book if you are thinking of new ways of having a fun family time without devices. Questions are a very important, albeit underrated tool of communication. The response we get from an open-ended question vis-à-vis a multiple-choice question is so different. Here’s a nice way of spending quality time with your family using questions as a tool of communication and entertainment. This book offers you 301 questions on various topics. The questions range from moral dilemmas (Would you rather have a pause button or a fast forward button for life?) to genuine quandaries (Would you rather eat ice cream for breakfast or pancakes for dinner?) to bizarre propositions (Would you rather have green blood or purple sweat?) to abstract thoughts (Would you rather be able to move things with your mind or see through things?) Some of the questions are somewhat boring or silly, but with over 300 options, we are spoilt for choice and ...

Author: Kim Michele Richardson Series: Book Woman of Troublesome Creek #1 Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: Pretty good. Was expecting a greater focus on the packhorse librarians, but this is the story of just one packhorse librarian. That she is blue-skinned adds to the novelty of the plot. Story Synposis: Kentucky 1936. Nineteen-year-old Cussy is a packhorse librarian who serves some people in the mountainous areas of Kentucky. Her task is to deliver books and other reading material to those families assigned to her route. The story deals with the challenges of this journey, with a focus on the region, the people, and the packhorse librarians. Cussy also happens to be a blue-skinned girl, one of the ‘Blues’ of the region and the last one of her generation. The book thus covers the discrimination Cussy faces as a ‘colored’. The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Cussy. Where the book worked for me: 👍 Excellent use of the location. The stor...

Authors: Melissa Winn & Pedro Gutiérrez Illustrator: Valery Matvienko Genre: Children's Picture Book Rating: 3.75 stars. A sweet little book with amazing illustrations. The content shows the various ways by which parents demonstrate their love for their kids. This is depicted through a variety of animal parents with their young ones.  The animals are quite diverse, ranging from an iguana to a tortoise to a dolphin to a bear to the toucan on the cover. Their methods of showing their love also differs greatly, tickling their little one’s tummy, cooking their favourite dish, caressing them in bed, or simply spending some time next to them. I love the thought behind the book. Love indeed can be shown in various ways and this communication needn’t be verbal. I remember reading ‘The Five Love Languages”, which so beautifully explained how each of us has a specific love language and what works for one may not work for another. This book takes that same principle and demonstrates to it...

Author: Poornima Manco Genre: Literary Fiction Rating: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A complicated story of friendships and betrayals among four friends, beginning with their tween years and ending when they are in their early forties. Most of the elements in the book worked well. Story Synopsis: Pari: A Tamilian staying in Delhi. Wants to fit in. Samira: Half Indian half English. Wants to be loved by her mum. Roma: Bengali. Wants to live life on her own terms. Madhu: Bihari. Wants to reach far beyond her financial circumstances. The lives of these four girls first intersect when they are between 8-12 years old. Thus begins a saga that lasts four decades, and involves plenty of secrets, broken hearts, shattered trust, healing and redemption. The book is divided in four parts, each covering a specific age (tween, teen, early thirties, early forties). Each part has 28 chapters - 7 chapters from the first person point of view of each girl. (A part of me is highly impressed at this accurate d...

Author: Melissa Winn Illustrator: Ekaterina Putilova Genre: Children's Picture Book Rating: 4 stars. A nice little story to help children recognise ‘feelings’ through the signals of their body. A little boy is playing when his mom comes and tells him that they are moving to another city. Through the various reactions his body generates (heart pounding, cheeks flushing, skin tingling,…) at this news and the aftermath of the move, he understands the various feelings he is capable of, ranging from fear to surprise to shyness to even love. ( I certainly didn’t expect a first crush to be part of a children’s picture book, but it sure was cute to see the little fellow’s love-struck eyes! 😄) The idea behind the story is quite simple yet it works well. Children find it tough to express how they feel, so such books, hopefully, will help them understand their own needs and emotions and communicate better. It will also help them manage their emotions when a negative emotion threatens to take...

Author: Sarah Andersen Genre: Graphic Novel Rating: 4.25 stars. A funny collection of comics about cryptids. Cryptids are creatures whose existence is either disputed or unsubstantiated. You would be aware of quite a few cryptids, such as the lochness monster, Yeti, aliens, sirens, ghosts, chupacabras and so on. In this collection, we see the other side of quite a few cryptids, and this side is mostly cute and funny. Some of the strips were utterly adorable and surprisingly believable. Many were hilarious. A few were meh. Regardless of the humour level, one can’t deny the imaginativeness of the artist. Taking creatures of lore and putting them convincingly into the same book takes loads of creativity. Many of the cryptids were easy for me to guess from the illustrations but I did need to Google a few. I discovered only later that a detailed glossary at the end of the book provides info on each cryptid that makes an appearance in the content. This would have worked better at the start (...

Author: Rebel Girls Genre: Children's Nonfiction, Inspirational Rating: 4.25 stars. If you know Rebel Girls, you know you are in for a treat of information and inspiration with this book. The latest offering from Rebel Girls, this ‘handbook’ is unlike any of their previous books in its format. The collection first begins with a continent-wise glimpse of women achievers, with a few token women from some countries on each continent. This ensures a fair representation from across the world rather than having a US or Euro-centric focus. Next comes a timeline of woman achievers across the ages. Finally, there are mini bios of more than 300 women achievers from various countries, big and small. The list includes women of diverse racial and cultural heritage and even includes trans women and disabled women. Unlike the usual format where the bios are written in a story-like format, the info is presented in a bulleted list this time, making it easier to assimilate and quicker to read. I fou...

Author: Tara Lynn Masih Genre: Anthology Rating: 3.35 stars. A haunting collection of twelve stories and one novella set around the theme of disappearance, whether physical or metaphorical. As the title indicates, the tales deal with “how we disappear”, but don’t feel repetitive in their theme. While one might involve a wartime pilot “disappearing”, another might involve a roadside fishmonger who “disappears” to passing vehicles without much thought. I am surprised at how the author thought of so many ways in which the tag ‘disappear” can apply to people. The approach of most of the stories is either dark or melancholic. Barely a couple of stories are lighter in essence, though many are feel-good in their own way. I think the sombre feel of the collection made a difference to my experience. Though I did spread out this read over many days, the gloominess got to me. I might have enjoyed this better had I picked it up in a different mood. What is undeniable is the writing talent of the ...

Author: Katy Hudson Genre: Children's Picture Book Rating: 4.5 stars As adorable as the first book of this series! Fun plus learning in a single amazing package. Sasha Patience Pruitt, the girl whose middle name simply doesn’t apply to her, is back with her bestie Mr. Sloth. This time, Sasha has woken up with the sudden whim of going swimming. She rusheds to get things ready and dreams of having a great time with Mr. Sloth. Unfortunately, Mr. Sloth is as slow as ever, taking ages to get things going. Sasha gets more and more impatient as obstacles keep coming their way. Finally, she can’t wait any more and goes swimming on her own. But is swimming fun without your best friend to splash next to you? Book one of this series, ‘ Mindful Mr. Sloth ’, focussed on mindfulness and on balancing living in the moment as well as rushing to complete tasks. This time around, the idea is to show how to stay calm when things aren’t going your way. Some things are worth waiting for, but what do you...

Author: Melissa Wiesner Genre: Family Drama Rating: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A family drama that raises many thought-provoking questions. Predictable, especially after the midway mark, but the pacy writing kept me happy. Do check out the trigger warnings though. Story Synopsis: Quinn and James Marcello have been trying to conceive via IVF since 5 years. Their last resort is an embryo they had frozen five years back. To their horror, the fertility clinic informs them that their embryo had been successfully implanted in another woman long back and is now a four-year-old girl named Emily. Thus begins the dilemma. Whose daughter is Emily – of her biological parents Quinn & James, or of Nora, the woman who carried her for nine months without knowing of the switched embryo, gave birth to her, and has been her mother since then? The story comes to us in the third person perspective of Quinn, with the prologue and the epilogue being written in the first person perspective of Nora. Where t...

Author: Sanjay Chandra Genre: Family Drama Rating: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: More of a family drama than a sports drama. It starts off unusually but progresses in a somewhat predictable manner. Simple writing, quick pace, a multi-threaded story that ties a bit too neatly. Story Synopsis: 2018. Gurgaon. A wealthy man named Sanjeev spots a little roadside dweller walking on the tightrope for money. Her two siblings are also performing along with her. Along with his wife Neeta, he decides to support the poor but hardworking family, comprising Budh Ram, his wife Chhaya, and their three kids - Pradeep (11), Deepa (9), and Roshni (7). Pradeep is an expert flautist as well as cricketer, Deepa loved to dance and act, while Roshni is a born gymnast. How the paths of these three children and their parents progresses forms the rest of the story, which ends in the year 2028. If I had read the above synopsis before beginning the book, I would have gone into it with clearer expectations. However, the ...

Author: Andrew Larsen Illustrator: Dorothy Leung Genre: Children's Picture Book Rating: 4 stars. Sweet and heartwarming, but also somewhat intense on the emotions. The little first person narrator loves his grandma, who is sick and has come to stay at their house. The two spend a lot of happy time together, but their most special activity is watching the birds who come outside their window to feed through Grandma’s birdfeeder. When Grandma’s health declines, she is moved to the hospice. The little boy is upset but soon understands that things needn’t change. He takes the birdfeeder and hangs it outside the hospice window, thus continuing their bonding from a different location. But will things really stay the same? What happens when Grandma’s health deteriorates? The story portrayed the bond between the grandmother and her grandson so beautifully. Taking their shared love for birds as well as drawings, the author shows that heartfelt connections aren’t restricted by age barriers. M...

Author: Ellen Marie Wiseman Narrator: Morgan Hallett Genre: Historical Fiction, Thriller. Rating: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: So, so disappointing! I expected an exposé, which is partly present and mostly accurate. What I didn’t expect was that exposé to be so poorly penned. Repetitive writing, poorly developed characters, silly plotting. Story Synopsis: 1971. Staten Island. Sixteen-year-old Sage Winters has just discovered that her twin Rosemary, who Sage had been told was dead, has been a resident at the Willowbrook State School since the past six years. Rosemary is now missing. As their mother is already dead and their stepfather has no interest in their upbringing, Sage decides to travel to Willowbrook and join in the search efforts. When she reaches there, she realises that Willowbrook isn’t a school but a strange place that seems to hold deep secrets within its doors. What she also didn’t count on was that she would be assumed to be the missing Rosemary. The life she took for granted...

Author: Kelly Mellings Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle Grade fiction Rating: 4 stars. A sweet middle-grade graphic novel that covers some deep themes. After losing all their possessions, Eight-year-old Ona and her father have been forced to move in with her paternal grandmother, whom she calls Baba – Ukrainian for grandma. One day, while rescuing one of grandma’s many cats from the boiler room of the building, Ona bumps into a ghost. Surprisingly, the ghost uses her virtual pet device to communicate with her and seems quite friendly. However, Ona soon discovers that her new friend “Haunty” isn’t the only spook in the building. There are many ghosts haunting the residents, and Ona has to figure out how to get rid of them. I didn’t expect to be so surprised by what I assumed to be an ordinary ghost story. The depth in which it explored human emotions is quite unexpected for a middle-grade graphic novel. Of course, this direction was to my advantage as I enjoyed the themes of grief and of ‘l...