Friendships, Dyslexia, Bullying, Inclusion – READ, WRITE, RACE has everything kids deal with at school! [Review]

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*award winning book!
Title: Read Write Race
Author:  Arti Sonthalia
Illustrator: Priya Kuriyan
Publisher: Scholastic India
Type: Paperback
Pages: 132
Age Group: 8-12 years

Disclaimer: We were one of the winners in the #kbcReadWriteRace contest organized in the Kids Book Café’s Facebook group and got this book as a prize. Posting this review on behalf of my 10-year-old, Miss. M.

I love Arti Sonthalia’s books as they have characters of my age and talk about relatable topics. Her books, ‘Best Friends Forever’ (an award winning book) and ‘Hungry to Read’ are two of my favourite books. This book, Read, Write, Race is equally fascinating.

A heartwarming story set in a school backdrop, this book talks about inclusion without actually talking about it. It is about a boy named Raghav, who is dyslexic (but not diagnosed). Dyslexic means having difficulty in reading or writing. Since Raghav couldn’t read or write like his classmates, he gets bullied. He’s not recognized for his talents, but rather mocked for his disability. This makes him sad and he stays aloof.

While Raghav’s dad and brother see and appreciate him for his capabilities, his mom couldn’t. He tries his best to better himself in reading and writing, but in vain. This disappoints his mom. As he starts with grade five, he is determined to work harder and learn to read and write better.

But in school, he has to face the bullying of Karan and his gang. Coping with his disability (while not knowing he has a disability) and not having any friends by his side, he feels lost. Then along comes Ms Joseph, a stern-looking teacher whom everyone calls Hitler for her strictness.

Raghav thinks that Ms Joseph might torture him now. But to his surprise, she gives Raghav test papers which are hard to solve but doesn’t punish him if he doesn’t finish. This makes him puzzled.  What’s Ms Joseph up to? Is it any kind of evil plan? Also, will Raghav ever find an understanding friend? Will he be able to do better in his reading and writing this year? Or is he going to remain the butt of jokes forever? To know what happens, grab this book.

I finished this book in one sitting. It was emotional but still, I enjoyed the book. At the end of the book, I learned that you can be anything if you choose to face your problems.

The illustrations by Priya Kuriyan are very comical and lively. The sketches of characters are expressive. Also, the cover page is eye catchy and intriguing at once.

But do you know the character that I liked the most was Simran? Are you wondering who that is? Well, that’s a sweet surprise awaiting you inside the pages of the book. Check it out.  

If you enjoyed this review and wish to be a part of Raghav’s classroom, you might want to buy the book from Scholastic India (kbc affiliate storefront link), type Read, Write, Race in the search bar after clicking this red button.

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Should you wish to buy this book from Amazon (kbc affiliate link), kindly click here. ALL OF ARTI SONTHALIA’S BOOKS CAN BE FOUND HERE ON AMAZON.