I am sharing this on behalf of my 8 year old son, Abrar, for the KBC Summer Bingo Senior 2022. This is a list of the books that we found most relevant for the given prompts, while some are recent additions to our collection (a big thanks to the KBC team for the thoughtful and diverse categories), others are old favourites which have been read and re-read multiple times. So here goes…
- A book by an Indian author
The Tiger, The Bear And The Battle For Mahovann
- By Akshay Manwani
- Illustrated by Devashree Damodare
- Published by Red Panda
- This is a very good book which has a great mix of mystery, action, adventure & humour. It is a story of a unique battle between two groups of animals in the forest, one fighting for the good and other for the bad. I like how all the animals fight bravely and do not give up even in the face of death. The ending of the book has a special section of information about the various animals that the book features, which I really like.
- A purple coloured book
Willy Wonka’s Everlasting Book of Fun (Roald Dahl)
- By Lauren Holowaty
- Published by Puffin Books
- An interesting book with lots of games and fun activities based on Willy Wonka’s famous chocolate factory. It has word games, fun recipes to try out at home, ideas of games which we can play with friends, and even some inside information about the Chocolate factory. Definitely a book to the summer holidays more interesting and less boring!
- An award winning book
- By Astrid Lindgren
- Translated by Florence Lamborn
- Illustrated by Louis S. Glanzman
- Published by Puffin Books
- In 1958, Astrid Lindgren won the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, the highest international award in children’s literature
- Pippi Longstocking is the story of Pippi and her neighbours Annika & Tommy. Pippi is a funny and strange girl, who lives by herself in an old and exciting house, with her pet monkey and horse. They have an interesting time listening to Pippi’s tales and every day in her life seems to be an adventure. Sometimes I want to be like Pippi too, and be able to do whatever I want. But then I realize it might be too scary to live alone and I love my parents too much and wouldn’t want them to disappear!
- A book with a male protagonist
Planet Omar – Accidental Trouble Magnet
- By Zainab Mian
- Illustrated by Nasaya Mafaridik
- Published by Hodder Children’s Books
- Omar is an ordinary boy who lives with his family in the UK. He is faced with a grumpy neighbour and a bully classmate, but some chance encounters suddenly make his life too exciting. I really liked this book because Omar, who considered himself to be just a plain kid, is able to figure out that he has an extraordinary imagination and can notice & recall even the smallest details. All of us have a hidden power, we just need to find out what!
5. A mystery/ adventure book
The Mystery of the Invisible Thief (The Mystery Series)
- By Enid Blyton
- Published by Hodder Children’s Books
- In this book, Peterswood is disturbed by a series of robberies by the mysterious robber ‘BigFoot’! The five find-outers tumble their way into solving this mystery by collecting as many clues as they can. Funny names, wacky characters and crazy clues make this book very enjoyable. The Five Find-Outers is one of my favourite series by Enid Blyton.
- The first book in a series
- By Abby Hanlon
- Published by Puffin Books
- Dory is a girl who is teased by her brother and sister; her family calls her a ‘Rascal’. But her friends consider her the best, they are – the Upstairs Hallway Monster, the Ketchup Monster, the Bathroom Monster and the Vacuum Monster. Faced with the problem of an old lady who wants to steal her away, Dory comes up with the most funny and strange ideas to save herself, with some help from her fairy Godmother. I always end up laughing when I read this book. I can’t wait to get my hands on the other books in the Dory Fantasmagory series.
- A graphic novel
The Fastest Train in the West (Geronimo Stilton)
- By Geronimo Stilton
- Illustrated by Ennio Bufi
- Published by Papercutz
- In this book, Geronimo Stilton, travels back in time to the making of the Transcontinental Railroad and tries to save the work being done by the railroad workers from the Pirate Cats who are creating menace. Like all Geronimo books, this is fast paced and exciting with Geronimo and his gang saving the day in their funny and clever style. Later, I got to know that the actual construction of this railroad in the USA during the 1800s was actually a very difficult task.
Geronimo Stilton books can be ordered from Scholastic via our kbc storefront as well. Scholastic India always has special offers on.
- A scholastic book
- Collection of 8 short stories
- Published by Scholastic
- Heartwarming stories about various aspects of the two Eid festivals celebrated by Muslims all over the world. They throw light on why these festivals are celebrated, various traditions that the people follow and genuine human relationships. One of my favourite stories was ‘Sweets for Shankar’ which talks about how the thought of a true friend ignites the spark of warmth and humanity in the heart of another, even in the most hostile situation of the partition and its ensuing violence.
- Mom’s Note: The story of ‘BadiAmmi’ is one which would probably remind us all of some elders in the house who everybody loves and respects. Ayub’s story is a reminder for all of us to actually have a talk with our kids about various real life issues, like religious tolerance. Sometimes children passively pick-up a lot of things from news and adult conversations, and do not know how to express these feelings, or handle situations when they are bullied because of their religion. Like with all situations, books can come to the rescue and provide a conversation starter.
This book can be ordered from Scholastic via our kbc storefront as well. Scholastic India always has special offers on.
- A non-fiction book/ encyclopaedia
Mistakes That Worked: 40 Familiar Inventions & How They Came to Be
- By Charlotte Foltz Jones
- Illustrated by John O’Brien
- Published by Delacorte Press
- I was surprised to know that so many of the popular inventions we use and see were actually mistakes. My favourite one being the invention of ice lollies! Every topic is described in short, with some interesting facts and fun coloured pictures.
- A book about school stories
Tooth Trouble (Ready, Freddy!)
- By Abby Klein
- Illustrated by John McKinley
- Published by Scholastic
- I love all the Ready, Freddy! books, they are very very funny! In this book, Freddy, a first grader, wants to get rid of his loose tooth. He tries all sorts of tricks (some of which are hilarious and even dangerous) but much to his dismay, none work. So read this book to find out how he finally manages to lose his tooth.
This book can be ordered from Scholastic via our kbc storefront as well. Scholastic India always has special offers on.
- A classic
- By Anna Sewell
- Illustrated by John Maeshall
- Published by Peter Haddock Ltd.
- Black Beauty is the story of a horse who has seen it all – he has experienced life with many kinds of masters, some ill-treated him, some used him, some whipped him, some patted him – but he always found a way to pardon them all. He has a lot of adventures and makes many friends along the way. Finally he finds a good family who takes him in, and he is reunited with his old groom. This story reminds us that our pets are always there for us, so we should always treat them with kindness.
- A rib-tickling book
Weird But True: Stupid Criminals: 100 Brainless Baddies Busted, Plus Wacky Facts
- By National Geographic
- Illustrated by Tom Nick Cocotos
- Warning: This book is so funny that it will make you roll on the floor or give you a tummy ache! It is based on hilarious real-life robberies and incidents. Imagine a criminal claiming to be happy to see the police when he is caught! Or a criminal who loved his jail suit so much that he actually stole it when he was released from jail! They even talk about the wacky laws in some parts of the world – like a fine that the wealthy in Sweden have to pay for being rich!
- An inspiring book
Rise Up: Ordinary Kids with Extraordinary Stories
- By Amanda Li
- Illustrated by Amy Blackwell
- Published by Buster Books
- Rise Up is a collection of stories about 29 inspiring kids from around the world who decided to deal with the challenges that life threw at them in the most exceptional ways. There are stories of kids who have survived shark attacks, become ballet dancers, chess champions, inspirational speakers, climate activists, etc. I like the layout of the book too – it’s colourful with interesting illustrations and fonts.
- A sci-fi/ fantasy book
Cog (Five Runaway Robots. One Epic Adventure)
- By Greg Van Eekhout
- Published by Harper
- This adventure of five robots, led by cog was very interesting and inspiring. Cog’s thirst for learning and his attitude of never giving up was commendable. This is one of the first sci-fi books I read and I enjoyed it. Maybe I will read more of these.
- Mom’s note – I really enjoyed reading this book and feel it would entertain young adults too!
- A book on being eco-friendly
The Six Spellmakers Of Dorabji Street
- By Shabnam Minwalla
- Illustrated by Svabhu Kohli
- Published by Hachette India
- I liked reading this book because it is funny. Everyone in this book believes in magic, but no one can actually do any magic. They even tried, but it didn’t work – at least not the way they thought magic works. But there was another way to make magic happen, which they discover later on. The princesses and the others considered the Bimbli trees their friends and did their best to save them from the dragon, the crone and the jester. I liked how all the characters in the book were very involved in the story.
- Mom’s Note: Again a story which would be enjoyed by teenagers as well.
- A book on any place in the world
- By Rita Williams-Garcia
- Published by Amistad (Harper Collins)
- This is a story of three sisters who travel to California to meet their mother, who had left them many years ago. Their experience is from a different perspective as they are black and this story is taking place at the time when the black community was fighting for equality and acceptance in America. This trip turns out to be adventurous and fun for the three sisters in many ways. They spend most of their time in black Oakland, but also go on an excursion to San Francisco.
- Mom’s Note: After reading this book, I feel that this story has multiple layers – it would relate to older kids and adults too, as it can be interpreted at many different levels. Although I picked this book with the objective of introducing a new place to my son, I think it helped me introduce him to something much better!
- A biography
- By Jim Gigliotti
- Illustrated by Gregory Copeland
- Published by Penguin Workshop
- I love reading about famous people and their lives, and the Who HQ books make an ideal read with great facts all put together in a nice format, and interesting illustrations too. This book gives a lot of information about the world famous scientist, Stephen Hawking and his work. He has met lots of interesting people and authored many books, despite all the challenges in his life. I was amazed by the fact that he actually believes in aliens – but don’t imagine them to be like the ones we see in movies, they are very tiny like microbes, at least according to me.
- A book by your favourite author
The Famous Five (10) – Five On A Hike Together
- By Enid Blyton
- Published by Hodder Children’s Books
- Enid Blyton is my favourite author because she tries to make people believe in magic through her books. Sometimes I feel that she is not dead, although we can’t see her or meet her, but we can still feel her presence through all her amazing books.
- And from all her books, the Famous Five books are what I like best, as an adventure comes along when you are least expecting. In the book ‘Five on a hike together’ Julian, Dick, George, Anne and Timothy, the dog, go on a hike where they come across the usual stuff that one would expect to see. But how can the famous five step out and not find adventure! Sure enough, they soon find out that the Queen’s crown jewels are stolen, and trust our heroes to save the day.
- A new author you were introduced to
The Smartest Kid In The Universe
- By Chris Grabenstein
- Published by Yearling, Penguin Random House
- We are all smart at something, but what is Jake good at? He thinks he is the best at being lazy! But due to some magic jelly beans, this changes and so does his life. He goes on to do some great things, not only in his school, but even in the country! Read this book to find out what life would be like for the smartest kid in the universe.
- A book that was gifted to you
- By David Lubar
- Illustrated by Matt Loveridge
- Published by Scholastic (Branches book)
- This is about a boy called Ed, who finds a coin with Strange & Stranger written on it. He tries to figure out the coin and the reason for all the curious things that start happening around him. This is a book that will make you laugh, and has some good illustrations. It’s a quick read.
This book can be ordered from Scholastic via our kbc storefront as well. Scholastic India always has special offers on.
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