House of Stories - A Book Club for Children

Shadow by Michael Morpurgo Shadow written by Michael Morpurgo is a story of friendship between two boys, Aman and Matt. Aman along with his Mother stays in Manchester as an asylum seeker. Aman’s Mother and Aman along with their dog Shadow, had fled from Afghanistan dreaming a peaceful life. After staying with his uncle for 6 years and as they slowly started to adapt to the new life, the government officials took them away to a detention centre for having them deported to Afghanistan. With the help of Matt’s journalist grandfather, he cooked up a brilliant scheme to get the government agree to let them stay. The dog Shadow had a great role in buying Aman and his Mother freedom they wanted. The idea for the story Shadow is inspired by a similar incident that actually happened during the war time, where the sniffer black Labrador went on missing and was returned 14 months later in good health. The author has told the story in simple words and managed to picture the l

One Dog and His Boy by  Eva Ibbotson               Yet another pet story book for discussion. One Dog and His Boy is a story of friendship between a boy and a dog. Hal, the little boy was brought up by rich parents in a mansion. His parents gave him everything a boy needs or wants, except for the care or attention he wanted. Though Hal had everything, he was lonely in that big mansion with immaculate interiors that his mother changed following the latest trends. Nothing seemed real and he longed for some real companion and a childhood with real friends and fun. Hal had always wanted a dog of his own, to pet, to play, to cuddle and asked his parents to get a dog as his birthday present. As his style and cleanliness obsessive mother does not want dog’s hair on her carpet or paw marks on her wooden floors and doors, his pleading for such a birthday present fell into deaf ears. His mother’s knacky- wacky idea of dressing up a man like a dog to entertain him on his birth

The Friends by  Rosa Guy The saying, ‘A friend in need is a friend indeed’, goes right about Edith, the only friend of Phyllisia, the lead character in the story The Friends by Rosa Guy. Phyllisia with her snobbish behaviour instead befriended Edith only if she needed her. Edith stood by her when students in the class booed and bullied her. Since then Phyllisia knew, though she hated to be seen with ragamuffin like Edith, she needed her the most. After all Edith is the only friend she has in Harlem. Her bond with Calvin her father is diminishing. She did things to spite him like bunking classes, staying out late with strangers. After her father chased out Edith of the house, Phyllisia did not bother about checking on her even when she heard Edith’s brother Randy had died.  Amidst all chaos she lost her mother, her only solace. Instead of being with her Phyllisia indulged in the diversions of youth, desperately avoiding her guilt feelings for not being there for Edith.

To Kill a Mocking Bird   by Harper Lee To Kill a Mocking Bird- Harper Lee To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee is one of the best classics of modern American literature. Published in 1960, it rounds up an event happened when the author was 10. She brings to light the culture, tradition and the lifestyle of her family and the neighbourhood in her hometown in Alabama during 1936.   The narrative by Harper Lee explains in languid manner the childhood events of Jean Louise and her brother Jeremy. It starts off explaining how her brother got a crooked arm and went on like any simple childhood story with friends and summer time adventures including peeking into a strange and lonely house where the inhabitant never left the house for years. By the flow of the story one would assume that the story is about the characters getting acquainted with an odd character Arthur, whom they have only heard about but not met. Slowly the author takes a turn connecting serious aspects like l

Sam Angus Born in Italy and grew up in France, Samantha Angus is a bestselling and award-winning author of historical adventure novels for children. Her novels reflect some of the bleakest moments of British and Colonial history.  Being a lady with a knack for getting into trouble for various reasons, one for keeping a dog in her college room, you are in no wonder to expect nothing but adventure stories from her that are sure to enthrall children. She went on to read English at Trinity College, Cambridge and Central St Martins to study fashion. Later on she taught A Level English Literature and then became a full time writer. She lives near London with her 5 children, horses and a West Highland Terrier. Her book Soldier Dog was longlisted in CILIP Carnegie Medal 2013, Captain in 2015 and The House on Hummingbird Island for 2017. She won or been shortlisted for many local and national awards like the North East Book Award, The Sussex Coast Amazing Book Award, the East Lothian L

The House on Hummingbird Island      by  Sam Angus Snatched it at the first sight. I pleaded my kid to choose this book instead of Geronimo Stilton from the public library (too much of Stilton in her blood…by reading them of course).The name ‘ The House on Hummingbird Island ’ itself was soothing like chimes in the wind. The book opens to a magical world of Idie Grace, a twelve year old heiress who was transported to Caribbean Islands from the grey old England. You can imagine her surprise at living in a sun-kissed land full of vibrant colours. What waited for her was mysteries in the majestic halls and closed rooms of her inherited mansion, the once home to her parents she never knew. In the land where everybody spoke in whispers and in riddles she did not understand, Austin befriended her and gave her all sorts of exotic pets a lonely child of her age longed for. The adventures and frolic in Idie’s childhood gave way to the complexities of youth. As you read on the stor

Is Reading Safe for Your Children? Of course, what can a book do to a child! Reading is safer for kids compared any screen time, says my ophthalmologist every time I take my kids for their annual visit. But any sort of addiction could gradually take toll on children’s physical and mental health. Reading too falls in that category. How so?  Here’s a few simple things I learned from my kids’ ophthalmologist to take care while reading. Proper Lighting: There should be ample light in the room they read. Take proper care so the light falls on their book and not on their bowed head. Choosing a book with bigger fonts and enough spacing will be more comfortable for kids. Clean Spectacles: This is a serious concern for those who have glasses. Smudgy and greasy glasses will strain young eyes. Insist your children to clean them before they start reading. Proper Distance:   Keep books at least 15cms away from your face while reading. Do not lie down and read

Merle Hodge Merle Hodge Born in Trinidad in 1944, Merle Hodge along with her 3 sisters were taken care of by her grandmother. Raised up by the tough lady, she became bold and   independent. Merle Hodge was one among a very few who attended secondary school. She later won a scholarship to join for Undergraduate Degree and later for Masters in Philosophy. Merle Hodge is the first African Caribbean to publish a novel, Crick Crack, Monkey in 1970. It was followed by another book, For the Life of Laetitia for young adults. Her writings, reflects the colonial education, culture and lifestyle of the colonized. Her books throw light into the racism, gender discrimination and social divisions during post colonial period. In addition to the novels, Merle Hodge has also written short stories, essays and articles on her observation on the Caribbean families and society. Books Written by the Author: Crick Crack, Monkey For the Life of Laetitia The Knots in English: A Manual

For the Life of Laetitia  by Merle Hodge For the Life of Laetitia - Front Cover For the Life of Laetitia I am glad I bought this book. For the Life of Laetitia is a must-have in our children’s collection.  I u sually do not go for those books that has a smaller font size and a very little spacing between the lines like in this book or suggest it for children either, but this is an exceptional book and I recommend it for your children. Once in a while let our kids drop those fantasy books and read some realistic stuff like these. The language is simple and vocabulary is easy to understand even for the young readers. In short, I got hooked to it as soon as I started reading. For the Life of Laetitia- Back Cover In For the Life of Laetitia , Merle Hodge has beautifully captured the dreams and life of Laetitia, a young Caribbean girl, who became the first one ever in her family to attend secondary school. In spite of poverty and racism she strives to achieve wh

Sarah Lean Sarah Lean Sarah Lean’ first book, A Dog Called Homeless published in 2012 was sold over 15,000 copies. The book has won Schneider Family Book Award for Middle School Books in 2013. In 2014, Lean was the chosen author for World Book Day, 2014. Her books are "inspiring" and "touching"and good for the teenagers. When I went through her website, I found her as an adventure loving person, who loves being in nature and animals. Sarah Lean grew up in Wells, Somerset, and started writing stories since her childhood. Most of her stories got inspiration from her own life, spent on farms in the countryside. She is the second pet lover author am introducing in the House of Stories. Sarah Lean’stories are about the celebrations of friendships and the bonding with pets. Her stories might make one think about the significance of having pets at home. Books Written by the Author: A Horse for Angel The Forever Whale Harry and Hope Tiger Days and th