I am writing this post on behalf of my 10 year old daughter, Ankita Ahuja. This is for the #kbcKeepCalmAndReadOn Campaign. Ankita is an avid reader and likes to read books based on fantasy fiction and adventure. The following is a list of books she has read in last couple of months.
1. Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo
Michael is on a sea voyage with his parents, when he accidentally falls in the sea and is washed up on a deserted island. He struggles to survive on his own but with no food, no water and only his dog for company death seems near. But someone saves his life. Who is this person? Is he a human or an ape? Read this heart melting story of a boy’s survival and his friendship with an unknown savior. We learnt a bit more about life after reading it. Recommended for kids who are 10 years old and up. There is another edition available which might be more affordable.
All of Michael Morpurgo’s books can be found here on Amazon.
2. Fortunately The Milk by Neil Gaiman
Awarded as “The Children’s Book Of The Year” by Sunday Times, Fortunately The Milk is the story of a father who is taking care of his two kids while their mother has gone out for some work. He goes to buy milk for breakfast and experiences the adventure of his lifetime. Globby Green Aliens, pirates, vampires and what not!!. This book is recommended for kids who are 8 -10 years old and even adults can enjoy reading it along with them.
3. Amazing India: A State by State Guide by Anita Vachcharajani & Amit Vachcharajani
This is a non fiction book filled with interesting facts and figures, maps and more than 250 beautiful illustrations about each state and union territory of our large and diverse country, India. With a bit of history and geography for each one of them it also gives snippets on art and culture and shares many lesser known facts. The book is suitable to be read by children who are 10 years old and above.
4. Five Go Off to Camp (The Famous Five) by Enid Blyton
It’s holiday time for Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy and this time they decide to camp out on the wild moors. Like all other Famous Five books, an adventure is waiting to unfold but this time these kids solve it with the help of Mr. Luffy. This exciting adventure is sure to interest our readers who are 8 to 10 years old. All the other books in the Famous Five series can be found here.
5. 501 clever Questions & Answers Published by Golden Minds Publishing House
We got this book as a gift from a friend. It’s always good to know why things happen the way they happen. The book shares 501 snippets which can boost our general knowledge. It provides answers to questions like why doesn’t an igloo melt inside? Or why does a giraffe have spots. An interesting book to read for kids who are 8- 10 years old.
6. Let’s Go Time Travelling by Subhadra Sen Gupta
Many of us find history boring and factual but this book has changed our perspective towards it. It is a fascinating book about how people lived in the past. Reading it is like taking a tour through the various ages from Harappa to the Mauryan, Mughal to the British. We highly recommend this book for kids who are 8 years old and above. Parents can read along with their kids as it’s sure to invoke a lot of discussion.
7. Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
Harry Potter and its acclaimed author need no introduction. Not everyone is a Potter fan but it’s probably the best fantasy fiction series written ever and many Harry Potter fan clubs do exist for real. I was initially skeptical whether Ankita would like it or not, but to my surprise she was hooked to it asking for more books in the series. It’s recommended age at many forums is 8 years and above but my suggestion is that it’s intense so children can first read it at a library or bookstore (few chapters) and then decide to buy it.
8. All Four Stars by Tara Dairman
This is the first book in a three book series. Gladys Gatsby loves cooking but is born to parents who are horrible at it and depend on food from restaurants and fast food joints. Gladys also has a secret desire of becoming a restaurant critic but a small cooking mishap at home gets her banned from even cooking at home. What happens to Gladys’ dream of becoming a restaurant critic? Will she ever become one with all the circumstances surrounding her? Read this book to find out more. Suitable for kids who are 10 -12 years old. This book will remain close to one’s heart forever.
9. The Puffin Book of Holiday Stories
Childhood is probably the best time of one’s life and coupled with holidays it becomes very memorable. This book is an Anthology featuring 14 stories penned by some of the best children’s authors like Paro Anand, Ruskin Bond etc. The first story named ‘Up in the Air’ by Nayanika Mahtani made us laugh so much that we ended up having a stomachache. Must read for 8 – 10 year olds.
10. Diary of a Wimpy Kid : Wrecking Ball by Jeff Kinney
This series is a best seller and rightly so because many kids who are Tweens or Middle graders can relate themselves to Greg Heffley. Ankita is a big fan too. She reads it to bust her school related stress and we call it her comfort read just like we have comfort food. The series is suitable for kids who are 8 – 12 years old.
11. The Deadly Royal Recipe by Ranjit Lal
We were searching for some other title, when we came across this book authored by Ranjit Lal. We bought it on impulse after reading some reviews on Amazon and it turned out to be a fantastic read. The story is about a princess who is shy and timid and belongs to a family which is famous for cooking delectable recipes and documenting them in their secret master book. Someone wants to take revenge from the family and is after their master recipe book. A nail-biting adventure ensues. It’s a difficult-to-put-down book. Must read for all adventure lovers and it’s suitable for kids who are 10 years old and up.
12. The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes based on works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Shree Book Centre)
Who doesn’t know Sherlock Holmes, the great detective from London? This book is a collection of 9 cases solved by Holmes using his amazing powers of reason and deductions. He is ably assisted in most cases by his learned friend Dr. John Watson. The book leaves you admiring Holmes for his extraordinary intelligence. It is suitable for children who are 10 -12 years old.
13. Just William by Richmal Crompton
This book will remind you of Dennis the Menace or Adventures of Tom Sawyer who were mischievous kids creating trouble for others and sometimes themselves too. It’s a fun book to read and even comical at some points. William who is good at heart has a new scheme up his sleeve at every point in time and most of them are outrageous and disastrous. The book is recommended for 10 -12 year olds.
14. The Whistling Schoolboy by Ruskin Bond
This collection of stories by Ruskin Bond is mostly a memoir of his own schooldays spent in a boarding school. It will appeal to all schoolagers as it describes their innermost feelings and fears. Hilarious and heart warming, this collection is an ideal read during holidays. The book is recommended for kids who are 10 years old and above.
15. Tom Gates (Extra Special Treats) by Liz Pichon
This is one of the books in the acclaimed Tom Gates series. Wimpy Kid lovers are usually known to love Tom Gates too. In this particular book, Tom’s grandparents (whom he lovingly calls Fossils) are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Tom’s weird sister Delia and his nemesis Marcus give him a hard time. He wants to win the star pupil title and has some very funny relatives too. The book has amazing graphics which are bound to make kids laugh. The book is recommended for 9-12 year olds.
16. Flipped by Various Authors
If your child is a big fan of adventure as well as spooky stories with just the right amount of horror element in it, Flipped is the book for him/her. The book has a unique style. One part has 6 adventure stories and when you flip the book, the other has 6 ghost stories. One can flip the book to read adventure stories or Ghost stories as per liking. The stories are from various authors. The story ‘How to train your Ghost and other animals’ by Vibha Batra will keep you giggling while ‘The Enchanted Umbrella ‘ by Prashant Pinge will melt your heart.The book is suitable for kids who are 10 years old and above.
There are other books in this Flipped series – Flipped-Funny Stories/Scary Stories
Flipped: Mystery Stories / Sci-Fi Stories
Flipped 3 -School Stories/Sports Stories
So, this is a list of 16 books we recently read and recommend. Hope everyone likes it. The books that we bought, were bought from kidsbookcafe.com!
Happy Reading Guys!!
[Note from Team Kids Book Café: For your convenience, affiliate links (MARKED IN PINK) to some of the books have been added to enable you to buy the books from AMAZON, should you wish to! A very small amount of money comes to kidsbookcafe.com when you purchase a book via the amazon affiliate link provided (at no extra cost to you!). Do let us know if you need information about other children’s books by writing to asha@kidsbookcafe.com.]
