Jett is rich, spoiled, and used to getting his own way. When he takes his mischief-making too far, however, his father packs him off to a place called Oasis where he must live a life completely screen-free. Jett is incredulous. What kind of place is this, where mobile phones are surrendered before you enter? Who are these people who willingly go into boiling hot spring water, as if it is some sort of leisurely activity? Jett can't wait to get out, and perhaps if he behaves badly enough, he'll be sent away.As days pass, however, things begin to change. Oasis seems to be far murkier than Jett had imagined. But with his reputation as a troublemaker, the chances of him being believed are low.Unplugged by Gordon Korman is a wholesome read that, like so many of Andrew Clements's books, teaches us something without being an overtly preachy book. In some places, I did feel that the … [Read more...]
Restart
What if you got the chance to start your life all over again? Would you make any changes?Restart by Gordon Korman is a powerful story about getting a second chance. The story opens with Chase Ambrose in hospital. He's fallen off his roof and forgotten everything about who he used to be. And when he returns to school, he doesn't know what to make of the way everyone reacts to him. Slowly, he discovers he was the worst kind of bully. Even as he remembers who he used to be, he needs to decide who he wants to be.I've read just one other book by Gordon Korman, Schooled. Just like in Schooled, it's the characters who drive the story, although the plot is gripping too. Chase Ambrose, erstwhile bully, has us feeling for him, wanting to forgive everything he's done, no matter how bad it may have been. More, each character is vividly drawn--from the other bullies to the girl who's … [Read more...]
My Favourite Late Middle-Grade and Young Adult Books from 2023
As usual, I begin my list of favourite young adult books wishing I had read more YA last year. Yes, I loved these books, but once more, I hope to read more young adult in 2024! Schooled Schooled is such a delightful read, featuring a quirky, fun character.I read many negative reviews about the book, which spoke of how it perpetuates stereotypes of homeschooled children not knowing how to behave in social settings, but that wasn't how I read the book at all! I made no generalisations about homeschoolers or, indeed, hippies, as I read--I enjoyed the book for what it was, a heartwarming story about a character I was rooting for! Book review The District Cup The District Cup recently won the Atta Galatta Bangalore Literature Festival prize for children's fiction, an award for which my Dhara's Revolution was shortlisted too! … [Read more...]
Schooled
I stumbled upon Schooled by Gordon Korman by chance and read it in one sitting. What a lovely, fun book, full of unexpected twists and turns!Capricorn Andersen (Cap for short) has spent all his life at Garland Farm, homeschooled by his hippie grandmother, Rain. When Rain falls off a tree, Cap is launched into the world outside, utterly ill-equipped to deal with school, money, and life in general. An oddball with practically no survival instincts and no skills to cope with the world outside Garland, Cap is such a delightful, surprising character--alternating between freakazoid (as one character calls him) and angel (as another character discovers). I loved it!Often, when a book gets a little too intense or the character does something that is bound to have awful consequences, I have to step away and breathe a little. I need to prepare myself for what will happen next because I … [Read more...]