'Ma, I wish Ajji wouldn't gift me Noddy! I am 11 years old!'

BOOK NOOK

When Harry Potter burst into our lives in June 1997, he was an 11-year-old. And he made his appearance within the covers of a fairly slim book, ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’. So 11-year-olds all over the world found a new hero. And it seems that J K Rowling was really writing for this group of ‘tweens’. If you’re wondering what on earth that is, a tween is someone be’tween’ childhood and teenage. Books 2 and 3, are also slim enough for tweens to sit back and enjoy. And once hooked, I’ve seen many a tween slog effortlessly through the 766 pages of ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’. So don’t underestimate tweens!

Now what else do book-thirsty tweens sit back and read, once they’re done with Noddy? I’d recommend Judy Blume’s books. Start off with her Fudge stories. ‘Fudge-o-mania’, ‘Double Fudge’ and ‘Also Known as Sheila the Great’ are all about a set of kids growing up in an apartment in New York.

The stories are told by Peter, Fudge’s 12-year-old older brother. And a lot of it is about the conflicting emotions of love, embarrassment, shock and disgust that he feels for his kid brother. And like J K Rowling, author Judy Blume doesn’t let her tween readers down when they outgrow Fudge. She has a whole new set of books for teens and even grown college kids.

If you are the type who likes to put on your thinking cap and try solving mysteries (second-guessing who the thief or murderer is, even before the detective in the book can) you will love the Feluda books by Satyajit Ray. These have been translated from Bengali and are available in all shops that stock Penguin/Puffin books.

Feluda is a bright young man, with a slightly stodgy side- kick, who dashes across from Calcutta, to Darjeeling or Nepal, solving mysteries on the way. Puffin has also turned Feluda stories into comics, which are worth collecting.

Beverly Cleary is an American author who has introduced tweens all over the world to good books. Her stories are set in small-town USA and follow a set of friends as they grow up. Nothing mysterious or life-threatening happens in her books, but still, you’ll love ‘Henry and the Clubhouse’, ‘Henry and Ribsy’, ‘Ramona and her mother’ and a whole lot more. The fun the neighbours have; the escapades of Ribsy the dog; and the little hurdles the characters face in school, on the playground and with siblings, is something all of us can relate to.

Now all these books are easily available in Bangalore’s book shops – any Crossword store, at Gangarams, Reliance, Strand, Oxford, etc. Now here’s an author that I haven’t seen anywhere except in second-hand book stores. So are you game to go hunting in the 1st floor of Blossom (at Church Street) or at Bookworm in Sringar shopping centre? This is the ‘Amelia’ series. They are slim but large format books.

And you discover the story as you read through the journal entries of young Amelia. It’s even in her handwriting! Along with her letters, stickers and little doodles. Ask for titles like ‘Amelia Hits The Road’, ‘Amelia Takes Command’, ‘Luv Amelia, Luv Nadia’ or ‘Amelia’s Notebook’.  These are books worth collecting. And the more you read Amelia’s ‘journals’ the more you will feel like starting one yourself! So Amelia is really a good inspiration for all readers who dream of becoming writers!

Sesame picks...

‘Growing up in Pandupur’, a charming collection of short stories set in an imaginary small town in Karnataka, will delight every child. Built around a hydel project on the nearby Dhun River, Pandupur is teeming with life.  A bazaar, the railway station and bus terminus link the posh colonies, shanty town and tribal settlement.

The children of Pandupur come from different parts of the country and from all walks of life. Yet their stories and experiences could be yours or mine. There’s Raghav, whose dream of a birthday bash at Pandupur’s sole pizza parlour, is ruined by a crop of polka dots – on his face, that is! Share his delight as he gets his very own squirming puppy, and enjoys a riot of a ball game with the children of the Little Pandavas orphanage. Root for Shivi, who stands up for her friend Neville, when she sees her brother and his gang turning bullies.  Dull, plain Chintamani emerges from the shadows of a domineering granny and earns a place in the school football team.  Mallipoo, the orphan baby elephant, returns the kindness she receives in Nanja’s home.  Nisha learns the difference between a bad touch and a good touch from other people, and smiles because she isn’t bad luck or dirt or darkness any more. Smoothly written and with lively illustrations on every page, these stories on a broad range of contemporary themes will by turns surprise, charm, draw tears from your eyes or make you smile.

Monideepa Sahu