I love this exercise - of looking back at all the books I read and loved in the year that went by. This year, I found it even more difficult to distinguish between various age-groups. Longer picture books are like early chapter books; late middle-grade books are like early young adult books. And so, this year, I begin with two disclaimers.The first is my annual disclaimer: not all these books were published in 2022. Several were published earlier; I just read them in 2022.And the second: reading levels differ widely, so children read different books at different ages. Some of these books can be read by ages five and above. Others might be better for slightly older children. The Manic Panic I read The Manic Panic less than a month ago, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. There's so much to love about this book - the story, the very-responsible-protagonist, … [Read more...]
The Manic Panic
I love Richa Jha's books. I don't know how many I've read, but each one has been special - Love Like That, Boo! When My Sister Died, Machher Jhol ... I didn't know Richa would be at Neev Literature Festival, or I would have carried my copy of Giggi and Daddy for her to sign for me, but as it turned out, it was a good thing I didn't carry the book. I ended up picking up The Manic Panic!The Manic Panic is an adorable book. When I was a child, I remember learning the song "Be kind to your parents", and I enjoyed it almost as much as my mother did. And The Manic Panic reminded me of that song - the irreverent, yet wholesome humour, and the sense of madness that inspires an idea like this.What happens to all the grown-ups when there's no internet? We all know the answer to that one, don't we? The important question is: what are you going to do about it?As I read The Manic … [Read more...]