Editor’s Note: This is the sixth newsletter. Last time my sister had edited it so this time I, Anika Agarwal, am the editor. In the August edition of the newsletter we had mentioned doing themed newsletters. Well, this edition is a themed one. The theme for this one is the Bookalicious section. That basically means that all the books in the newsletter are ones that we like. There is not a single book we don’t like in this edition. There is also one new addition to our newsletter. We have decided to give awards to our favourite books and the funniest book of the month. If you look in the top right corner of each page, you will notice a small badge, or trophy, telling you which section that particular book is in. Badges are for the normal sections. The trophies are for our favourite books, and the medals are for the funniest books. Hope you like these additions - Anika
George and the Blue Moon by Stephen and Lucy Hawking
Sci-Fi: Adventure
Age: 9-11
Reviewed by: Anika
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Electrifying
Adventures |
Ge
orge and the Blue Moon: This is the last and final book in the George series. In this book George and Annie are selected for an Astronaut training program that trains young kids who are interested in becoming astronauts when they grow up. After being fully trained these young astronauts were sent to Mars on an expedition to find out about life on the planet. Both the kids thought it would be fun and interesting, but they were in for a rude shock. The program was far from nice; it was quite the opposite. All the children at the program were put in pairs of two. Along with their partners the pairs had to undergo three very dangerous tasks without any adult supervision! Annie and her partner Leone were the best team by far. After some time, George and Annie start getting a bit suspicious as none of the tasks seemed like they would be useful later. When a plane that was carrying all the children of the program malfunctions, it seemed that their suspicions were turning out to be true. The plane would have crashed if Annie’s partner Leone had not taken charge and saved the day. To add to it all George and Annie meet their arch enemy Alioth Merak again! I really liked this book, though the ending was a bit sad. It could have been a bit better. Otherwise the book was amazing. My favourite part was when the plane malfunctions and Leone saves the day. I felt this was the second-best book in the George series. The best was ‘
George and the Big Bang’ which was covered in the June newsletter.
Kane Chronicles - The Red Pyramid
by Rick Riordan
Books in this series: The Red Pyramid, Throne of Fire and the Serpent’s Shadow
Fantasy: Adventure: Fiction
Age: 12-15
Reviewed by: Anvita
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| Mystical Myths |
Kane series: In the last newsletter, I mentioned two series of books written by the famous author, Rick Riordan. They were the '
Heroes of Olympus' and the 'Percy Jackson' series. I had also mentioned that I was going to read the 'Kane' series. My sister has decided to include it in this newsletter. The series was just as good as I had expected it to be. I have read the first book so far. Its name is '
The Red Pyramid' and I found it very interesting. It is quite different from the other two series, except that it is another quest where Sadie and Carter Kane, the main characters, stop the Gods. There isn't a single mention of Percy or Annabeth in the first book. It instead includes a fresh set of characters, set in a different place. The plot of the book revolves around two siblings, Sadie and Carter Kane, as I have mentioned before. Once their father is trapped in a sarcophagus, hidden somewhere by the evil god Set, their life takes a twist, and they now spend most of their time fighting off monsters and other gods. They have to free their father, and stop Set, before he can destroy the world. I enjoyed the book a lot, especially the part when they are in the library of the House of Life. The book is able to hold the reader's interest throughout the book and does not get boring towards the end.
Secrets of Zynpagua – Search of Soulmates by Ilika Ranjan
Books in this series: Secrets of Zynpagua: Return of the Princess and Secrets of Zynpagua: Search of Soulmates
Fiction: Fantasy
Age: 10-12
Reviewed by: Anika
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Editor's
Pick of the Month |
Secrets of Zynpagua: Search of Soulmates: In the previous newsletter we had covered the first book in the series '
Secrets of Zynpagua: Return of the Princess'. In this newsletter we are going to talk about the second book in the series that is 'Secrets of Zynpagua: Search of Soulmates'. In the first book it talked about how Anika drove Drudan out of Zynpagua. This book talks about how Drudan starts planning to defeat Anika. He finds a beautiful yet evil mermaid and starts planning with her. To his delight he also finds out that King Soto, Anika's father, is being held in the mermaid's clutches. With the help of Romeo - a sea snake, and the mermaid, he comes up with a clever plan. Meanwhile, back at Zynpagua, Queen Sussania, Anika and Vivian are thinking of a plan to turn back Femina – a clever girl, back into a human. Before, Drudan had been defeated, he had turned Femina into a stone statue. Anika had a premonition that a girl named Aarna Malhotra would save Femina. Now Fredrick, Anika's uncle was going to India to find Aarna Malhotra. The rest of the book talks about how Femina is saved and how does Anika defeats Drudan yet again. This book was as amazing as the first. Everything is described in such detail and so clearly. You feel like you're sitting there in Zynpagua itself. I recommend anyone who loves fantasy to read this amazing book!
Harry Potter – The Cursed Child by J.K Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne
Fiction: Fantasy: Adventure
Age: 9-12
Reviewed by: Anvita
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| Notable Books |
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: This book is a two-part stage play written by Jack Thorne based on an original new story by Thorne, J. K. Rowling and John Tiffany. It talks about Harry's life after his marriage and the problems he faces with his son, Albus Severus Potter. Many readers were not in favour of the book, but I really liked it. I loved the plot, the most. In the book, Amos Diggory, Cedric Diggory's father comes to Harry and asks him to use the Time-Turner they confiscated from Theodore Nott (do not worry about who he his) to go back in time and save his son. Harry refuses because he knows what disastrous effects it could have on the present. His son Albus catches this conversation and decides to do this with the help of his best friend Scorpius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy's son, also Harry's arch enemy. He goes back in time with Scorpius and Delphi, Amos's nurse. They go back in time and change the present completely! I loved the book. It was hilarious and had a very big mystery. I enjoyed the book to the core.
The Firm by John Grisham
Fiction: Thriller
Age:
Reviewed by: Anvita
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| Notable Books |
The Firm: This book is written by the best-selling author John Grisham. This is the second book of his that I've read, and I loved the plot. I had seen the movie, and my father suggested that I read the book when I could not understand the movie that much. It took me a week to read that book as it was thick, and the starting was a little slow. It takes you a while before you start enjoying the book, but it is truly worth your while to sit and read it. It is gripping and extremely good, with many twists and turns. It talks about a young lawyer named Mitchell Y. McDeere who joins a firm at Memphis that is paying him a lot of money, about 80,000 dollars a year with bonuses, a low mortgage house and a BMW. He thinks he is the luckiest man on Earth, until he realizes that the company, Bendini Lambert and Locke, is involved in illegal business and have connections with a dangerous person called the Mafia. The company soon suspects that Mitch knows everything, and they plan to knock him off. This book was so gripping that I could not lift my eyes up before I reached the last page.
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Fiction: Adventure: Mystery
Age: 7-11
Reviewed by: Anika
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| Bookalicious |
The Boxcar Children: This book is written by Gertrude Chandler. This book talks about four siblings, Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny. They are living happily until their parents die. They run away from home in fear of their grandfather. One day, Jessie finds them a sweet little unused boxcar in the woods that looks perfect to live in. From that day onwards, they start living there. While Henry had gone to work at a Doctor's house, Violet, Jessie and Benny scavenge for pieces of usable crockery. As time passes they soon settle down in the boxcar. One day, by chance, Henry meets his Grandfather at a running race but doesn't recognise him. A few days later Violet falls sick and is taken to the Doctor's house. Over there they get reunited with their grandfather who wasn't scary at all. They start living in their grandfather's house. Over time, they go on such adventures that uncover many mysteries. From owning an island to finding a new cousin and a lot more. They also patch up relationships on their way. I found this series nice and adventurous. It was quite interesting and they find out many things they didn't know. This series is for everyone who likes adventure.
Malgudi Days by R.K Narayan
Fiction
Age: 10+
Reviewed by: Anvita
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| Notable Books |
Malgudi Days: This fabulous book is written by R.K Narayan. Malgudi Days is a collection of stories set in the fictional world of Malgudi. They are a set of simple stories that are based on issues of everyday life. I love all the stories. I admire R.K Narayan's technique of weaving stories from simple incidents. Some stories in particular were my favourites. I enjoyed the first story of the book. It is named 'The Astrologer's Day'. Another one that I cast a favourable eye upon was 'Father's Help'. It is from another one of his books called 'Swami and Friends'. It talks about a young boy named Swami, and his life. This one is an incident when Swami lies to his father to get out of school, as he has not completed his homework. I was surprised to find a lesson from my English textbook from school in this. I had a lesson in my textbook called 'Engine Trouble', and the same story is there in the book. I had particularly enjoyed that lesson. It talked about a man who has just won an engine from the lottery. He later finds out that the engine was the start of his troubles. I have always admired R.K Narayan's work, as he uses simple English, nothing too fancy to write his stories.
The Magic of the Lost Temple
By Sudha Murty
Fiction: Adventure
Age: 8+
Reviewed by: Anika
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Editor's
Pick of the Month |
The Magic of the Lost Temple: This story is written by Sudha Murthy. I have read a few books of hers. This was my favourite book of hers. It's about a 12-year girl named Anoushka but everyone calls her Nooni. She is staying with her grandparents while her mother and father have gone for work and she has summer holidays. She loves staying with her grandparents. She has many friends there. Nooni learns a lot from her friends. Since she is from a city she knows very little about nature. During her stay she hears a story about a king who built a stepwell. One day, she accidentally stumbles upon a temple and to her joy she realises that it was the same stepwell in the story. With the help of some professional excavators and the villagers she unearths the stepwell. Thanks to Nooni the village had got a new source of water. I liked this book a lot. Out of all the books of Sudha Murthy this was the only book that I felt was for children. The book is so simple yet interesting. My favourite parts were the parts when the excavation of the stepwell begins and the water starts flowing. This book was my favourite in this month.
The Thama Stories by Kamala Laxman
Fiction
Age:8-10
Reviewed by: Anvita
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| Laugh Out Loud |
Thama: This book features an adorable baby elephant called Thama. He is supposed to be a curious elephant who always gets into trouble. It is written by Kamala Laxman, R.K Laxman's wife. R.K Laxman has provided the illustrations of the book. I truly adore the book. It is funny and enjoyable. Any age group can enjoy these loveable tales. My favourite tale is the first one, in which he befriends a little sparrow named Gumchikki. The tale starts with Thama's mother leaving him alone in the woods because she has to go and see his grandmother. She leaves Thama a large amount of food and warns him to make the food last for the number of days she is away, and not gobble the food in day. Once she leaves, he starts feeling hungry and he ends up finishing all the food at once! He starts to feel hungry once he has a nap and then remembers he has no food left. What will he do? This is just the plot of one of these stories. There are many more in the book. I loved all the stories, though this one was my favourite. In the book, the tales are mostly how he befriends different animals. This one was my favourite as it was when he befriended Gumchikki, who was the wise sparrow, and who got Thama out of all his problems.
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
Fiction: War: History
Age:12-17
Reviewed by: Anvita
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Editor's
Pick of the Month |
THE BOOK THIEF: Out of all the books I have provided for this newsletter, this book has been my favourite. It is written by Markus Zusak, and as the name suggests, it talks about a book thief named Liesel Meminger. Liesel Meminger is a girl who is sent by her mother to live with foster parents, as her mother cannot afford to bring her up. She is sent to live with Rosa and Hans and Rosa Hubermann, at Himmel Street. Liesel slowly gets accustomed to her new life, and then she learns how to read books. They live in Nazi Germany, where books are not appreciated, nor are Jews. What will happen when Hans Hubermann hides the son of one of his dead friends who was a Jew? How will Max Vandenburg escape from the wrath of the Nazis? I love the book. It has such a good plot. It is emotional, funny and interesting at the same time. Children of age 12 and above would surely enjoy the book. It gets a little emotional at the end, but it is a worthwhile book. I never got bored reading it. It is extremely thick, with about 584 pages. I can read this book four times in a row and never get bored of it.
Shrilok Homeless by Pika Nani
Fiction: Adventure: Mystery
Age: 9-13
Reviewed by: Anika
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| Notable Books |
Shrilok Homeless: Have you ever imagined an Indian Sherlock Holmes? Well Pika Nani or Deepika Murthy gives you exactly that. An Indian Sherlock Holmes named Shrilok. Shrilok is exactly like Sherlock Holmes. He too uses his powers of observation and deduction to solve the numerous cases put before hi. No case is too big for him. The Indian touch added to this is it is set in Mumbai so cases are connected to vadapav and dabbawallas. There are a total of ten cases in the book. One of them ends in face to face confrontation with his nemesis, Masterji (a tailor). All the cases were amazing but my favourite was the mystery of 'The Rose Diamond'. I liked it a lot because it all started with a simple vada pav. This book has many humorous touches and is very interesting to read. Pika Nani has cleverly added everyday Mumbai life to the story. I loved the book and have reread it twice.
Note: My sister didn't like It that much, probably because it might be too small for her. Her view is below:
“I found the stories too confusing ad when you pieced the information in some stories you might find that it is not mentioned in the story until the end when Shrilok explains how he caught the thief”
Nancy Drew: The Chocolate Covered Contest by Carolyn Keene
Fiction: Adventure: Mystery
Age: 8-12
Reviewed by: Anika
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| Bookalicious |
Nancy Drew: Most people would have heard of the famous teen girl detective whose name is Nancy Drew. Those who have not heard of her may read the short summary given below. Nancy Drew, daughter of famous advocate Carson Drew loved nothing more than to solve a mystery in her free time. With the help of her two friends Bess and George she had often cracked many a case. I have read many Nancy Drew books. They are set in the town of River Heights. Most of the mysteries revolve around thefts, robberies and kidnappings. I would like to tell you about one of the books that I read very recently.
In this book Nancy and her friends are helping a friend by managing a science group consisting entirely of kids. They are taking the kids for an outing so that they stay out of trouble. They go to a theme park but things are not as straight as they look. On top of that Bess accidentally wins the grand prize on a chocolate wrapper. But when they go to collect the prize they are in for a rude shock. On reaching there they are told that someone else had already claimed the prize. Bess, Nancy and George star investigating this. Someone else is also bent on hurting them. They get to know of this when someone in a white car accidentally crashes into their jeep which in turn crashes into the gate of the crocodile enclosure and releases the crocodiles. Everyone thinks it was an accident but Nancy is not so sure. Finally, she is very close to find who the person is with the help of Joyce, Bess and George. When she finds out who it is she is shocked. It turns out to be the last person she expected it to be. Nancy, I sin danger when she finds out that this person is bent on killing her by pouring a huge vat full of burning hot chocolate on top of her.
I loved this book as it was full of mystery and suspense. It was quite interesting. I loved the part when they find out who the person is. Everyone who likes mystery books should read it.
This newsletter: © 2017, Anika Agarwal and Anvita Agarwal. All rights reserved.
© 2017, Anika Agarwal. All rights reserved.
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