Book Reviews For Kids , By Kids

Children’s books are crafted with a lot of love and excitement by authors. But while reviews for the book come from other authors, media, publishers and even parents, very rarely do they come from the kids themselves, for whom the book is written.As a publishing platform for young people, Bookosmia likes to complete this feedback loop.
It was a delight to have Veena Prasad , author of The Spark That Changed Everything interact with our young readers in the Bookosmia Live Podcast on Bakstage app and answer their unfiltered questions in the most endearing way.

This is a compilation of thoughts of young readers of Bookosmia who have chosen to use their love for reading and talent of writing to share their feedback.

Read it as a flip book or download pdf here : The spark that changed everything

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Nancy Drew fan? Check out this review of The Nancy Drew Notebooks – The Snowman surprise, sent to us by    Navika Kharbanda, a 10 year old Bookosmian from Noida.

It’s winter break, and Nancy, George and Bess can hardly wait for Sunday! It’s the day of the big snow festival in town. This year the girls are also entering the competition. They already know what they’re making too- they are going to build swans from the ballet swan lake! Nancy and her friends have only three days to make the most beautiful structure they can. But, when someone starts wreaking their statues every night, the girls are worried they will never be able to finish in time!

Will Nancy and her friends put a freeze on the culprit, or will their chances of winning melt away?

The main characters in the book are -: Nancy, Bess, George, Tess, Denise, Joan and Moon Deli’s service man.

My favorite character in the book is Nancy because she had valid reasons and ideas that helped to locate the snowy suspect at last.

The story gives us a message to find the culprit after exploring every minor detail; otherwise you may make a mistake by assuming who has done it.

I loved how Nancy and her friends had each different reasons to suspect who wreaked their structure each night.

This story is written in mysterious style where every line had a mystery hidden in it.

I would recommend this book for ages 7 and up.

I would give this book a 5 out of 5 star rating.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Love animal stories? Here’s a book recommendation for you from 9 year old K S Rithik, a Bookosmian from Chennai.

When I saw the cover page of the story I thought it would be a funny story. This is a fictional story. I chose this book because I like animal stories.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Roald Dahl fan? Check out the review of his book ‘The witches’ by 10 year old Amayra Gupta, a Bookosmian from Delhi.

She goes to Montfort Senior secondary school.

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When I first saw this book I thought that this book will be very amusing. My mom bought this book for me as I love reading.

The main character of this story is a little boy who goes and lives with his grandma in Norway. He gets to know that witches are real. He now knows how to identify them. What happens next? Do read to find out.

Now let’s talk about the author. Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter and wartime fighter pilot.

Our author here, has an impressive way of writing stories. It was written so well I could imagine all the pages.

There is even a film based on this book. I have not seen it but I plan to watch it.

What I understood after reading this book was that ‘It does not matter how you look like if you have someone that loves you’.

The Witches is written for kids ages 7 and up. On a scale of 1-5 stars, I would give it 5 stars.

Book Review For ‘A Journey to the center of the Earth’

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I just finished a fantastic science fiction book ‘A Journey to the center of the Earth’.

The book cover is amazing, anyone can tell that the story is about a dangerous and adventurous mission. It is a novel written by Jules Verne and published in 1864. 

This book is mostly about science facts and adventures. Harry Lawson is the narrator who is learning science under his uncle, Professor Von Hardwigg in Germany. One day they find a book written by an Icelandic historian from the twelfth century. They find an old parchment written in runic language. They discover the path to the center of the Earth.

 

What follows is an incredible adventure as we see them head to Iceland, to an extinct volcano with the help of Hans Bjelke, their tour guide. What happens next? What will they discover? You must read to find out.

According to me, anyone who is above 10 should read and enjoy this book. I would like to give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Did you know the book was adapted into a movie by the same name in 2008? Check it out!

 

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About the Author:

Saksham Jain

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Did you like this? Do check out other reviews by Saksham–

Rick Riordans– The Lost Hero

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Into reading, writing or podcasts? Check out upcoming events at Bookosmia

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Enjoyed reading this review? Do you have a book/movie review to be published on this global writing platform? Click here to know how

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Love mythology? Check this book review of Devdutt Pattanaik’s Jaya by 11 year old Ved Neeraj Zanvar, a Bookosmian from Kolhapur.

He goes to Vibgyor High.

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Book : Jaya, the illustrated retelling of the Mahabharata

Author: Devdutt Pattanaik

As I am an avid reader and love tales from from Indian mythology, I bought this book to know more about Kauravas and Pandavas.

It is an interesting and engaging book which retells the story of Mahabharata from the ancestors of the Pandavas and Kauravas, to the end of the snake sacrifice made by Janmenjaya when his father, Parikshit died of snake bite.

This is a tale of division of land and household and the exile of the heroes.

A war takes place at Kuru-kshetra between the Kauravas and Pandavas. Who won the war and what was Krishna’s role in it is what forms the crux of the book.

This heart stopping and dazzling book ,will thrill you till the very last word.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Any Rick Riordan fans? 13 year old Saksham Jain, a Bookosmian from Delhi reviews ‘The lost hero’ for us!

He goes to Amity International School, Mayur Vihar.

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I had already read other Percy Jackson books, now I laid my hands on this fantastic Heroes of Olympus series.

The book cover is amazing. The Lost hero is the first novel in ‘The Heroes of Olympus’ series written by Rick Riordan. It includes ancient Greek and Roman mythology. It is also a mixture of modern and myth. This story is set in late 2010.

This story is the beginning of another great prophecy. The main characters in this story are Jason, Piper and Leo. Jason has disappeared from his Roman camp (Camp-Jupiter) and lost his memory. He has reached the other Greek camp (Camp Half-Blood). Three of them were offered a quest to rescue the goddess Hera from a very dangerous evil who is preparing an army of giants and other underworld monsters. They must rescue her before the winter Solstice. There are many heroes in this novel, but I liked Jason most, he is the son of Zeus. He has many abilities;he has a coin made up of imperial gold which can change into either a sword or a spear.

According to me, anyone who is above 11 can read and enjoy this book but I highly recommend that you should first read the previous series ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ if you haven’t.

I would like to give this book 5 out of 5 stars because this book pushed me to be a young author.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Have you read the award-winning book Frindle? 10 year old Mira Sharat, a Bookosmian from Bangalore, has and sends us her thoughts about it in this book review.

She goes to Ekya school.

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Book : Frindle

Author : Andrew Clements

“Frindle” is a book written by Andrew Clements, an author of more than 50 books for children. Brian Selznick, the illustrator, has beautifully illustrated the book.

Nicholas Allen, or Nick, the lead character is a fifth grader who is always trying to liven things up for his class. His witty ideas makes the story hugely entertaining. There is also a battle brewing between Nick and Mrs. Granger, which takes the story forward.

What makes the book most interesting is the surprising twist at the end. Finally, things do come back to normal in the town in which Nick lives. No wonder it has won sixteen state book awards, as well as the Christopher Award.

I would recommend this book for ages 8-12 (but it was so engaging that even my mother enjoyed it!). I would give this book 4.5 stars out of 5.

Who should review children’s books? Children of course!

Being India’s largest ‘for kids, by kids’ platform, Bookosmia is proud to have our young readers chat up with their favourite authors in our podcast.

What a delight to have the author Aparna Karthikeyan interact with our Bookosmians and answer their unfiltered questions in the most endearing way on her book Woof! Adventures By The Sea, published by Red Panda, Westland. Here is a compilation of unfiltered reviews by young readers of Bookosmia who have chosen to use their love for reading and talent of writing to share their feedback. Read the ebook below or Woof book – By Bookosmia kids

Book your seat at our Young Reader’s club NOW here

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Have you read The Alchemist? 9 year old Nandini Maheshwari, a Bookosmian from Delhi reviews this best selling story of a shepherd boy and his journey to find treasure.

Congrats to Chamatkaar for nurturing her creativity. She goes to Air Force Bal Bharti School.

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Title -THE ALCHEMIST

Type- novel

Genre- Fiction

Year published – 1988

Place -Brazil

Author – Paulo Coelho

“His journey led him to his destiny “ – is what the novel Alchemist all about . It’s a lovely book about a shepherd boy whose name is Santiago Dusk.

Santiago hails from the Spanish province of Andalusia who dreams of travelling the world in search of a treasure as desirable as ever found. From his home his journey to the exotic markets of North Africa and then into the Egyptian desert where a fateful encounter with an alchemist awaits him.

Throughout his journey, Santiago meets a lot of new people and encounters many problems, which ultimately help him to learn and grow. The whole story is very captivating and entertaining. It is all about finding meaningful treasures in life .

It’s a fable about following your dreams…

The advice that was given to Santiago that when you really want something to happen, the whole universe will conspire so that your wish comes true is the core of the novel’s philosophy.

Around 65 million copies have been sold all over the world .

My favourite character in the book is the Alchemist

My favorite part of the book is when the boy finally meets the Alchemist

The book emphasizes the values of faith, hope and love.

I would give it a rating of 5/5 stars.

This book can be a great recommendation for people of all ages who are trying to find the true meaning of life.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Who here is a Hunger Games fan? 13 year old Shreenithi S, a Bookosmian from Chennai reviews this best seller for us beautifully. What’s your take?

She goes to P.S Senior Secondary School

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Book : The Hunger Games

Author : Suzanne Collins

This book was so amazing! It was a fresh and interesting plot. But the plot isn’t the only thing that catches the eye, it’s the illustrations too.

As I was going through the stack of books in the library, I saw a thick black book, covered with a ring of fire with an arrow shooting through a bird. Oh my, I was so intrigued. I had never seen anything like it before. So, I picked up the book, and never put it down. I delved into the world of Suzanne Collins’s Hunger games. A world of mystique, action and fantasy; A world to escape the real world. It’s set in North America called “Panem”.

Panem is divided into twelve districts, and the main character- Katniss Everdeen- lives in the last district. Ever year a place called the “Capitol” hosts the Hunger games and choose two people from every district to participate. The Hunger games is a brutal and dangerous game and definitely not for the faint-hearted.

Twenty-four people are then put together in a man-made arena without any food, shelter or the basic needs of living. The last person that survives wins the game. Katniss who is selected to participate, is 16 years old and looks after her younger sister and her frail mother. They are very poor and it’s hard for them to make ends meet. But yet her strong and brave nature helps them to make their life bearable.

The author has managed to make this character “real”. Katniss has imperfections and flaws, which makes her relatable and interesting. She shows kindness, bravery, courage and emotional intellectuality. Every single part of the story was interesting! It will motivate you to read more and more. The writing style lured me in to keep coming back for more. The author takes you on a whirlwind rollercoaster, filled with ups and downs. The book was quite addictive, I have to say. The book may seem to go on forever. But never judge a book by its cover!

Once you start reading it, you won’t want it to end. But I couldn’t help but think, what would I have done differently, if I wrote this book? I would’ve added a bit of comedy, just to lighten the mood. But don’t let that reason stop you from reading it! I bet you would still enjoy it. This book is for kids between the age group of 13-16. I would give the book a 4/5.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Geronimo Stilton fan alert! 9 year old Aarav Maneti, a Bookosmian from Bangalore, reviews ‘The hunt for the Golden Book’. How do you find this series?

He goes to Deens Academy, Gunjur.

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I was so amazed by the book’s cover page. It had big, bold letters and they were in golden color and shiny. The picture shows Geronimo jumping from a plane with a parachute and he is holding a golden book.

I saw the book on the last pages of other Geronimo books. It said that it was a special edition book along with four other books. Another good reason why I bought it is that the heading says “Golden Book”. I really wanted to read it.

Usually letters in books are usually black but here special words are colored, bold, twisted and in various styles, that’s attractive. There are illustrations all over the book and almost on every page. All the pictures are very expressive and it made me feel more interested in the book. The general look of the book was mostly in golden color. The back cover was yellow and red with a small picture of Geronimo.

Let me introduce you to the lead characters of this book.

Geronimo Stilton – The author of the book, who runs The Rodent’s Gazette, the most famous newspaper on Mouse Island.

Thea Stilton – Geronimo’s sister and a special correspondent for the Rodent’s Gazette.

Trap Stilton – Geronimo’s prankster cousin and owner of Cheap Junk for less.

Grandfather William Shortpaws – Geronimo’s always-angry and always-scolding Grandfather and founder of The Rodent’s Gazette.

Geronimo had finished 10 years of writing books. His family wanted to host a party. Geronimo wrote a Golden Book for the occasion but, when he finished the book, it was stolen! The book follows their adventure of looking for the book.

My favorite part of the book was Geronimo’s amazing idea to host the party.

From this book, I learnt that if we work together we can do anything.

Best age-group for the book : 6-10

Rating on a scale of 5 : 5 *****

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

‘The Young King’ by Oscar Wilde is a historical fiction from the 1890s. 10 year old Dhruv Arora, a Bookosmian from Kolkata, delves into this fascinating short story with a strong message of empathy.

The main focus of the story is on oppression, as in all four dreams that the young king had the night before the coronation, he dreamt about how his coronation clothes were made with the ones making it being in bad conditions.

This story has lots of morals like ‘Do not support slavery’ and ‘Do not be greedy’. I agree with these morals but the best one is ‘Do not treat others unfairly’. To me, the moral is a very interesting part of the story. I believe Oscar Wilde has written quite a nice story.

I liked that at the end, the young king chooses his own old clothes instead of the coronation robes.

I would recommend this story to ages 10-14 and give it five stars.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Independence is such a sweet word for us but in 1947, when India was split into two countries – India and Pakistan, it was a tumultuous time.

This enlightens readers on how India was during the partition and how refugees suffered through all of it. This is a moving tale that haunts you and makes you wonder how a human being can kill others without thinking twice.

This book is appropriate for both adults and teenagers. It teaches how grateful one should be for what one has and how brave and courageous one has to be during tough times.

The book is written in a simple yet fascinating manner. It gets the reader hooked from the very beginning. It is very touching and transports you to that time when the partition of India happened.

This is an amazing story for middle schoolers especially if they are trying to learn about India during 1947.

I give this book 5 stars out of 5 and recommend it to ages 11+.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Who here is a fan of Sudha Murty? 12 year old Kavya Mehta, a Bookosmian from Mumbai, writes a lovely review and her gleanings from ‘How I taught my grandmother to read and other stories’. Have you read it? Tell us!

It is a semi-autobiographical book with 25 beautiful and engaging stories which are motivating and inspiring. This book is recommended to children as well as adults. It has all the experiences, life values and learnings which a person should have at any age. It is a wonderful book which engages and makes the reader desire to read more and more.

All these stories have touched my heart. Each and every story has at least one life value or learning in them.

Elements such as learning has no age bar, teacher should be respected irrespective of age and gender, books are valuable, you should be caring, egoless, never disrespect people, there is always a start at any age, nothing is impossible, excellence comes by practice not by accident, donate the first best to anyone and not the second best, respect your grandparents, education is essential, always be kind with your guests, your motherland is always your heaven, the real jewellery is education, everything will perish over a period of time – flowers, beauty, food and many others.

She writes that no person looks beautiful forever. But education brings confidence to your face and that is the real beauty. Some other takeaways from the book are that if one man studies, only one person is educated whereas if one lady studies, the entire family is educated.

I rate this book 5/5 stars and recommend it to everyone above the age of 9.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Looking for a good book to read? 13 year old Abhishruti Ghosh, a Bookosmian from Kolkata, is here to give a super suggestion. Here’s her book review on ‘The Heroes of Olympus – The Son of Neptune’. Have you read it? Tell us!

The main character of the story is Percy Jackson. Percy has been portrayed in the book as a brave, daring and reckless character. He has splendid leadership qualities and happens to be the son of Neptune or Poseidon- the god of the sea. He has an admirable personality and upholds himself as a gallant warrior, having the temerity to encounter any danger.

In my view, ‘The Son of Neptune’ is a fiction which makes us realise the importance of bravery, friendship and unity which are the more important things in life. In the story, Percy’s bravery and loyalty eventually helps him find out his true identity.

The story is written in modern style and language and also includes a touch of light entertainment and satirical remarks.

I would like to recommend this book to all children aged 10 or above as a must read.

On a scale of 1-5, this book deserves a rating of 4.8 out of 5 and also deserves to be an asset of your preference.

Hello, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on movies that inspire you.

Neerja Bhanot is a real life heroine. Do you know about her incredible sacrifice to save others? 10 year old Aaditri Paul, a Bookosmian from Kolkata, reviews the movie ‘Neerja’ which was made on her and tells us why we should know about her.

Some Pakistani terrorists hijacked the plane during the stopover. Neerja Bhanot was shot while saving three children in the hijacked Pan Am 73 flight. She died on September 5, 1986, just two days before her 23rd birthday.

The terrorists killed 20 passengers including 2 Americans and over 100 people on board were injured badly. She was the youngest lady to receive the Ashok Chakra Award and many other awards by different countries and governments.

The movie Neerja was a tribute to her bravery. It was released in 2016, directed by Ram Madhvani. The lead role of Neerja was played by Sonam Kapoor. This movie teaches us the importance of sacrificing for others too as it is also a source of happiness.

I have been inspired by this movie a lot and I can bet that you will be too. It is said that “To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.” And I too believe that a great achievement starts with a little sacrifice.

Hello, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on movies that inspire you.

There is so much to learn from sport isn’t it? 12 year old Anant Mohta, a Bookosmian from Howrah, reviews the movie ‘MS Dhoni – the untold story’ for us. What is your favourite movie? Tell us!

Moreover, I also learnt that it is not the physical and financial condition but the passion for something that decides your future. The boy despite being from a small town in Jharkhand became one of the most successful players in international cricket.

It was the (late) Sushant Singh Rajput who played this gem of a role. Sushant was one of the most loved actors across the Bollywood industry.

In addition to this, I would like to mention a quote from the film which has become my success mantra

“Thode se mein khush hone wala mein se nahi hai ye mahiyaa”

(Mahi is not someone who will be satisfied with little).

I rate this movie 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for all ages.

Hello, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your book reviews from far and wide. Keep writing in to me to be a part of a global platform ‘for kids, by kids’

Here is a wonderful review of the popular sci-fi book The Martian from 2011, by 13 year old young reader Amogh. The book was adapted into a movie too.

13 year old Amogh D A goes to Evergreen Middle School, Redmond, Washington.

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Book- The Martian

Author- Andy Weir

I was pretty curious about the book when I saw the cover page because there was a man in a spacesuit with sand floating all around him.

I got the book from a library near my house. And I got it because I wanted to find out how Mark Watney survived on Mars.

The Martian is a science fiction novel written by Andy Weir. This book was released in 2011 and it almost seems believable. The book is 385 pages long.

The story plot is based in 2035, when the crew of NASA’s Ares 3 mission have arrived on Mars to stay for a month and discover new vital information about Mars. But after six sols (a day on Mars) an intense dust and windstorm arrives and is a threat to the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV). And because of this, the crew is forced to evacuate and in the hurried evacuation, an antenna pole breaks and pierces Mark Watney. Due to this, Mark’s radio stops working. That means he has no sort of communication with his crew members.

This is a big problem because he was blown out of sight by the storm and was presumed dead. Because the storm is threatening the MAV more than ever, Commander Lewis decides to take off without completing the search for Mark Watney. However, Mark Watney is not dead. He is stranded alone on Mars. And he does not even have a radio. This means he has no sort of communication with his crew or NASA. Is there any chance for this lone astronaut to make it back to earth safely?

They start to execute it when they encounter their first and only problem. The rocket was moving too fast. Due to this they would miss Mark Watney. And to fix this they had to blast an airlock to make it move slower. To know what happens next, read the book.

There is a movie based on this book. It is, as you may have guessed, the title of the book, ‘The Martian’. I have watched the movie but I like the book more because the book explains every one of Mark’s decisions in a more structured manner and gives better clarity. The movie also doesn’t show all the parts that are there in the book.

The main character of the book is an American astronaut, Mark Watney, who gets stranded on Mars, alone, and must improvise in order to face and survive every challenge that comes his way. He has to do everything on his own. He has a very less quantity of food, so he decides to grow potatoes on the Martian soil. He also burns hydrazine to make water for the plants. Mark doesn’t give up and starts to think about ways he could get rescued. And the most efficient one was to go to the Ares 4 landing site.

My favorite part of the book was when Mark Watney set up the Pathfinder and had a stable connection with Earth. This gave the story a twist because Mark not only had a connection with NASA but everybody on Earth. But that doesn’t mean he can be easily rescued. After a sequence of events that need to fall in place, he gets in contact with NASA. NASA appreciates his intelligence so far. They decide to send him a care package with food, water and other supplies but the rocket with all the supplies explodes. Later, the only idea NASA has it let the Ares 3 crew know that Mark is alive and ask Ares 3 crew to go back to Mars orbit and pick him up. The Ares 3 crew is ecstatic to know that Mark is alive and accept the plan. They start to execute it when they encounter their first and only problem. The rocket was moving too fast. Due to this, they would miss Mark Watney. And to fix this they had to blast an airlock to make it move slower. To know what happens next, read the book.

I would recommend this book and  give it 4 out of 5 stars  

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Hello, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on movies that inspire you.

Who is your favourite superhero? 11 year old Drea Sujeet, a Bookosmian from Mysore, cannot stop raving about Wonder Woman, and the message she conveys through her powerful character in the movie. Have you seen it?

  Movie: Wonder Woman 1984 

Recently, I watched a DC movie, Wonder Woman 1984. I liked this movie very much. It portrays woman power and the fact that even women can be superheroes, just like a Batman and Superman.

I have very few comic books of Wonder Woman, but I have watched the movies. I like DC superheroes so much that I also have all their action figures, out of which Wonder Woman is my favorite. She is a superhero that stands by truth, love and wonder. I found the movie very inspiring.

The basic plot revolves around Diana a.k.a Wonder Woman who has to fight against two people, Maxwell Lord and Barbara Minerva, a friend turned foe. Barbara is upset with her life because nobody pays attention to her and is not popular amongst the people. Hence, she desires to be like her new friend, Diana Prince, who is very talented, confident, beautiful and positive, not as a superhero, but in normal life. But as they say ‘be careful what you wish for’.

Barbara gains powers like Wonder Woman. However, Barbara uses her powers to side with the evil, Maxwell Lord.

Juggling between two villains isn’t easy, but Diana does it. The movie was indeed slow, but the inspiration and messages from the movie are unforgettable.

The moral I got from this movie, is that you have to work very hard to achieve something. For instance, Maxwell Lord just wishes to be a wish granter and gets carried away with it. He gets so lost in his wrong doings that he creates nuclear bombs and even declares a war on Russia.

The phrases I liked in the movie are ‘nothing good is born from lies’, ‘the truth is bigger than everyone, ‘the world was a beautiful place just as it was, and you cannot have all of it. You can only have the truth. Truth is beautiful’ and, last but not the least, ‘you have a strong power in you. Stop doubting yourself. These inspiring words were spoken by an inspiring superhero. I loved the way Wonder Woman convinces Maxwell Lord to be on the good path, especially for his son.

In conclusion, truth is a bigger hero than any of us. In the end, the truth shall always win, no matter what.

This movie is the best example of the power that women hold. This sheds light on the most needed topic today, truth.

We should thank god for creating such a great world and shouldn’t destroy it with lies, cruelness and disarray. Just imagine a world, full of happiness, truth, unity and love. Can you believe how much this world is going to change? As Diana once said ‘sometimes you can’t see what you’re learning until you come out to the other side.’

I give this movie 4/5 stars and recommend it to ages 10+.

Children’s books are crafted with a lot of love and excitement by authors. And while reviews for the book come from other authors, media, publishers and even parents, very rarely do they come from the kids themselves, for whom the book is written.
As a ‘for kids, by kids’ platform, Bookosmia likes to complete this feedback loop. Having published over 1800 kids from 120+ locations worldwide, we firmly believe that young readers and writers deserve to be heard.
It was a delight to have the author Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan interact with our young readers in the Bookosmia room on Bakstage app and answer their unfiltered questions in the most endearing way. Here is a compilation of unfiltered reviews by young readers of Bookosmia who have chosen to use their love for reading and talent of writing to share their feedback.

Book your seat at our Young Reader’s club NOW here

Listen to the show here-Bookosmia : Meet Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan  With Bookosmia https://bkstg.flyx.me/tFKRfNxmphb

Download the reviews Raja Ravi Varma Book reviews Bookosmia or read the flip book-

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

 8 year Rithik, a Bookosmian from Chennai loves reading about animals and is excited to share his review of the book ‘Anda, the poisonous red ant’. He recommends it for ages 5+!

Rithik is a student of NSN memorial senior secondary school, Chitlapakkam.

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Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

 Here’s a book review on ‘Pierre Le Poof’, a story about a dog named Pierre who is torn between staying with his kind owner or escaping into the wild. Read this review by 11 year old R.S Kamalini, a Bookosmian from Chennai to know more!

Kamalini is a student of NSN Memorial Senior Secondary School.

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I got this book to improve my knowledge of grammar but also learnt that home is the best place of all. The writing style is simple. My favourite part of the story was when the door opened and Pierre ran out.

I like reading about dogs but this is the first story I read about a dog and I really enjoyed it. This is the first book in the Pierre Le Poof series.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

10 year old Seeyona Guha, a Bookosmian from Hyderabad loved the book ‘The Gopi Diaries – Coming Home’ by Sudha Murty. She recommends it for all animal lovers. Have you read it? Tell us!

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Since the lockdown began last year, reading has become a habit for me and I love reading books now.

Every few days, I find myself searching for a new book. One day, when I was looking to read a new story, I came across a book called “The Gopi Diaries” by Sudha Murty.

The cover of the book caught my attention instantly – a beautiful illustration of a lady in a blue saree cuddling a cute little puppy.

This book is called “Coming Home” which is the first part of this series – a story of a small puppy coming home to a lovely family.

How does it feel to a Labrador puppy to be adopted and welcomed into a new home full of humans?

From how he gets chosen to come home, meet Appa (Dad), Ajji (grandma), Tachi Ajji (grandma’s sister), Ajja (grandpa) and other family members, the story takes us through his funny but confusing journey of finding his attachment with them and the human world. Getting the name Gopi, knowing what it is to ‘burp’ after drinking milk, going to see the vet
for the first time … this is all a surprise to little Gopi.

Gopi is actually the name of Mrs Sudha Murty’s pet dog and this is kind of her life’s real story.

The book has really beautiful illustrations done by Sandhya Prabhat with lots of photos of the real Gopi at the end.

To find out more about his adventures in his own words, you should read the book.

I would especially recommend this book to those who own pet dogs or someone like me who wants to get a dog. It tells us how dogs feel after coming into a whole new world and their understanding of the human language.

The book is written in simple words for 7-10 years old kids. But I think even grown-ups will enjoy it equally.

I would not change anything in the book because I think it is lovely the way it is. In fact, I have read the book thrice already!

I give this book 5/5 stars for the story and +5 stars for the illustrations.

And now that the second part, “The Gopi Diaries – Finding Love” has been published as well and I am looking forward to reviewing that soon.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Potterheads will love this one! 8 year old Navoneer Bhattacharyya, a Bookosmian from Kolkata writes a detailed review on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. What was better, book or the movie? Do read to find out what he thinks.

Navoneer is a student of Birla High School (Junior), Kolkata

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Title: Harry Potter and The Chamber Of Secrets

Author: JK Rowling

The cover page shows the Chamber of Secrets where Harry is holding the sword of Gryffindor and behind there is the Basilisk fighting with Fawkes the Phoenix. Behind that, there is a gigantic statue of Salazar Slytherin, under which lies the small figure of Ginny Weasley. This whole picture (especially the Basilisk) made my spine tingle!

I got this book from my mother for doing well in school.

Here is the gist of the story :

‘Harry Potter’s summer has included the worst birthday ever, warnings from a house-elf called Dobby, and rescue from the Dursleys by his friend Ron Weasley in a magic flying car! Back at Hogwarts for his second year, Harry hears strange whispers echo through the empty corridors – and then the attack starts. Students are found as though turned to stone… Dobby’s sinister predictions seem to be coming true.’

This gist at the back cover of this book makes the reader’s spine tingle. It is a kind of suspense.

The writing style of J.K Rowling is absolutely fantastic. So, I have nothing more to say about it. There were no illustrations, so I read and visualized all the scenes in front of me.

Everything was fine but some points were a bit disappointing. Like perhaps the part when Dumbledore asked Harry, “I must ask you, Harry, whether there is anything you’d like to tell me.” Harry could have easily answered, “I can speak Parsel tongue.” I know there is a secrecy about the myth but lying does not make him any different from Tom Riddle who lied to his headmaster Armando Dippet. I know Ron told him  hearing voices in the wizard world aren’t a good sign. But Albus was his headmaster and the greatest wizard of the age. He surely would have warned Harry about the danger that awaits him because he was the Transfiguration teacher in Hogwarts last time the chamber was opened.

I loved the whole book a lot but there is a special part that I loved the most. Harry never hides anything from his best friends Ron and Hermione. In most books, I have seen that if something supernatural is happening the lead character generally hides that from their friends.

I thought that there was a lot of darkness in this story like killing muggles, giant spiders etc. I would surely change it if I was given a chance.

There was a movie based on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and it was as good as the story. But they missed some parts like teachers wandering in pairs to find the Heir of Slytherin while Harry and Ron are going to visit Hagrid.

Age group-I think the age group for this book is 8 and up because only they would be able to feel the essence and the eeriness of the story.

Rating-So while rating the book I would give it 5 STARS and for the movie, I would give it 4.5 STARS because the book describes everything with the tiniest detail which the movie doesn’t.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Any robot fans here? You will love this review by 9 year old Shreeda Thakkar, a Bookosmian from Hannover, Germany of the book ‘Weird little robots’. Do read the review to know more about it!

Shreeda is a student of International School of Hannover region, Germany.

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Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

8 year old K.S Rithik, a Bookosmian from Chennai sends us a review of ‘Berrynut, the little squirrel’, a part of the Enchanting animal tales series. He thinks it’s best for 6+ ages. Have you read it? Tell us!

Rithik is a student of NSN memorial senior secondary school, Chitlapakkam, Chennai.

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I knew when I saw the front page of the story that it would be interesting.

This is a fictional story. This is one of my favourite stories.

In this story, there lives a squirrel named Berrynut. He likes to eat berries and nuts. One day by mistake Berrynut tramples a snake and the snake starts to chase Berrynut.

Berrynut thinks that snakes cannot climb trees and so he climbs the nearby tree. But that snake was an expert in climbing trees so Berrynut jumped on the nearby tree. To know whether the snake managed to catch Berrynut or whether Betrrynut managed to escape, you will have to read the book.

My favourite part of this story is when Berrynut became an expert in jumping.

My favourite character in the story is Berrynut.

The main idea of the story is if we practice something more times we will become an expert in it. If I could change something in this story I would have made Berrynut into a bird because I love birds.

I recommend this story for the age group 6+.

I rate this story is 4.5 / 5.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here!

I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

13 year old Gofiaa from Chennai shares the review of the widely popular book ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’  known for the importance of financial literacy.

Gofiaa is a person who loves to explore new things. She always likes to be unique in whatever she does. Her hobby is learning new languages. She is a student of NSN Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Chitlapakkam

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Book Review

Title- Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Author-  Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter

Rich Dad, Poor Dad book is an autobiography written by Robert Kiyosaki which was originally published on 2002. I love reading articles or books related to economics and this is must read book for everyone. This is one of the best
books I have read so far. After reading this book Robert Kiyosaki became one of my inspirations.

This book is one of the bestselling books around the world which I am not
surprised about having read this book . This book is about Robert Kiyosaki and his two dads where he mentions his real dad as poor dad and his best friend’s dad as rich dad. He takes lessons from his rich dad about money and becoming rich since he was 9. This story is categorized into chapters, each chapter unlocks a valuable lesson.

The lead character is the Robert Kiyosaki who is a billionaire now. He explains each and every situation clearly, that we can imagine the scene in our mind. He reveals many tactics, tricks and secrets for becoming a billionaire.

My favourite part was when the author and his best friend were nine years old and melted toothpaste tubes  made of lead at that time and poured into coin moulds and made money but they didn’t knew that it was illegal.

What I learned from this book is ‘HAVE MONEY WORK FOR YOU, DON’T WORK FOR THE MONEY.’

I would recommend this book for all people 13+

I would give this wonderful book 5/5 *
*on a scale of 1-5 where 5 is the highest.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Today is the birthday of Sarojini Naidu, the nightingale of India. Do you know about her? 11 year old Pratichi Satpathy from Bhubaneswar sends us a review of ‘Dear Mrs Naidu’ to help us know more about her. Read on!

Pratichi goes to Sai International School and is a student of Word Munchers.

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Book: Dear Mrs Naidu

On this occasion of Mrs Sarojini Naidu’s birthday, I would like to share a review of the book – ‘Dear Mrs Naidu’authored by Mathangi Subramanian.

In an era where children like me are attracted to sci-fi and fantasy, this book about daily life had me hooked until I finished.

In the book, the author shines a spotlight on the unglorified side to urban life. The main character, named Sarojini, lives in a basti with her best friend Amir and attends the dilapidated government school.

When Amir starts attending a posh private school, Sarojini’s life changes and she thinks that there are no more similarities between her and her best friend.

When she learns about the Right to Education at school, she thinks that she has a chance of attending Amir’s school. But, when she is denied a seat there, she realises that it is time to take matters into her own hands along with Deepti, a new friend from the construction site.

Sarojini takes inspiration from Vimala Madam, a lawyer and her own namesake Mrs Sarojini Naidu, who is also her secret pen pal.

Read the story to find out whether Sarojini wins the battle she is fighting – the battle for her family, her friends and her education.

Recommended Age Group: 10 + Years

Rating: *****(5/5)

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

6 year old Dhakshitha C from Chennai reviews ‘Rangeela Finds a home’, a book that is sure to delight animal lovers. Read on!

Dhakshitha is a student of N.S.N Memorial Senior Secondary School.

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Title: RANGEELA FINDS A HOME

Author: GITA.V.REDDY

Plot:

?I bought this book from Kindle. This is the first book from the series ‘Rangeela Tales’. At first, I thought the book would not be interesting but I liked it a lot.

?Navjyot was a ten year old boy living with his grandfather and cousin Nimi who was 8 years old. Nimi had a naughty cat named Robber who was very interested in hunting.

?One day, Robber was trying to attack something on the ground. Nayjyot found out it was a parrot and took care of it because it was hurt.

?Since it was very colorful, he named it Rangeela. He liked Rangeela so much. He spent most of his time talking to Rangeela. One day, Navjyot was surprised to find out that Rangeela could talk like human beings.
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As Rangeela talks, we get to know its story and its thoughts about human beings.

?The characters in this book are Rangeela, Navjyot, Nimi, Robber and Navjyot’s grandfather.

My favorite character is Navjyot because he is gentle and kind.

?The story takes place at Navjyot’s grandfather’s house and the lake nearby.

?My understanding from the book is that we must be kind to animals and not hurt them. The book was very interesting, and I will recommend this book to my friends.

Recommended Age Group: 6 To 12 Years
Rating: *****(5/5)

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Do you know what realistic fiction is? It is a genre of stories where the characters and the settings seem real and feel like they could happen to anyone in real life. 12 year old F Kaitlyn Breena from Chennai reviews one such tale by award winning author Sowmya Rajendran.

Kaitlyn is a  student of NSN Memorial Senior Secondary School.

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I got this book when I was studying in 6th grade in my old school Olive Public School.

This book is about a young boy and his fascination for detective work.

Let me tell you a little bit about the plot of the story.Chakravarthy is a young boy who is inspired by detectives. He even dresses like one.

Once during festival time, the whole Patel street is crowded. He does what he does best- observe people through his binoculars. While he does that, he sees something unusual- a woman crying and speaking to a police officer. It’s time for Chakravarthy to put his detective skills into action. Does he manage to find out the woman’s problem and help her with a solution? For that you will have to read the story, but let me tell you that the ending is a real interesting one!

The lead character Chakravarthy is well written. He may not be a real detective but he doesn’t let that discourage him.

The central idea of the story is how we can use our intelligence to find solutions like how Chakravarthy does. The writing style of the story is very elaborate.

My favorite part of the story is the climax when Chakravarthy buys himself something to further establish his look as a detective.

The best age group for reading this book is 10-14 years.

I would rate this book 4/5 

IPL is here. Are you ready with your sports journal? Not yet? Come read this wonderful review by 9 year old Nikhil about why he loves Howzzat- India’s 1st sports journal for kids!

Woohoo! I am super duper excited by the review today.

Today’s review has been sent across by 9 year old Nikhil Girishankar from Mumbai. It’s a review of Howzzat – India’s first sports journal for kids!

Concept by – Archana Mohan

Design – Aayushi Yadav

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Can an epic like the Mahabharatha be reviewed? 9 year old Aashritha Surya Prakash from Bangalore gives it her best shot in this lovely review of the children’s version of the book by Samhita Arni.

Aashritha goes to Vidya Niketan School, Hebbal, Bangalore and is a student of Tale Spin.

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Author: Samhita Arni

As I sat on the couch, reading my very first version of the great epic the Mahabharata by Samhita Arni, completely lost in the glorious world of the ancient epic, I would often witness miraculous scenes; Shantanu talking to Ganga Devi, or Bhishma taking the princesses of Varanasi back to Hastinapura.

Once in a while I would look up and stare at the ceiling, daydreaming away.

Have you ever become so absorbed in a book that you get lost in it and everything you see or hear seems to be an incident in the book? Well, that was how I felt as I heard Bhishma’s words of wisdom to Yudishtira or Surya deva granting the Akshaya Patra to Dharmaraja.

I remember how I felt watching the movie version of the Mahabharata for the very first time. So, what are the things in common between the movie and the book? Well, I think nothing is the same as these epics have been passed down the generations by word of mouth and so every version will be unique in its own way.

No wonder Rahi Masoom Raza, director of the Mahabharata, said that “No event in this world will happen unless it has already occurred in the Mahabharata”.

Recommended age group: 7+

I would rate this book 5/5 

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Today is World Cancer Day. As we send across our best wishes to those suffering from cancer and their families, here’s a book review of ‘The fault in our stars’ a book about a young cancer patient sent to us by 12 year old Mehr Kapoor from Kolkata.

Mehr goes to La Martiniere For Girls and is a student of Word Munchers.

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Book Name : The Fault In Our Stars

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

What if the moon went missing one day? That’s the plot of the book ‘Starry River of the Sky’ by Grace Lin. To know more, do check out a superb review of the book by 9 year old Alesha Jariwala from Katy, Texas.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

 If you have never read the hilarious Tom Gates series, you must try one! 12 year old S Pragya from Chennai recommends the book ‘What Monster’ from the series.

Recommended Age Group: Above 12 Years.

I would surely rate this book 5 out of 5* because I found it hilarious and it was the most irresistible page-turner. If you begin the book you won’t feel like putting it down.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

Today’s review of this fun book for kids is 6 year old Dhakshitha. C from Chennai.

Dhakshitha is fond of classical dance, classical music, reading books and visiting temples. She is a student of N.S.N Memorial Senior Secondary School, Chennai.

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Title: Sunny Meadows – Woodlands School– A School Trip

Author: T. ALBERT

Illustrated By: MAA ILLUSTRATIONS

I read this story on a website.

On seeing the cover page, I thought that the story was scary because the little animals were sweating and startled. However, the book had a message.

Woodland’s school class one students were excited because they were going  on a trip to the shadow woods except Hank the Hedgehog. He is sad because  everyone teased Hank and avoided him since they thought he was odd. During  their trip, they all got lost in the forest and was surrounded by a big snake.  What do you think will happen next?

The key characters are Hank hedgehog, Matilda mouse, Racheal rabbit, Wendy Weasel, Ralph Racoon, their teacher Ms Squirrel, Mr Mole and the head teacher Mr. Owl.

My favorite character is Hank hedgehog because he saved his friends from  the snake.

The story starts off first at the Woodlands School then is set at the Shadow woods.
My Understanding from this book is that we should not tease someone for his  or her looks. I loved the flowers in the Meadows and the cute characters. I will recommend this book to my friends.

Recommended Age Group: 6 – 12 Years

Rating: **** (4/5)

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

I am excited to take this a step further and share reviews from my friends of books that were later adapted into movies.

We all know the story of Sleeping beauty. Have you seen the movie Maleficent, which is based on the fairytale? 12 year old Meher Gandhi gives us her verdict.

Meher is a student of Navrachana International school and Centerstage Young Orators.

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Director – Robert Stromberg

Story-based on – The sleeping beauty fairytale

So, here in the story, there’s a princess who falls into a deep sleep when she turns 16 and wakes up with a true love’s kiss. Sounds familiar? Well yes, This is the story of sleeping beauty – one of the classic stories we all grew up reading. The movie Maleficent has been adapted from this story.

This movie stars Angelina Jolie who plays the powerful and wicked fairy, Maleficent. Aurora is played by Elle Fanning and the Prince is played by Brenton Thwaites.

As we all know, the black-hearted fairy cursed the newborn princess Aurora, that when she turns 16, she would prick her finger on a spinning wheel spindle and fall into a permanent sleep. Upon the kings’ plea, she offers an antidote that the curse can be broken by a true love’s kiss, which Maleficent believes is non – existent.

And as predicted, she pricks her finger and falls into a permanent sleep. And she does wake up, with the kiss of true love. But it’s not the prince who wakes her up. And to find out who it is, you must watch the movie.

As most movies give us morals, so did this one. This movie taught us the actual meaning of true love that Maleficent doesn’t believe in.

The cinematography of this movie is brilliant, even though some scenes were shot in light and dark both, but there was not a single moment to be dull. The characters were spectacular and did full justice to their roles. The dialogue delivery was wonderful, which could make the viewer understand every minute detail going on in the scene.

Angelina Jolie steals the show with her marvellous acting.

I would rate this movie 4 on a scale of 5 (4/5).

Though this movie has a slight twist, it makes the movie more interesting. I felt the change adapted in the film was better than the actual book written as it makes the movie more enthralling and absorbing.

It’s highly recommended for all ages above 12 years

Hey everyone! Sara here, bringing you awesome book reviews by young readers just like you and me!

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Today’s review by 6 year old Atharva Agarwal is of a  book that tells a lively story with humourous illustrations, ideal for children who are beginning to read for themselves, or for reading aloud together.

Atharva’s favourite colour is blue and loves to make friends. He enjoys playing football, loves to eat pizza and pasta. His ambition is to become a scientist. He studies at La Martiniere School for Boys and goes to Word Munchers.

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Title: Llamas in Pyjamas

Author:  Russell Punter 

Publisher: Usborne

My favourite book is Llamas in Pyjamas.

It was bought by my mother as a birthday gift from a book fair.

I remember that when I was 3 years old ,my mum read it to me for the first time and from that day onward I enjoyed reading it every day.

This enjoyable book is about 4 Llama friends who are fond of spending time together.

In the story 3 of the 4 friends went for a sleepover to fourth friend’s house. They had great fun playing together and decided not to sleep the entire night.  At midnight, they got scared when they heard the noise of the footsteps  thinking it is a monster.

The most interesting part of the story is it was not a monster but grandmother who got midnight snacks for them.

 As I myself am a fun loving, friendly boy, I am amused with the friendship  between the four characters and the suspense involved in the story.

This book is recommended for age 2-6 years.

Every night I love to cuddle with the hilarious book in my blanket so that I can sleep well. I would rate this book 5/5 5 star rating*

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Hey everyone! Sara here, bringing you awesome book reviews by young readers just like you and me!

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Today’s review of an NY Times bestseller series Junie B Jones is by 9 year old Navika Kharbanda from Noida.

Navika is a very kind, creative and compassionate child. Her hobbies are dancing, baking, art and craft. Her creativity can be seen not only in her hobbies but also in her written and verbal expression. Her favourite book series is Junie B Jones by Barbara Park. She is a fun loving child who enjoys spending time with her family and friends.  Navika goes to Amity International School, Noida and is a student of Sandhya Maheshwari’ s Chamatkaar.

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Title– Junie B Jones Toothless Wonder
Author – Barbara Park
Publisher – Random House

Eww… It’s a loose tooth!!

Only Junie B Jones is not satisfied with this development.

She thinks that she looks like toothless Uncle Luo or even worse. What if the whole class is not able to recognize her? So many questions so little time!

The main characters in this book are Junie B Jones, Herb and Ollie ( Junie’s brother )

My favourite character is Grampa Frank Miller because he helped Junie B to  overcome her fear and to get back her courage.

This story gives us a message that we should not be scared about anything.

ALWAYS HAVE COURAGE IN YOURSELF.

What I loved about this book was that it was in a very simple language and I am fond of books that are not too long nor too short, so this was just fine for me.

The story is written in a very creative style and the writer has used many new  words in this story.

I would recommend this book for kids age group 5+

I give this book a 5 out of 5 rating from my side.

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Hey everyone! Sara here, bringing you awesome book reviews by young readers just like you and me!

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Today, we have a review  by 9 year old Aaradhya S Nair from Chennai for the classic ‘ The owl who was afraid of the dark’ by Jill Tomlinson. Have you read it? Tell us!

Aaradhya is a student of Phonics Power.

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Title – “ The Owl who was afraid of the dark”.

Writer – Jill Tomlinson

Illustrated by – Paul Howard

When I saw the cover page I felt like going to read a story of a cute little owl.

I got this book from school.  The main character of the story was a Barn owl. It was a cute and beautiful owl but was afraid of the dark. The story is about overcoming the fear of darkness.

I was impressed with the writing and illustrations of the story. It was easy to understand. My favourite part of the story was the way in which the Barn owl overcomes his fear of darkness. After reading this story I have understood that if we have some fear of something we have to overcome that.

I have overcome the fear of dogs after reading this story. The best age group for reading this book is 6 to 8 years

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Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

How does a 12 year old interpret and process the Bhagawad Gita, an iconic book that transcends boundaries of philosophy, spirituality and literature?

Today’s review by 12 year old Yashvi Jalan from Kolkata is unique, in its choice of book and what it means to millions of people- The Bhagavad Gita.

Yashvi loves reading mysterious and adventurous books. She always try to improve her creative writing skills.

Yashvi goes to Sushila Birla Girls’ School, Kolkata and is a student of Word Munchers.

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What if a book came to life?

The Bhagvad Gita, often referred to as the Gita, was a 700 verse Hindu scripture that was a major part of the epic Mahabharata. The Gita was a set framework of a dialogue between Pandava prince, Arjuna and his guide and charioteer Krishna. At the start of the Dharma Yudha between the Pandavas and Kauravas, Arjuna, a great warrior, was filled with moral dilemma and despair about the violence and death the war would cause in the battle against his own kin. He seeks Krishna’s counsel, whose answers constituted the holy book Gita. Krishna encourages Arjuna to uphold his duty through selfless action.

In today’s world it is important to have guides like Krishna to clear the misconception of today’s youngsters who will become our future generation. I always wished to be a part of the holy moment when Krishna counsels Arjuna and reminds him of his duty. 

As I was completely immersed into my eclectic thoughts, I heard a strange voice and I went to check the common room on the first floor. I was alone in my home that day as all my family members had gone to attend a wedding. I wasn’t feeling well so I preferred staying back at home. As I opened the door of the common room, I stood thunderstruck. I felt that my feet were glued to the ground and my eyes were stuck on the magnificent and unbelievable scene I saw. I pinched myself several times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. 

During that golden moment the only thing I remembered was the famous quote said by Paulo Coelho that ‘When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.’

In front of my eyes was Lord Krishna standing on the golden chariot and Arjuna stood on the ground with his one knee touching the floor and both his hands folded and his eyes facing Lord Krishna with a spark of charm, respect and eagerness of learning a new lesson of life. Bright yellow light sprang out from this holy scene and ended up spreading in all the four directions and lighting up the dark room. Without knowing what to do, I lay down to touch Shri Krishna’s feet. In an instant both of them got up from their idyllic position with a smile and indicated to me to get up. Krishna said that seeing my devotion they had come to give me my answers.

He said that he knew that people read and respected Gita as a holy book but they never understood its soul. Arjuna added that they had come to teach me all the shlokas to tell people the importance of life. I kneeled on the floor and heard all of Krishna’s preaching with utmost attention.   

Love is the prime element of living. Lord Krishna said that even Brahma could be achieved with love. Sages have said that love opens all the doors. We make enemies with emotions like hate, anger, vengeance and other such feelings. People have to understand that we can win people to our sides by spreading love and losing such negative emotions. He reminded me of the famous quote-

‘Do everything you have to,

But not with greed,

Not with ego,

Not with envy,

But love, compassion, humility and devotion’ 

Just like that I sat there for hours and hours hearing Krishna’s lessons of life. 

Finally I felt enlightened and my eyes fell on the clock. I was shocked as when Lord Krishna explained to Arjuna the Bhagavad Gita in Mahabharata, time had stopped too. In a blink of an eye Lord Krishna along with Arjuna had disappeared. In front of my eyes I could see the Bhagvad Gita lay open on the study table with the same bright yellow light diminishing into it and slowly the book closed and I joined my hands. 

It is not possible to change the world in a month or so but with the enlightening experience I had, I will try to do my best. 

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Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Today’s review by 11 year old Adwaith S Menon from Chennai is of The One and Only Ivan, a children’s novel written in first person from the point of view of Ivan, a gorilla.

Adwaith S Menon is 11 years old and a student in Grade-6 at NSN Memorial School, Chennai. He is an avid reader and has developed a love for writing short stories as well. His other interests include sports and playing video games.

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Title of the Book: The One and Only Ivan       

Name of the Author: Katherine Applegate

The story is about Ivan, a gorilla who lived in the forest with his family was caught by humans who killed Ivan’s family. Ivan was then brought to a circus where he was taught to perform tricks. After being taught too, Ivan did not excel at this. Thus the head of the circus sold him to an old person called Mack who ran a small arcade. Thinking of what to do with Ivan, Mack gave Ivan a home, A fully covered glass room with a built in pool  and a basket ball. Ivan had two friends in there bob a street dog and a elephant called ruby.

After 27 years of being stared at by spectators Ivan was taken to a zoo where he met a few other gorillas like him and continued to live like this till his last breath… 

Ivan is the protagonist of the story. A gorilla who never disagreed with the  humans and obeyed them and tried his best to fulfill its masters dream. 

Ruby is the baby elephant who lost her family because of humans. Bob is a street dog who never liked a home but is forced to go into one.

The setting is mostly in the cold and dark place where the animals were held during the time of Mack’s ownership and even the plush green zoo.

I give this book a  5 star rating

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Today’s review by 13 year old E.GAYATHRI of Chennai is of The Magic Shop, a wonderful piece of fantasy writing by the renowned writer H G Wells.

E.GAYATHRI is a 13 year old from Chennai, studying in NSN Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Chitlapakkam. Her hobbies are drawing and reading books especially mysterious stories

My ratings for the book is  4/5* 

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

I am excited to take this a step further and share reviews from my friends of books that were later adapted into movies.

Book Vs Movie! What do you think it will be? Most popular writings will get published in an ebook!!

Today’s review by 13 year old Taneesha Seth from Singapore, is of a book that is a New York Times Bestseller and adapted into a movie.

Apart from art, reading, writing, and playing various sports such as basketball and badminton, Taneesha loves taking part in social activities. Taneesha studies in 8th grade in Singapore American School. She is a student of Young Orators.

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Imagine a world where you work tirelessly all day and night and despite your hard work and endeavors, you are only able to serve your family one meal a day!

Imagine a world where a drought resulted in the extreme scarcity of food throughout the region. But through creativity and knowledge, a young boy created a windmill to provide his family with food to survive. Wow!

You got that one pretty quick, huh? ‘The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind’ is correct.

Title-The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind

Author-William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

Published- 2009

A film adapted from a book, and you know what’s even more interesting?

It’s a true story about a 13-year-old boy, William Kamkwamba, who is thrown out of his school since his family can no longer afford to pay for his school fees. William had a dream. He wanted to study in one of the top boarding  schools, but because of money struggles in his family, he wasn’t able to. Even though his parents weren’t able to provide him with adequate study resources, William sneaks into his library and learns about how electricity works, and how to build a windmill to save his village from famine.

Upon this story, Willaim Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer wrote a book that was later turned into a film produced by Gail Egan and Andrea Calderwood. The movie was closely related to the book as well as the real-life scene. I felt  connected to both but more so to the movie. Both of them were very  inspirational as well as motivating.

Movie Director-  Chiwetel Ejiofor 

Film released- 2019

The setting in the movie was similar to what happened in the book, and it was  heartwarming how a young boy in such an environment was able to rise above the others, during such hard times.

The characters in the movie and the book were so indistinguishable. I personally liked the movie better since you could visualize what’s going on in  the scene, it’s just like reading the book in your head while the words are depicted.

In the book, you get to view the story from only the main characters’  perspective since it was from the first-person point of view, whereas in the movie, you can view things from various different perspectives. Some of the  special features in the book are that the author has included a ton of  description, and the book moves slowly. So it gives you time to be persuaded and encouraged by the characters.

The author uses emotive language for the reader to develop emotions for the characters. Some of the special nuances in the movie are, first of all the setting.  It not only makes you have feelings for the characters but also understand the struggles that William had to face.

Another specialty about the movie is that even though it’s a real-life event that has been converted into à movie and most of us might get a feeling that it’s super boring knowing about someone else’s life, but this movie keeps you engrossed throughout and it makes you want to stick around until the end to watch the most interesting part which is…. oops, I probably shouldn’t spoil it for you.

So? What are you waiting for? Me to spoil the movie and the book?

Quick! Get off that chair and go grab the book, or get absorbed in the movie and then wait to be dazzled and motivated throughout. Thank you.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Today’s review by  11 year old  R.Darshini from Chennai is of The Clever Tailor, a book which has a beautiful Indian look and feel to it.

R.Darshini’s parents inspire her to read books, and she have a lovely collection at home. She is a student of NSN. Mat Higher Secondary School, Chrompet, Chennai.

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Title- THE CLEVER TAILOR

Author- SRIVIDHYA VENKAT

Publisher- Karadi Tales

My mother got this book for me.

This story is about how a piece of cloth was transformed into different things  useful for the family by the tailor, from the saafa (turban cloth worn by men of  Rajasthan) he received.

Rupa Ram is a tailor who stitches clothes for the rich. He is very poor and  cannot buy clothes for his family. One day he received a beautiful saafa at a wedding. He was so happy and wore it everywhere. When it was worn out he was so reluctant to throw away it away. He made a beautiful odhni (dupatta) for his wife from the cloth. She loved it a lot. This cycle of transforming the cloth into the next best option continues in the story.

The main characters in this book are Rupa Ram, his wife, son, daughter and gudiya.

This story gives us two beautiful messages-
• The joy of sharing
• The importance of reusing an object

The story concludes saying that the cloth may get worn out, but he still has his  story to share with all. Same way as we age we may get worn out physically,  but our heart and mind will not.

The Clever Tailor is a heartfelt story and totally Indian.  I give this book a  5 star rating for this book.*

Best age group is above 7 years.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

I am excited to take this a step further and share reviews from my friends of books that were later adapted into movies.

Book Vs Movie! What do you think it will be? Most popular writings will get published in an ebook!!

Today’s review by young writer Mitul Hariyani from Vadodara is of Life of Pi, a Canadian philosophical novel by Yann Martel based on the life of a young Indian boy.

Mitul Hariyani is a 14-year-old, grade 9 student of Vadodara who loves to try his hand at baking and mocktails. He is an ardent fan of Formula 1 racing and closely follows the sport. He is presently the Chairman of the junior wing of JCI, Baroda, and engages himself in various social causes.

Mitul goes to  Navrachana International School, Vadodara and is a student of Young Orators.

Pain. What is it? How is it felt? How can you ever determine that someone has felt pain unless you have not seen the true face of pain yourself? Here’s a review of the book along with the film, Life Of Pi by Yann Martel.

Title: Life Of Pi 

Author: Yann Martel

Published:2001

If you say that you have gone through more pain than anyone out there and you are at the place you want to be in, people will believe you ONLY IF you’re telling the truth. People who experience pain will understand the pain you went through, no matter what you do.

In my opinion, the main theme is to experience true pain. The narrator first introduces us to Pi’s tale as a story that will make you believe in God. This gives us the theme of Faith. Life of Pi is a story about struggling to survive through seemingly insurmountable odds. The shipwrecked inhabitants of the little lifeboat don’t simply accompany their fate, instead, they actively fight against it.

Life of Pi is a story within a story, within a story. The novel is framed by a (fictional) note from the author, Yann Martel, who describes how he first came to hear the fantastic tale of Piscine Molitor Patel. Within the framework of Martel’s narration is Pi’s fantastical first-person account of life on the open sea, which forms the bulk of the book. At the end of the novel, a transcript taken from an interrogation of Pi reveals the possible “true” story within that story- that there were no animals at all, and that Pi had spent those 227 days with other human survivors who all eventually perished, leaving only himself.

Movie Title- Life of Pi 

Director-Ang Lee

Writer- David Magee

Release- 2012

The movie of the book includes most of the content and ideas that this magnificence presents.

A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger. Find the rest yourselves by watching it! The casting is a superb choice for actors aptly matching each character to the tee. The choice of Suraj Sharma is a perfect match for the character of Pi. The choice for Irrfan Khan (rest in peace) has a fantastic match for the adult Pi and will forever be remembered. The visual effects especially the ones shot deep in the sea and the island that he reaches for a while, stay etched in your minds for a long time. This is a film you cannot afford to miss.

I never want to forget this book ever in the future. It is a highly recommended book. Life lessons are hidden in the depths of the messages given out in this book. And consider this as a book for you to read over and over again.

It is suited for all age groups above 13years and may be read multiple times as each stage of your life may bring out different perspectives of this book and film. I would rate this 4 out of 5 and is a must watch!!

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Today’s book review is by 11 year old V. Vedanth from Chennai is of Bopanna, a collection of short stories which take you on a journey in a rustic setting  immersed in old world charm.

Vedanth is in Grade 5 of Zion School, Chennai. He is a student of Phonics Power, Chennai.

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Book Review – BOPANNA

Author              :  Nithya Chandar

Publishers         :  Notionpress.com

The book is with covered with beautiful carnival pictures along with Bopanna. It shows the story name in bold letters.

The book contains beautiful pictures that you may like. It is all about  friendship,  adventures, mystery, kindness, fun and forgiveness.

There are six chapters in the book. These fun chapters are-

• Bopanna’s samosas
• Bopanna’s tricks Salitha
• Govardhana temple
• Dusherra festival and Jaggu mama
• Ravi and the haunted house
• Bopanna’s new friend

 ‘Bopanna’s new friend’  is a hilarious chapter. Bopanna likes to have some pets in his home and he loses his pets. How he will find it within a couple of days. 

My favourite part of the book is when Bopanna thinks about samosas at the school in the first chapter.

My learning and understanding from this book is how to be polite, truthful, friendly, eco–friendly and to be creative.

I would like to change the last chapter name to ‘Bopanna’s new pet. ‘ Instead of the milkman giving Bopanna a bird, he could give him a cat.

I would recommend this book for my friends and I will give  5 stars for this book.*

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

I am excited to take this a step further and share reviews from my friends of books that were later adapted into movies.

Book Vs Movie! What do you think it will be? Most popular writings will get published in an ebook!!

Today’s review of the iconic The Lord of the Rings is by 14 year old Raghav Fuke.

Raghav is in 9th grade and interested in Programming,  writing stories
and articles. I also like to play guitar and football. He is a student of Young Orators.

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Title- The Lord Of The Rings 

Author- J.R.R. Tolkien

Publication- 29 July 1954

This is an epic story and considered a classic by everyone who has read
it. It is one of the few novels that can be enjoyed by people of varying ages. Tolkien wrote this book when he was fighting in the World War II.

Here, I am going to elaborate on this epic book The Lord of the Rings and the first part of the trilogy movie series based on the book called The Fellowship of the Ring. The story is about the victory of good over evil and the hardships that our  heroes have to overcome.

Our hobbit, a mythical creature created by Tolkien, has to destroy an evil ring, and to do so he embarks on a treacherous journey  that will require months to complete and is full of perils. But fear not, for he has loyal friends accompanying him. Gandalf, the wizard; Legolas, a swift and agile
elf; Gimli, a brave and strong dwarf, Aragorn and Boromir, both of kingly descent and his fellow hobbits, Sam, Merry, and Pippin. As the story progresses they meet a terrible monster, who gets slain by Gandalf. But just as we thought that it was gone and all was well, the monster uses its tail to drag Gandalf to the bottom of the pit. With Gandalf gone, the morale and sanity of the group were very low. Unable to resist the ring’s power, Boromir attacks Frodo. Boromir fails and Frodo manages to run away from him. A pack of orcs then attack them. After coming back to his senses Boromir is disgusted with  what he did and tries to save his friends, but in vain. He dies a death worthy of  his nobility and makes his other teammates take an oath that they will protect  Frodo at all costs.

Movie Release – 2001

Director- Peter Jackson

The movie ends on a sad note. Frodo is all by himself, not knowing what to do.  Merry and Pippin are kidnapped by the orcs. Boromir and Gandalf are dead.

The book is a prototypical way of how Tolkien writes. Every detail, no matter  how small, is greatly described. He conscientiously explains their ways and  culture so much so that you feel these tribes and people have always inhabited our Earth.

Though there is nothing unique about the way he delivers his sentences and  some might take his narration as a glorified bedtime story full of grand cities  and grotesque creatures, the undercurrent of the story is very humane. It not  only brings forth all human failings like greed, jealousy, treachery and cruelty,  but also extols virtues of sacrifice, courage and heroism.

The book has been a huge success. It has inspired the readers so much that a  trilogy movie series has been made on it. The movie brings to life this epic  story in all its grandeur. Be it the bucolic setting of the Shire, home to the naive  Hobbits, or the grand castles with towers reaching the skies in the cities  of Rohan and Gondor or the dreary dungeons of the dark lord in Mordor, we witness the story as if a character in it with no dialogues. Truly wonderful are  the scenes with epic battles and songs that our heroes sing to reminisce  bygone times and people. The CGI in this movie is incredible and far ahead of its time.

The movie has done full justice to the book and has very few inaccuracies. The  casting is impeccable, comprising of both experienced and new actors.
To rate the book and the movie, I will rate it TOLKIEN out of TOLKIEN, or in  other words, it is perfect!  On a scale of 5, I will give  5 star rating for this book.*

Truly ‘The Lord of the Rings’ tells the one story, which like the eponymous ring  in it, rules them all!

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Today’s book review by 13 year old Pooja. S from Chennai is of the book ‘The Breakthrough,’ sharing the stories and lives of a diverse group of amazing, successful and smart people.

Pooja is a classical dancer,  she love’s to read motivational quotes of Buddha, she loves growing plants. In this lock down started cooking different dishes.

She is a student of NSN Memorial Senior Secondary School, Chennai.

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Title- The Breakthrough

Author-  Ms. Megha Bajaj 

Publisher -Rupa Publications

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

I am excited to take this a step further and share reviews from my friends of books that were later adapted into movies.

Book Vs Movie! What do you think it will be? Most popular writings will get published in an ebook!!

Today 13 year old Swastik Kumar from Jaipur shares his review of the widely popular Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief and how the book compares with the movie.

Swastik Kumar is a 13 year old, studying in class 8 at Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh School, Jaipur. He likes to listen to music and read books in his leisure time. Swastik is a student of Young Orators.

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Title: The Lightning Thief

Author: Rick Riordan

Published: June, 2005

This is a phenomenal book written by Rick Riordan which has even led it to become a movie. In this review I will be discussing about
the book and comparing it from the movie.

The book is about Percy Jackson, a young boy with ADHD.

He is recruited to a camp called Camp Half Blood, where he realizes that he is part human and part god. But the tough times are yet to come. He realizes that the great God Zeus thinks that he has stolen his masterbolt on his father’s behest. He must go through harrowing trials to get it back.

Now, a question may arise in reader’s mind when they start reading the book. Is the Percy Jackson series really that good? The answer is yes.

It is a good light- hearted read. You may think it is a bit childish; and it certainly is written for middle-schoolers, but the tone, the humor, and the characters  make the series enjoyable for older readers too.  It won the Adult Library Services Association Best Books for Young Adults, among other awards

Let’s talk about the film for a bit.

Movie Released-  Feb, 2010

Director: Chris Columbus

Honestly, I think that the movie could have been much better. The  cinematography could have been better and the plot was way out of line. If I  would have to give a honest review, I would suggest not going for the movie as  it is really bad.

I also believe that as much as the book is good, the movie of it is equally bad.  The filmmaker didn’t do justice to the book at all. The movie misses out all the fun parts of the book. All the action and all the drama is completely missing. It  is like watching a documentary in which they are spouting bits of the story. The characters are also portrayed really differently. As per the story Percy Jackson
is an eccentric kid who gets in a lot of fights, while in the movie he is portrayed as a cool and calm kid. The movie takes out the life out of the book.

I would like to end by saying that the book is way superior than the film in  every aspect.

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Hey, your friend Sara here again! Enjoyed reading? Want to enjoy, express and write your own thoughts on sports? Grab your copy of Howzzat, the first ever sports journal for kids in India and become an elite member of the Bookosmian club where your submission not only gets published, but you also get free invites to our amazing events.

Play, watch, enjoy, write and get published on Bookosmia!

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

I am excited to take this a step further and share reviews from my friends of books that were later adapted into movies.

Book Vs Movie! What do you think it will be? Most popular writings will get published in an ebook!!

Today’s review of an international bestseller that was translated into 63 languages, The Book Thief is by 13 year old Palak Chowdhury from Vadodara.

Palak, like all young adults likes to feed on her imagination through the world of books. Her love for reading started from a young age and has never given her time to get bored. Her interest is wide, football and table tennis player, playing the guitar. But most of all she enjoys her world of solitude with books, music, movies and herself!

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Title- The Book Thief

Author- Markus Zusak

Originally published: 2005

This review lists the difference between the historic novel ‘The Book Thief’ and its Oscar-nominated movie.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

I am excited to take this a step further and share reviews from my friends of books that were later adapted into movies.

Book Vs Movie! What do you think it will be? Most popular writings will get published in an ebook!!

Today’s review of the all time favourite book ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ is by 11 year old Shikha Dholakia from Vadodara.

Shikha Dholakia is an ardent reader. She is the winner of two gold medals in Gymnastics and trained in badminton and karate. She has won 1st and 2nd positions in two  consecutive years, representing her school in SciPotech team events. She also has creative artistic skills and a  Youtube channel of her own.

Shikha is a student of Young Orators.

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Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

I am excited to take this a step further and share reviews from my friends of books that were later adapted into movies.

Book Vs Movie! What do you think it will be? Most popular writings will get published in an ebook!!

Today’s well laid out review is by 14 year old Rishabh Fuke from Nagpur, is of  one a book by the most renowned authors of crime fiction, Agatha Christie.

14 years old Rishabh goes to Centre Point School Dabha and is a student of Young Orators. His hobbies include writing, reading, programming, and playing drums.

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Book- And then there were none

Author- Agatha Christie

Published in – 1939

This is a fascinating book with several twists and turns in it, because of which the reader is left hanging at the edge of his seat the whole time.

It is a masterpiece written by Agatha Christie, one of the most renowned  authors of crime fiction. At 100 million, it is one of the most sold books in the world. The title of the book comes from the nursery rhyme, ‘Ten little soldier boys,’ in which there are ten soldiers, who are killed one by one in most  peculiar ways, till there are none left. After reading the poem, one might guess what happens in the book, but that doesn’t make it any less interesting. On the contrary, it makes it all the more thrilling to read.

Movie adaptation of the book- René Clair, French film maker

Released in – 1945

The movie is quite similar to the book. The sequence of events jibes very well with the book, and the visual imagery created by the book is extremely similar to what happens in the movie. Justice Wargrave looked almost exactly the way I had pictured him.

Every single one of the twists have been brought about elegantly, and there is a sense of growing anticipation as you reach the climax.

The revelation that one of the eight stranded people on the island is U.N. Owen is one of the turning points of the film. There are initially ten people who go  there for a vacation, but two are already dead before the others realize this.

The best part is the murderer’s confession, which is when the curtains fall and the mystery unravels, right at the end.

The movie has been directed perfectly, and the special effects are superb,  considering that the movie was made in 1945. The movie definitely does  justice to the book, as both are simply mind-boggling.  

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Hey, your friend Sara here again! Enjoyed reading? Want to enjoy, express and write your own thoughts on sports? Grab your copy of Howzzat, the first ever sports journal for kids in India and become an elite member of the Bookosmian club where your submission not only gets published, but you also get free invites to our amazing events.

Play, watch, enjoy, write and get published!

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Today’s book review is of a book, sharing the stories and lives of a diverse group of amazing, successful and smart people.

10 year old Mohammed Daanish from Chennai, who is passionate about reading books and writing reviews. Having a library with so many books to read in his free time. He is a student of NSN Memorial School, Chitlapakkam, Chennai

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Title- The Breakthrough

Author-  Ms. Megha Bajaj 

Publisher -Rupa Publications

I got this book from school. I  was excited to read a book with collection of  breakthroughs.

This is a tremendous book written by Ms. Megha Bajaj. It is so good that it can trigger positive thoughts among the readers. The 11 trailblazers are the stars in the book. The book explains neatly each trailblazer’s hard work and also each breakthrough carries a moral too. The words are simple to read and also the  book tells how they have inculcated the ability to handle things.

Let me share a ‘breakthrough’ among the 11, which I have read about. The person’s name is Nitin Nyati, born in Pune, in a lower middle class family,  sharing a single toilet among hundreds of family. His school was 15Km away from home. He cherished every moment of life, even in poverty. He had  experienced five decades of challenges in his life. In his teenage he worked in a second hand clothes shop. He was keen about his education and worked hard for it. Being influenced by his father’s friend Mr. Shinde, he decided to become an engineer. Completed his graduation with lots of struggles. As a
fresher he worked for a prestigious project of Kubera Chambers, built as headquarter for government officials working for MIDC and WIDC. The project became the land mark soon, because of its grand structure and design. The way he was handling each and every project was stumbling. He got trapped in a scam case and the way he came out of it, was a nail biting history to read. He  is familiar to the Pune people because the way he designed buildings are
spectacular and he by himself is a wonderful man. The same way author had  narrated the breakthrough experiences of 11 persons. I really feel very proud  to share here that among them our correspondent Mrs. Chitra Pasad is also  one.

The recommended age group for this book is 9 years +

I recommend 5 stars* for this book.

I learnt to be more sportive and self-confident. I realized obstacles won’t stay  before us for longer time, and they can be dissolved by our positive thoughts .

We learn to face challenges.
We learn to take life as it flows.
Believing in ourselves makes miracles.

*On a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Today’s review by 8 year old Aisha Mehta from Gurgaon, is of a book that is relevant for its context of peer pressure and identity and has been reviewed positively by another young reader before.

Aisha Mehta has an inquisitive mind and is often able to find answers to many  of questions by her own observations. She is more independent than  one would ordinarily expect children her age. She loves art and craft.

Aisha is a student of Shri Ram School Aravali, Gurgaon.

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Title- A Bad Case Of Stripes

Author- David Shannon

Publisher- Scholastic

This is a fantasy story. It has a lot of funny
and interesting moments in it and it also  teaches us a very important lesson.

The story is about a girl named Camilla Cream who is afraid of liking things that her friends don’t like. So, she learns a lesson when she gets a pattern- changing skin. When she goes to school after figuring out she is not physically
ill, she finds that everyone laughs at her. Her skin patterns end up dramatizing  itself according to what everyone says around her.

One part that I really found interesting is when Camilla kept changing her appearance. It is truly unbelievable and I found it quite inspiring and  interesting.

My favourite character in this  story was the Old Woman who made Camilla realize that it is important to love your own self and be what you really are.

I think this is a wonderful story and it gives us a message that it is very  important to love yourself and do whatever makes you happy. Sometimes people might say things to you but you need to be yourself and enjoy what you  like to do. I think it’s a very good story and everyone should read it.

On a scale of 5, I will give  5 star rating for this book.*

The book is recommended for ages 5-9.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

I am excited to take this a step further and share reviews from my friends of books that were later adapted into movies.

Book Vs Movie! What do you think it will be? Most popular writings will get published in an ebook!!

Today, 12 year old Nikhitha Sristi from Bangalore reviews for us the classic book The Invisible Man and the movie based on it . Nikhitha is studying in class 7, Delhi Public School Whitefield, Bangalore.

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Title- The Invisible Man
Author- H.G. Wells
Publisher- Finger Print Classics

One of the most famous science fictions, `The Invisible Man’ written by Herbert George Wells, published in 1897, is the story of a scientist who happens to pass through a dreadful incident.

This book tells how science sometimes can turn out to be a strong weapon against humanity. In this story, to destroy an individual’s personality. The story is about a scientist who invents a chemical that makes things invisible. He tests the chemical on himself only to realize that the change is irreversible. He keeps patience for some time and eventually takes advantage of the situation.

He becomes an evil personality and starts to devise crooked plans, which  destroy his life. When his friend and police try to catch him, he dies during the the fight. After he died, he became visible again. Looking at his amazing  invention, he was given a tribute as one of the greatest physicist in the world.

I like only interesting stuff, so on the recommendation of my parents, I got this book and found it incredible and fascinating. It helped me develop interest to read more. Each page I flipped, the story became more interesting and I, more
curious to know what would happen next. It is an intense story and keeps one glued to the book.

My most favorite part was when the guest house owners got to know that the stranger was invisible. Best thing is that this book is a science fiction,  which I personally prefer, because they are usually interesting accounts about  incidents.

A movie was released in 1933 with the title of “The Invisible Man”, it was based on this book. This movie was directed by James Whale, the movie casting  includes Claude Rains, as the invisible man (Mr. Griffin); Una O’Connor, as Mrs. Halls and Forrester Harvey as Mr. Hall. The story in the movie was a bit different from that of the book. However, there was no change in the plot of the book, only few of the scenes were changed to make the film more  engaging, especially scenes related to disappearance of the cat and Mr.
Griffin.

I felt watching the story of the book as a movie was an amazing experience. The man disappearing and seeing him in his costume was all awesome, but it is always best to read the book before watching it as a movie. It gives us better  experience of the movie. Therefore, I personally prefer reading the book.

The written style and language of this book has highly improved my  vocabulary and reading skills. Reading this book was undoubtedly an amazing experience. I highly recommend this book to readers who are really interested in science fiction, especially to readers who are around 11-15 years.

I give it a five on five! 5 star.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Today, 13 year old Satvika Suri from Bangalore reviews for us the book vs movie of her favourite book ‘The hate you give.’

Satvika is a 13 years old who loves reading books and drawing.

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Title- The Hate U Give

Author- Angie Thomas

Movie Director- George Tillman Jr.

What is the point of having a voice, if you are going to be silent, in those moments you shouldnt be? – THE HATE U GIVE.

We all have seen a rainbow at least once, and we all know that it has seven  different colours. And we all consider the variations of the colours, as its main  sign of beauty. If we can call seven different colours beautiful, why so many discriminations and stereotypes just between two colours-
black and white?

This question hit me when I read the book ‘The Hate U Give.’  The book was  published on 28th February 2017 by HarperCollins imprint blazer+ bray, which had won a bidding war for the rights of the novel. It was a commercial success  and stayed as the number one book on The New York’s best seller list for  almost 50 weeks! This novel was adapted into an audiobook, which won several awards.

The book was also adapted into a movie by Fox 2000 on 19 th October 2018,  starring Amandla Stenberg and Algee Smith. Even in the movie, the characters are shown beautifully. Their traits, features and emotions are portrayed  perfectly. Apart from the fact that they removed a character, it is very faithful to the book.

Although the movie is amazing, I would recommend the book as it give us a  deeper look into the scenes. The movie has also received incredibly positive
reviews.

This story is narrated through the perspective of sixteen-year-old Starr Carter,  who lives in the mostly poor and black neighbourhood of Garden Heights but attends an elite private school. When she was on her way to home from a party with her childhood friend, Khalil, cops stop their car and order Khalil to get out. When the cops turned away, Khalil peered into the car to check on Starr, fired  three bullets at him, instantly killing him, just because he was black and a  suspected drug dealer. This incident shatters Starr’s heart as Khalil was the  second friend she lost to bullets. As if this was not enough, she is the only  witness of this incident, meaning she is the only one who can get justice for  Khalil. After his death, the media shows Khalil as a thug, angering Starr even  more. But  can a mere sixteen-year-old do against the whole media?

Starr Carter is the protagonist of this book. She is very smart and analyses  things sharply. As this book is written from her perspective, her emotions and feelings are unfiltered. She feels confused and lost after witnessing the death  of both of her best friends. Moreover, she feels discriminated as she is a black.

Beautifully written by Angie Thomas, this book is a must read for all book  lovers. This book was Thomas’s debut novel. She started writing this book
after seeing the news of the shooting of Oscar Grant. It shows us how unfair  the world today is and how people are using stereotypes to discriminate black  people. It tells us how small-minded people have become and shows us how  few people are denied of their freedom. I think the main idea of this book is  freedom and equality.

One should not be treated differently because of their race, religion, caste or  language. We are all humans and must be treated equally. It also gave me a  strong idea against racism. It shows us how people feel when they are  discriminated. I also learnt that sometimes we can do everything right and  things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.

‘The Hate U Give’ is a must read for anyone above the age of thirteen. I give it a five on five! 5 star.

*On a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Today, 10 year old S. Sivakumaran from Chennai shares the review of a children’s book that teaches children about everyday troubles that shape good habits.

Sivakumaran is a chess player. He is interested in reading books, especially fiction . Now developing an interest in writing own stories. He is a student of NSN Memorial School, Chitlapakkam, Chennai.

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Title of the Book: Invisible Alligators

Name of the Author: Hayes Robert 

The story starts in the morning, with the dream of a young monkey named sari.
She thought there is a series of trouble coming her way. From going to her favourite castle to missing her favourite subject algebra II. Later she finds
a lot of alligators under her bed, who are the troublemakers. She asked the  alligator “Who are you?” The alligator said, “I am a troublemaker. Come with me. I will show you what all I did.”

My favourite part is when the Alligator told Sari that we learn more in life because of this trouble. She didn’t think about her troubles any more, just thought about her goal. So she could easily reach the goal.

I think the book is best for age 10+.

I recommend this book to all of my friends and give it   5 star rating for this book.*

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Today’s review by 9 year old Atreyo Bhattacharyya from Kolkata, is of a book that is relevant to all kids, for its context of peer pressure and identity.

Atreyo enjoys quizzing and playing violin. He is also good at painting, sketching, and participates actively in roller skating. He loves swimming and solving puzzles. He is a student of Word Munchers and goes to The Heritage School, Kolkata.

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Title- A Bad Case Of Stripes

Author- David Shannon

Publisher- Scholastic

The author David Shannon, has written a funny and unusual story. It is a  fantasy, where a girl has a bad case of stripes. She was anxious about what others thought of her.

The main character of  this story is Camilla Cream, whose skin kept changing according to other people’s thoughts. May be she used to think what others  would think of her, even if it didn’t match with her own thoughts. She used to  like lima beans but as others used to hate it, so she also used to say that she  hated lima beans.

The other character is Dr.Bumble who first examined Camilla but he couldn’t  find out what was wrong. Soon he called the specialists and the experts but they also were not able to find out what was wrong.

The interesting part of the story is when Camilla Cream tried 42 outfits on  herself and her skin became colourful like a rainbow.

From this story, children can learn a lesson, that we should never copy what  other’s say or do. We should accept ourselves the way we are without being influenced by other people’s opinions.

The whole story is interesting because it is a fantasy story and the readers  keep getting anxious as it gets more and more complicated. The readers start thinking what could be the solution to this huge problem, but soon it came to  an unpredictable end.

There is nothing to dislike in this story and it is interesting till the end. It is a highly recommended story for children as it ends with a good message.

On a scale of 5, I will give  5 star rating for this book.*

The book is recommended for ages 5-9.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Today’s review by 12 year old R.S.Anandita from Chennai writes a passionate review of a book in the iconic Harry Potter Series.

Anandita loves to write, give speeches, drawing especially pencil shading, reading books, watching Harry Potter movies  dancing and singing. She also enjoys playing on the keyboard.

Anandita is a student of NSN Memorial School, Chennai.

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Title- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Author- J.K. Rowling

This is my favourite book and one that I never get bored of. I have been  fascinated by it since I saw the movie. That made me want to get the books.

There has never been a movie which I have missed in the Harry Potter series. I  have watched every movie, almost more than ten times. Then once I got the  novels I had my nose buried in them. I really loved and admired the books and  they were more interesting than the movies.

Now coming to the story, this is about the life of a boy, Harry Potter who discovers that he is a wizard and that he conquered the Dark Lord (the most  horrible wizard whom everyone fears of in the wizarding world) when he was  only a year old baby. He goes to Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry at  the age of eleven. Salazar Slytherin does not like the Muggle borns (non magical folks) and built a secret chamber in the school known as the  ‘Chamber  of Secrets.’ He believed that his heir will come to Hogwarts, open the chamber  and kill the Muggle born students.

The book, ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ is Harry’s second year at  Hogwarts. Doomy warnings from a house elf, hearing a terrifying voice at  school, Harry discovers that history is to repeat itself!! That means the  chamber of secrets has been opened again after fifty years.

This book is full of mysteries and adventures. I love Harry Potter as well as the  author J.K. Rowling.

7 epic stories and one magical adventure, is what I can call this!!   I would give   5 stars* and I would recommend it for ages 9 and above.

*On a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest

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Hey, your friend Sara here again! Enjoyed reading?

Here is a beautiful Diwali Gift set for every child- a big bundle of books, colouring, jigsaw and lots of fun.

Order now!

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Today’s review by 11 year old Presha Patel from Vadodara is on a widely popular and recent book,  often compared with Harry Potter. Presha is a student of Young Orators.

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Title- Nevermoor

Author- Jessica Townsend

This book is one of my greatest possessions, not just because of the storyline  but because it reminds me of home (Australia), as this was my birthday present from my best friend Amelia. From the point of un-wrapping the gift  wrap to finishing it, this book captured my full attention. I was so engrossed by the cover page, credits to Jim Madsen; I couldn’t stop from taking a peek  through this book straight away.

During this ‘peek’- which lasted a few hours, I discovered the magical and  exciting land of Nevermoor. A land, which was so beautifully described by Jessica Townsend, I could almost imagine myself being there.

This story revolves around, 11 year old Morrigan Crow, who is a sweet and  caring person, yet had to experience many sorrows in life due to the short  comings of others. Her father is more a politician than a father and a mean step mom doesn’t help her existence. This girl may seem ordinary, but her life is not that simple. Morrigan led a cursed life – not because she was actually cursed, but because everyone thought so. She was born on an unlucky day and is blamed for all local misfortunes. Imagine just walking by an old lady, carrying  five bags of groceries, when she inevitably drops the grocery, you are somehow blamed for it! But, more than this, the curse means that Morrigan Crow is doomed to die on midnight on her 11 th birthday! That would be so  scary! The whole book is about Morrigan’s journey while competing in four trials to become a part of the Wondrous Society, of Nevermoor. From being  hated in the beginning to the point of being constantly made to apologize for things she never did, to finding true love in Nevermoor.

Jessica Townsend has done a good job, describing each detail, where in one could visualize the whole land, the events, the people, etc. in minute. She has  beautifully captured Morrigan’s emotion, making the reader experience the hate, the thrill, the love, the sorrow and the joy with Morrigan. You almost cheer with the same excitement as her towards the end of the book.

My favourite part of this middle-grade fantasy was when Jupiter North  whisked Morrigan into the magical land of Nevermoor. Even though, I didn’t know where Jupiter was taking her, it felt like the beginning of a new and  exciting adventure.

This book teaches us the value of love, and how it would feel without it. It  teaches us to respect and value everything we have.

Many people compare this book to Harry Potter, and have expectations for it.  But, you should read this book with an open-mind, and not as the next Harry  Potter series. I would like to change people’s thinking towards comparing a  book with another book.

With all the amazing lessons, fantasy, adventure, joy this book brings to its  readers; I rate this book an obvious five star, 5/5!

This book is recommended for ages: 10-13 

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Here is a young reader, 7 year old Achyutasharan Sahu from Chennai with a review of his favourite book.

Achyutasharan Sahu  is very curious to learn new things and got “Leaps and Bounds Award” from his School @Plano, TX, USA during his stay in USA. He enjoys Badminton, and was playing with  Richardson, TX Team  under 3 years group. Making LOGO blocks apart from reading and drawing. He loved to help to her mother in Kitchen during this leisure period. He is a  student of NSN Memorial Senior Secondary School, Chitlapakkam, Chennai.

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Title: Fisherman and Golden Fish

Author: Alexander Pushkin

Published in 1835 and  translated in English by Robert Chandler.

It is a fairy tale.

When I saw this book first time, I was so curious to know about Golden Fish  and why the Golden Fish is fulfilling the fisherman wishes.

This is one of my favourite stories books. I loved this story book because, on  the front cover there is a nice golden fish and old fisherman standing near the river.

This book has lots of colourful pictures of huts, river and gardens. My father bought this book and gifted it to me at a railway station, when we were travelling to our native place.

The characters of the story are fisherman, his wife and the golden fish.

The setting of the story is in the riverside and huts.

The story is about a fisherman who managed to catch a golden fish which  promises to fulfil any wish of his, in exchange for its freedom. The important  part of the story is ‘Golden Politeness’ response.

The key takeaway of the story is the victory of good over evil, in a conflict between the two. At the end of the story it teaches about an old woman who got punished  for her greed.

If I could change one thing about the book, I would like to add a son or daughter in the fisherman family.

The writing style and photos are simple for 7+ year olds, illustrations very attractive and the book has a nice colourful, soft look.

Overall, the book is very good in terms of story and attractive illustrations. My review rating for the book is 5*. Thank You!!!

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldn’t they get to share their review of it?

Today’s review by 10 year old Siyona Bakshi from Gurgaon, is of an extremely pertinent book on standing out like a sore thumb, and how to deal with it. 

Siyona enjoys listening to music and reading books. Her list of favourite authors include  Sudha Murthy, Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl. Inspired by them, she loves to pen down her thoughts in the form of short stories and dreams to publish them in a book someday. She is a great orator and loves to connect with her friends. Siyona loves to dance and is learning Kathak. She is a student of Lotus Valley International School, Gurugram.

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Title: Wonder

Author: R. J. Palacio

Have you ever wondered what would happen…
If you don’t look the way you look,
Eat the way you eat and
Feel the way you feel about yourself.

This is a story of a struggling boy named August, who was born with a special  physical condition, ‘Small Anomalies,’ a disease in which the face seems like it  has been melted.

August says, “Though I see myself as ordinary, other people do not.’

The story revolves around a motivating thought that, ‘You can’t blend in when  you were born to stand out.’ This beautiful phrase adds to the beauty of the cover page and ignited my interest to discover more about the book. The lead character, August Pullmann was obviously unhappy with his special situation,  however, his sister Via and his parents supported him a lot. August was  homeschooled by his mother and had never been to school till he was ten. His  parents wanted him to do so but he was petrified. However, his parents  convinced him by saying,” It is the first year of middle school, it’s a new school  for everyone so everybody would be new to each other.’

August has been portrayed as a child who wonders everyday as to why such a  thing happened to him and also that it is beyond his control to do anything  about his situation or the attitude of people towards him. After many ups and downs, something incredible happened with August and his happiness knew no bounds.

My favorite part in the story was the way August had shown courage even  though he was laughed at, for something which was not even his fault. This  makes him my favorite character in the story. I also liked the revelation, when August’s friends didn’t like him initially but later when they got to know the wonderful person inside him, they became his good friends. Even the part when Julian’s grandmother told him about her childhood and how he was named after a person who had once saved her life was intriguing.

This book beautifully enunciates the emotions of a boy who struggles with his special situation as well as with the world around him. At the same time, I  found the story to be quite engaging owing to the way R. J. Palacio has  presented it with abundance of humor.

Inspiring quotes added at the  beginning of each part accentuate the connect with the story and ignites the interest to read. One such quote is…

“It is only with one’s heart that one can see clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye. ”

– Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

I earnestly recommend this book for readers, age 10 and above to gain a  perspective about how life can be so unpredictable and yet so fulfilling.

I will give  5 star rating for this book.*

Title: The Wizard of Oz

Author: Lyman Frank Baum

Illustrator: W.W. Denslow

The cover page of the book created so much interest in me to know the fun, the group of friends are going to have.

The book was gifted to me by my aunt.

This is an adventurous story of a girl named Dorothy who lives in Kansas, USA.  She loses her home in a cyclone and finds it with the help of her friends on the way– the scarecrow, tinman, a lion and her dog Toto. They went to the Wizard  of Oz, asking for their wish and finally the wizard grants their wish. Dorothy and her dog Toto reach their home in Kansas happily.

This story conveys many values, especially that we must not give up on our  goals and we must work as a team to win. It also says that we must focus on   our goals and overcome the problems on the way.

My favourite part of the story was when Dorothy met Glinda, the good witch of the south.

This is an encouraging magical story. The book has an age rating of 7+ but I will recommend this story for all age groups. The font size is good and the  illustration involves us into the story and make us feel that we are with  Dorothy and her friends.

On a scale of 5, I will give  5 star rating for this book.*

Here is a wonderful review of the perfect book to follow Halloween celebrations-a Harry Potter book by 11 year old Vanshika Chaudhary, a student of House of Books and Tales, Jaipur.

Vanshika is a book worm, who studies in sixth grade. She likes spending time with her mother and friends. She also  likes to play a few matches of chess with her family, sometimes with herself when everyone’s occupied with some or the other work. Her only dislike is waking up early in  the morning. Vanshika’s hobby is reading novels, writing  stories and composing poems. Her passion is to become an author.

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Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldnt they get to share their review of it?

Today’s review of a much loved Indian folktale is by 6 year old C. Dhakshitha from Chennai. There are just so many wonderful stories of Krishna out there, this is one of them.

Dhakshitha is fond of classical dance, classical music, reading books and visiting temples. She is a student of N.S.N Memorial Senior Secondary School, Chennai.

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Title-Radha And Krishna Switch Clothes

Author- Ambika Behal

Illustrator-Shiva Kant Vyas 

Publisher- Bookosmia

I read this book from Bookosmia website here.

On seeing the cover page, I thought that it was yet another story of Krishna’s mischief, but it turned out to be very interesting!

This is a folktale about the mischievous Krishna and his best friend Radha. The story takes place in the village where Krishna lives.

One day, Radha was very angry at Krishna and did not come to play with him. He thought he needed a plan to make Radha laugh again and tries some of his antics. Eventually, Radha could not stay mad at such a mischievous friend and they became friends again.

The key characters in the story are Krishna and his best friend Radha.
Krishna is my favorite character because he is mischievous and also can do  anything  for his friends.

My understanding is that we should be happy with our friends,  and should make up if there ever is a fight, no matter how old we are.

I loved this book and I will recommend this to my friends. The book had beautiful artwork of Radha and Krishna in all its pages, which appealed to me a lot! I would give it a rating of  5/5 stars*

I would recommended this eBook to kids in the age group of 6 To 9 Years

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldnt they get to share their review of it?

So here is a ‘book review for young readers, by young readers.’

10 year old G. Magesh from Chennai is a student of grade 5 from N.S.N  Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Chromepet, Chennai. He likes reading  various collections of books, online as well as offline. His aim is to become a  doctor and he likes helping others. He is interested in doing things for social purposes. 

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It is really an interesting and good story. I hope many read and enjoy this book. I would rate  5/5 stars* for this novel.

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your write ups on your favourite books.

After all, if a story is written for young readers, shouldnt they get to share their review of it?

So here is a ‘book review for young readers, by young readers.’

The central idea of the story is to show affection to everyone and give a helping hand when they are in need. Little Hedgehog’s cousin , Baby hedgehog,  comes to stay. When they go on a day out to find bluebells, baby loses his red-dotted blanket, and the day out turns into an exclusive adventure…

It is a dramatic story with innovative words that express friendship and love . The illustrations are well designed with beautiful, light colours. The look of the book is quite fascinating , creative and peaceful.

My favourite part of the book is when they are  trying to catch the blanket that is ‘floating as light as a feather in the refreshing air’

I learnt that we should hold hands together and  never give up in difficult situations.

I wouldn’ t like to change anything in the book because the pace of the writing looks right with the suitable words and emotions. I rate this book with  5/5*

 

The best age group for reading this book is 7 – 10  because they can learn how to organize a writing using appropriate words , how and when to use emotions in their story.

Hey there book lovers, your friend Sara here! Thanks everyone for keeping this section buzzing, with ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers!’

We are onto something special, isnt it?

Today’s review by 6 year old Dhakshitha.C is of an old folklore, retold now as it still has a significant message for all of us. This book is globally acclaimed for the Indian look and feel of its characters and had won the spotlight from Global  Literature for Libraries.

Dhakshitha. C enjoys reading books, classical dance and music and visiting temples. She is a student of N.S.N Memorial Senior Secondary School, Chennai

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Title: I WISH I WERE

Author: NIDHI MISHRA

Illustrated By: PARVATI PILLAI

Published By: BOOKOSMIA

My Mom bought this E-Book for me to read.

When I saw the cover of the book in which a girl wearing a traditional skirt, is  sitting on a tree branch with her friend crow, I immediately connected to
her as I like to wear traditional skirts very much and started to read the book.

This story is a folk tale about a little girl who wishes to become someone else.

The characters are the girl, her friend crow , the swan, the parrot, the peacock  and the girl’s mom and dad.

The story takes place in the girl’s house from where it moves to the pond and then the zoo and back home again.

The story starts with the girl telling her friend, crow about her wish.

Her friend crow also wanted to be a  swan. So they both went to the pond to meet the swan but the swan wanted to be someone else and so the girl and crow visit many creatures till they realize, we are great in the way we are.

My favorite character is the girl because she is active and curious, just like me!

This book teaches us that we should be happy and satisfied with the way we  are. My favorite part of the book is when the girl realized that everyone is special in his or her own  way.
I loved this book. The book was very colorful and attractive. I will recommend this to my friends.

I rate this book with  5/5*
Recommended age group for the book is 5 To 8 Years

*On a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest

Would you like to gift this ebook I Wish I Were to a child? Click here to grab your copy at just INR 49/-

Hey there book lovers, your friend Sara here! Thanks everyone for keeping this section buzzing, with ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers!’

We are onto something special, isnt it?

Today’s review is of children’s fantasy book series that was later adapted into a Disney Channel Original Movie.

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Title:  The Upside-Down Magic

Author:  Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle and Emily Jenkins

Publisher: Scholastic

This book is one of a Scholastic book series.

I got this book as a birthday gift from my aunt. My aunt always sends books for me to read ( like for my birthday or when I score good grades) and my cousin sister always shares her books with me to read.

I enjoyed reading this story and think it is the best story book of all.

This book  beautifully describes the story of a girl named Nory, who has little ‘Upside Down’ MAGICAL POWERS.

To begin with, this story tells that everyone has magical abilities. Many children begin their magical training in the Sage Academy. The five divisions – Flares,  Fuzzies, Flickers, Fluxers and Flyers, each have particular skillset. Nory is a  Fluxer, but she shape-shifts into a kitten mixed with a beaver or a dragon and has no control over it. As she fails in the entrance exam for Sage Academy, and is forced to attend a special class called UDM (Upside Down Magic), she makes friends with other children in classroom who also have uncontrolled magic.  They all learn to embrace their uncontrolled magic as a gift.

My favourite part is when the authors beautifully narrate that Nory is a very determined girl and how she overcomes the disappointments. Finally, at the end Nory and her friends join together to prove that Upside-Down Magic is  also needed and that they are gifted too.

The key characters in this book are Elinor Nory Horace, Elliott Cohen, Bax Kapoor, Andres , Pepper Phan, Marigold Ramos, Willa , Sebastian Boondoggle.

My learning from this book is that every person is unique in his/her own way and one has to make use of that uniqueness.

Every person has an important role to play.

I rate this book  5/5 on a scale of 1 to 5 and recommend it for age group 8+

Today’s review is of one of the most talked about books of our times, and one which broke site records for fundraising for literature publication.

Today’s review is of one of the most beloved children’s books ever, ‘Harry The Dirty Dog.’

Hey there book lovers, your friend Sara here! Thanks everyone for keeping this section buzzing, with ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers!’

We are onto something special, isnt it?

Today’s review is of the widely popular classic for young readers- Black Beauty.

14 year old Agshitha Kumari is a student of NSN Memorial School, Chennai.

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Title-THE BLACK BEAUTY

Author-ANNA SEWELL 

Hey there book lovers, your friend Sara here! Thanks everyone for keeping this section buzzing, with ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers!’

We are onto something special, isnt it?

Here is the first in the genre of Indian mythology- a very popular category amongst readers. And ahead of the International Day of the Girl child, what better pick than one that talks of one of the strongest female characters.

13 year old Tatvi Shah from Vadodara shares this wonderful review. She is a student of Delhi Public School, Vadodara

Title- The Palace of Illusions

Author- Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

I recently read this book by the Indo-American author, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.

I got this book as a present on the festival of Raksha Bandhan from my father. It has been a tradition in my house of tying rakhi on my father’s
wrist and he gives me the most valuable gift of  the year. We consider ourselves as siblings of last birth!

This book was worth-spending on as I always wanted to read mythology books written by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, as i wanted to discover her  perspective about the characters of Mahabharata.

I was fascinated as soon as I saw the cover page of The Palace of Illusions.
The picture on it intrigued me as it shows a beautifully carved gate and it feels that walking through it leads to a new life.

The unpredictable life of Draupadi, having been produced from fire to her final  journey to Mahaprasthan, builds up the climax of this entrancing novel. The  storyline includes narrative about her relationship with her brother, the  desolation that she faced in her father’s palace, the relationships with her only  sister, Sikhandi; her life as the spouse of the five Pandavas and how  she triggers the Mahabharata war.

Draupadi is the protagonist of the book. She has been fascinatingly illustrated  through this book where we almost envision ourselves in her shoes. Chitra  Banerjee has portrayed Draupadi as a lady with a voice, who is not reluctant to  convey anything which she thinks is perfect. She is a charismatic woman with  ego.

Draupadi and her brother were born from sacred fire after prolonged prayers, to King Drupad.Even then she had to suffer the strict gender bias. These views of the patriarchal society are the biggest problem the world is and has been  facing from years immemorial.

The central idea of the story is that the author chose a female character that  was tainted as she wanted to demonstrate that even women have equal rights and should be given equal dignity as received by men.

I savoured the part  when Draupadi pesters Sage Vyasa to know more about  how sorrowful her life is going to be. When Sage Vyasa responds with due  respect that she is going to be the wife of five husbands and also the queen of  a pompous kingdom, Draupadi, and I were on seventh heaven to know that she would become the queen. To me this is the most delightful part of the story,  based on my opinion.

If were the author, I would add the account of the events that took place during exile and war in particular. The war and exile are two essential parts of  Draupadi’s biography. I would fancy writing less about her lamented life and  elaborate on her espoused life after the war also.

This is a book which can be read by anyone comfortable in English but I would  recommend this book for  13+.  This would help them know more about how to  deal with struggles.

Evaluating this book with stars is a challenging decision but actually, this wonderful book has changed my view about Draupadi. I give this excellent book 4.5 star.

Hey there book lovers, your friend Sara here! Thanks everyone for keeping this section buzzing, with ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers!’

We are onto something special, isnt it?

Today’s review is on a book that has been translated from Japanese.

9 year old Kanishka from Chennai is a Grade 4 student. She is a Phonics Power student. She is very interested in dancing and singing too.

Kanishka is a student of Kendriya Vidhyalaya School, Tambaram (Chennai)

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Title- I LOVE MY MOM

Author- Fongsamy Pommaxay

Publisher-Room to Read.

I was attracted by the words, “I LOVE MY MOM” on the cover page.

I read this interesting book. It is a Japanese story translated by Stephanie Wei,  illustrated by Nivong Sengsakown.

During this lock down, I could not buy and read any books. Then I thought of  searching online books to read. I saw many books. Suddenly my eyes were  drawn to this particular story which was “I LOVE MY MOM.”

The story is about a little girl and her mom. Her mom loves her very much, so  she teaches many skills to her like, how to cook, wash and dry clothes, water plants, make the bed, how to ride a bicycle.”

She used to tell bedtime stories to her daughter at night and sing her lullabys when she was sleepy. Her mom worked hard all the time. So the little girl loves  her mom very much. 

The lead character of the story is her mom. The most interesting thing about  her was that she was a hard worker all through the day.

The central idea of the story is the girl learns many skills from her mom. They have illustrated the story through pictures.

The general look of the book is impressive because of the colorful pictures.  Even kids can easily understand the writing skill of the story. 

My favorite part of the book was learning the bicycle ride.

I understood how to learn many skills from my mom in this story.  

If I could change something in this book, I will write the whole story as a  conversation.

I would rate this book 4 out of 5. The best age group of this book is 7 – 9 years.

Hey there book lovers, your friend Sara here! Thanks everyone for keeping this section buzzing, with ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers!’

We are onto something special, isnt it?

Today’s review is of a book, by the much celebrated Ruskin Bond.

13 year old Zenia Parpia from Chennai has been following Ruskin Bond since  the day she started reading. She feels his stories contain magical  words that can also help her improve her oratory skills. Zenia is a student of NSN Memorial Senior Secondary School, Chennai.

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Title: The Blue Umbrella

Written by : Ruskin Bond

Illustrated by : Trevor Stubley

After seeing the cover page of “The Blue Umbrella,” I thought maybe it could be about rainy season.

But the creativity of Ruskin Bond surprised me .

I havent read such a creative, sweet story ever .

This story is about four peoples Binya , Bijju , Ram Bharosa , Ram Chandran.

The lead character in this story is Binya who had fair skin, pink cheeks, brown hair,  glass bangles on her hand, a necklace and loved nature . She is also  sensitive towards people .

Its about how Binya got the beautiful blue umbrella, how she protected the umbrella from wind , dust , rain, from villagers and especially from Ram Bharosa.

Binya protected the umbrella . In the process of protecting the umbrella, she  realized that unwantedly she heard the feelings of Ram Bharosa. Since he tried to steal, Binya took the help of Ram Chandran, who was working in Bharosa’s shop. Because of this all people stopped buying from his shop .

Seeing this Binya felt guilty and gave the blue umbrella to Bharosa. Meanwhile, Bharosa also realized his mistake. He called Binya and gave her a necklace  with a pear paw pendant which was considered lucky.

I loved the writing style, especially the usage of personification. It was interesting to read of non living  things having the character of living things.

My favourite part is when Binya gives the most important thing in her life to  Ram Bharosa. I learnt that human relations are more important than things.

This book is so interesting that I would give 5 out of 5* ratings

I would recommend this book for age 12 +

Hey there book lovers, your friend Sara here! Thanks everyone for keeping this section buzzing, with ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers!’

We are onto something special, isnt it?

Today’s review is on a widely popular book for teenagers,  by the author of the famous book “The Fault in Our Stars.” Do not miss this uniquely written review!

Ananya Bulani is in 11th standard in Ahmedabad. She is  very passionate about writing. Whether it is reviews or articles, she loves penning down her words. She believes writing for an audience, even if it is just one person, helps her to think from the perspective of the audience. Ananya is a student of Young Orators.

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Title- Looking For Alaska

Author- John Green

Publisher: Dutton Children’s Books

Hush!! Such profound words have wrapped a story of a few teens whose lives are intertwined and connected forever, in the Culver Creek Alabama. It is the labyrinth that unites them.

I had mixed expressions when I started reading this book because of my  previous experience with Green’s books.

Looking for Alaska follows the novel’s main character and narrator Miles Halter, or “Pudge,” to boarding school.

What I did like about this novel, is  that  it had a lot of what I enjoy about Green’s writing- Pudge’s obsession with last words was not only fascinating but gave the novel an almost educational value, because they were true facts. Pudge would wonder about philosophical  ideas, giving a novel a depth beyond just a coming of age book.

I clearly remember a line from the book, “If people were rain, I was drizzle and she was hurricane.” This line echoes everyday in my heart, for the line shows how much Miles loves Alaska, although they weren’t meant to be together. I now understand the real meaning of this line – no matter what happens in future, always love your lover. Love remains eternal, although lovers don’t remain together always.

When I finished it for the first time, I loved it. I thought of their problem as  mine. Indeed whenever I begin reading it again, I feel those emotion coming back to me. The author has made this book an literary masterpiece.

Thank you Alaska, Miles, Colonel, Lara and others for making me re-read this book every other week and month. Thank you for telling me to enjoy my life to the fullest, without any inhibitions. Miles, thank you for being shy yet smart. Thank you for telling me that being too shy is very harmful. Your neediness is something I envy.

Alaska, special thanks to you for making me love you, your carelessness, your never-say-never-spirit. I love you the way Miles does.

Thank you, Mr Green, for writing this amazing and heart melting book. It made me cry, laugh, retrospect. All in one book.

Looking For Alaska was an enjoyable read which I think makes a poignant remark about the ability of people to cope with grief, especially at such a young age. I definitely respect John Green for his ability to write and tell a story which is not only compelling, but will make you question how to search for your own ‘great perhaps.’

I’m giving this book 4 stars out of 5* for its pace and the never ending interest I had in the story line.

The book is appropriate for readers 14 +

This officially my second favourite John Green book. I’m excited to continue reading his stories.

I still don’t think I am ever going to find a book that I loved more than The Fault In Our Stars. But you never know.

Today’s review is by 14 year old Pooja Balaji from Chennai.

Pooja is a 9th standard student at NSN Memorial Secondary School, Chennai. She says she is not a bookworm but loves reading books. Her grandpa narrated a lot of stories during her childhood. That is how she fell in love with reading.

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Title- The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Books are my best friends. Due to the pandemic situation, I could not buy  them, so I read ebooks. I love to travel around the world and every time I carry a book along with me.

Today’s review is by 9 year old Kaviya R  from Chennai.

Hey there book lovers, your friend Sara here! Thanks everyone for keeping this section buzzing, with ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers!’

We are onto something special, isnt it?

Today on International Day of Peace, I am happy to share this lovely review by 13 year old Satvika, of one of the most important books of our time and an international bestseller, ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’ by Anne Frank.

Suri Lakshmi Satvika is 13 years old. She loves reading books and drawings and lives in Bangalore

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Title: The Diary of a Young Girl

Author: Anne Frank

BOOKS are dreams you hold in your hands. When we
read a book, we expect to learn something valuable from it.

The book I am going to review now, taught me a very important lesson and  when this book was written, the writer was of the same age as I am now (13 years old)So, it influenced me deeply.

“The Diary of a Young Girl” is the book I am talking about. This book, as the title suggests, is a diary. The writer of this diary is Anne Frank. This book was  published in the year 1947, in Dutch. Later in 1952, it was translated and  published by ‘Amazing Reads’

When I first saw this book, its cover page and illustrations seemed quite ordinary. But it was the picture of the young girl, Anne Frank which caught my  eye.  Also I had heard quite a lot about it, so I thought of giving it a read.

I got this book as a birthday present from my parents on my 13th birthday.

Coming to the plot of this book, it gives us a glimpse into World War II through  a young girl’s perspective. It also shows us how tough and tiring life is when we are confined and not treated as an equal in the society.

Anne Frank is the main  character of this book. She is a remarkably clever girl,  a very thoughtful narrator and her diary is an entertaining read as well as a significant historical document.

Anne’s first entry said- “Writing in a diary is a very strange thing for someone  like me. Not only because I’ve never written anything before, but also because  it seems to me that later on, neither I  nor anyone would be interested in the  musings of a thirteen year old.” But little did she know her diary became the  primary source of information about the German holocaust.

Though, Anne’s diary only offers a glimpse into the horrors inflicted on the  Jews by the Nazis, it paints a very vivid picture if human nature and relationships during the time of war. It shows us that happiness can be found anywhere.

It also tells us that hope is something that should never be lost. I feel that the  main message is that freedom and equality are something very valuable. It  shouldn’t be given to one based on their cast, creed, race, or religion. It should  be everyone’s right.

This book is a very wonderful read for anyone above the age of twelve.

We can realize how lucky we are to be this free.

I would give this book 4.5  out of 5. I recommend this book on everyone’s reading list. Happy reading!

Hello book lovers, your friend Sara here! I love how you are all pouring in your submissions.

And we know it is even more special when a child sends in the review not of some bestselling author, but of stories written by another child.

So here is a ‘book review for young readers, by young reader of story by young writer.’

12 year old S. Nishitha from Palayamkottai, Tirunelveli shares her review of one of our favourite stories,  ‘Ichuppa Village,’ by 10 year old S Sivakumaran from Chennai.

Nishitha is student of Bell English School. She loves her  father, mother, teachers and God. Nishitha loves eating  fruits and vegetables and playing volleyball and seven stones. She wants to become a doctor,to help others.

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Story-Ichuppa Village

Author- S Sivakumaran

Publisher- Bookosmia

Hey there book lovers, your friend Sara here! Thanks everyone for keeping this section buzzing, with ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers!’

We are onto something special, isnt it?

Today’s review is all the more special as it is by our youngest reviewer ever!

5 year old K. S. Manha from Chennai shares this adorable little review of her favourite book.

She is a student of NSN Memorial School, Chennai.

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I got this book from school for building reading skills, recommended  by Chrysalis education system.

The book is about how much fun kids can have in a farm and can know about how we are getting the fruits and vegetables in the market, where do they come from.

The story is about Raja and Rani, who play and run at uncle Mano’s farm. In the farm there are mangoes, bananas, guavas and pineapples. There came a  truck in which Raja and Rani loaded the fruits. The truck was full and went to market.

I liked it  because the story made me feel as if I am enjoying in a farm, with so  many colorful fruits and vegetables. It has colorful pictures like real images. Enjoying nature is the real happiness

I think the book is good for 3 to 6 years.   

 I would rate the book  5 stars out of 5*

Hey there book lovers, your friend Sara here! Thanks everyone for keeping this section buzzing, with ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers!’

We are onto something special, isnt it?

Today on Roald Dahl’s Day, I am happy to share this lovely review of his book ‘The Magic Finger’ by 11 year old Arav Prasad from Bangalore.

Meet Arav from Bangalore, who is the Google of cricket. He studies in 6th grade and dreams to be the captain of the Indian cricket team. These days he is trying his hands at baking and cooking.

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Book- The Magic Finger

Author- Roald Dahl

Illustrator- Quentin Blake

A few days ago I read a book called ‘The Magic Finger’ written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake. 

The book cover had touch and feel letters. 

My mom bought me this book on seeing my good results.  

This book was really funny and as you know that anyone who reads Roald Dahl’s books, would definitely love them !

So it all started like this-there was a girl who had a finger which could do  anything but it will only work when the girl gets cross and sees red. She went  to school and there her teacher asks her the spelling of cat and she told k-a-t.  Obviously it was wrong so teacher told her to give her hand and you know what happened with 5 hits of the scale. She got so cross and then she saw red and the magic finger did what it had to do. It sprayed a purple light which got injected on her mam and then comes the funniest part. The teacher started to become a cat. She stayed in the cat form for more than 2 years and then no one knows what happened. The next day she met the Gregg family and there starts the real story.  

The girl’s name was not mentioned in the book but the Gregg family consists  of William Gregg, Phillip Gregg and Mr and Mrs Gregg. 

The central idea of the story is not to harm the flora and fauna.

I would not change anything in the story.

My favourite part of the book is when the teacher started to become a cat.    

This book is great for the ages 7 to 10. 

Recommendation-5 stars out of 5 *

Hey there book lovers, your friend Sara here! Soooo many book reviews by kids from all over!

Today, I am proud to bring this special review-an example of what young minds can achieve when allowed the freedom to express themselves.

Here is 9 year old Sriram from Chennai, reviewing a story written by 10 year old Sanaaya Sureka from Kolkata. Isnt it beautiful what we are created?  ‘Book reviews for young readers, by young readers on stories by young writers!’ We are onto something special, isnt it?

Sriram is studying in NSN Matriculation school.  He loves to read, draw and play. He would like to become a doctor. 

Sriram loves his father, mother, teachers and NSN School, Chennai

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Title – Brother, Sister And  The TV Remote 

Author- Sanaaya Sureka

Hey there book lovers, your friend Sara here! Thanks everyone for keeping this section buzzing, with ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers!’

We are onto something special, isnt it?

Today, I am sharing this lovely review by 10 year old S. Kirthika from Chennai

S. Kirthika is studying in V grade in N.S.N Matriculation school, Chennai.

Kirthika’s ambition is to become a teacher.

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Story-Two Wolves

Publisher-Giant Wheel magazine.

The lead character in the story is a girl by the name Priya. The change in her thought process and her attitude is the crux of the story.

Priya was studying in a school. Her friend called and asked her for the notes,  but she denied giving because he had complained about her to the teacher for some reason.

The central idea of the story is inculcating good values, through a story by  Priya’s father that there is a constant battle between two wolves inside. One  wolf being good and the other being evil.

It is relevant as during these days, parents spend less time with children as  they are always busy with their own life. Priya’s father took time and imparted the values to her through a story which was the need of the hour.

My favourite part of the story is during dinner time, Priya’s father did not ignore the conversation that she has with her friend.Instead he tried to explain to her that what she was doing was not right. There is a constant battle  between two wolves inside. The one wolf with love, joy, kindness, hope, truth
faith or the one wolf with anger, jealousy, pride ,sorrow, guilt which we feed inside wins.

The learning from this story is we should develop only positive qualities like  love, faith, kindness, being truthful, helping others, which in turn will brings  happiness in our life.

Parents are second teacher to a child and they influence a child’s behaviour so much. This story has outlined a father who is a role model to a child.

If I could change something in the story, I would have added the family background of Priya clearly and also the reason why her friend had complained about her to the teacher.

The writing style was so easy to understand for the kids. The age group for this story is 7+.
On a scale of 1-5, I would rate this story as 5.*

Hey there book lovers, your friend Sara here! I am so excited to see all your wonderful entries pouring into this section of ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers!’

We are onto something special, isnt it?

Today’s lovely review is by 10 year old K. S. Mohammed Daanish from Chennai.

Mohammed Daanish is a student of NSN Memorial School, Chitlapakkam and has been recognized by his school for his book reviews. His mother has set up a home library for boosting up his learning skills, and clearly that has helped him a lot. He is interested in learning languages English, Tamil and French

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Hi there book lovers, your friend Sara here! Thanks for pouring in all your wonderful entries. So excited to be running this movement of ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers!’

Today I share a very thoughtful review of a book based on the life of an important person.

9 year old Seeyona Guha from Hyderabad shares the review of ‘Who was Anne Frank,’ a  book she loved so much that she wrote a review on it and also drew a picture of Anne Frank.

Hi there book lovers, your friend Sara here! Thanks for pouring in all your wonderful entries. So excited to be running this movement of ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers!’

So keep reading and keep writing in to me.

Today’s heartfelt and thorough review comes from 13 year old Swastik Kumar from Jaipur. He is studying in class 8 at Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh School, Jaipur and is a student of Young Orators.

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Book- Magnus Chase and The Sword of Summer

Author-Rick Riordan

“As soon as the flaming blades of Surtr touched me I knew it was the end. I had only one choice to make.”

‘The Sword of Summer’ is the first sequel in Rick Riordan’s Magnus Chase series of three novels
that has sold millions of copies worldwide.

It is an amazing story which puts a cheerful smile to the young and old alike.Rick Riordan is known for his humor, and the twists that we get at the end of the stories.

Magnus Chase is the story about a young demigod son of the god Frey, who  dies valiantly fighting the fire lord Surtr and goes to Valhalla (the place of the noble dead) to spend the remainder of his time preparing for Ragnarok. Ragnarok is often called as the end of the world. It is believed that it would start on the event of Fimblewinter {the last winter}

People say that Magnus Chase is a must read. I think that they could not be  any more right. Rick Riordan spins the story in such a way that you cannot resist yourself to think, what I would have done if I was in that position.

You can see many of the characters in our everyday life. Take Magnus for example. He is gullible and trusts anyone and everyone. He lived a hard life at  the street after his mom died.

Let’s take a look at Samirah. Father has a bad reputation but still she is trying  to get along with the society. As most of his characters are taken from  everyday life, it is easy to relate and understand how they feel.
The main characters of the story are, Magnus, a young Demigod son of Frey who used to live at the street after his Mom died. Samirah, a daughter of Loki who is struggling to make her place among the demigods. Blitzen, a dwarf who has an expertise in clothing and Hearth stone, an elf who cannot hear or speak but has a mastery in runes.

The protagonist of the story is Magnus Chase, while the antagonist is the  flaming demon lord, Surtr.

Valhalla is truly an amazing place to go after you die. The never ending fun. The constant partying. Atop of all this Rick Riordan has described it in lubricious  words and spun it into a tale so great that you feel that you are actually in the halls of Valhalla reliving the experience. But the main aim of Valhalla is to train  the troops for Ragnarok. Even getting in Valhalla is not that easy, you have to go through harrowing trials, and prove that you are worthy for Valhalla.

But for Magnus, things just do not just end there. Many adventures follow the  duo Magnus and Samirah as they go on regular quests. Sometimes to prevent  Ragnarok from happening or on the quest to find a missing weapon of the  gods, that can determine the fate of the world.

This is not the first series of Rick Riordan. He has done it many a times and has been nicknamed the story teller of gods. He has also won the literary award on  the Percy Jackson. He is best known for his works on the Kane Chronicles and the Percy Jackson series.

I really like this book because it takes care of the problems that society face nowadays. I would rate this book a 4.5 out of 5*

It is recommended for the ages of 13 and above.

*On a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest

Hey book lovers, your friend Sara here!

Today, I am proud to bring this special review-an example of what young minds can achieve when allowed the freedom to express themselves.

Here is a story written by a 7 year old Sanvi from Mysore, enjoyed and reviewed  by a 10 year old A . Hanu Vardhan  from Chennai. Isnt it beautiful what we are created?  ‘Book reviews for young readers, by young readers on stories by young writers!’

Hi there book lovers, your friend Sara here! Thanks for pouring in all your wonderful entries. So excited to be running this movement of ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers!’

So keep reading and keep writing in to me.

Today’s lovely review is by 13 year old Taneesha Sheth from  Singapore,an 8th grader in Singapore American School. Apart from art, reading, writing, and playing various sports such as basketball and badminton, she loves taking part in social activities.

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Imagine a day, when the sunshine has warmth in it’s brilliance and spreads it’s precious golden rays in all directions, everything with a bright glow. Just perfect until you realize that your brother has been kidnapped – and that too from the bathroom.

Overwhelmed with fear, you wake up to discover that your adorable little puppy has disappeared into thin air. Imagine a night when you tuck yourself in your blanket, with constant fear instilled in your mind. Scratch that, in the book Abduction by Peg Kehret, the main character feels that way, after suffering 2 losses, her beloved dog, Pookie, and her half brother Matt after they are kidnapped.

In the book Abduction by Peg Kehret, Matt, a gullible 6 years old is missing. Bonnie’s younger brother left his classroom to use the bathroom – and disappeared. A police dog traces his scent, later everyone identifies that  apparently, he got into a vehicle. But why would Matt go anywhere with a  stranger? Isn’t everyone taught not to say ‘yes’ to strangers? Buried with fear  Bonnie also discovers that her dog Pookie is missing. Was Pookie used to indulge Matt by going with him? Meanwhile when Bonnie desperately tries to search for the two favorite things in her world,she makes à terrible mistake.

Did she fall into her own trap? Determined to be with each other, together  again, can Bonnie and Matt outsmart the abductor?

Peg Kehret, the author of this book, and 50 other books have swiftly  combined a pinch of humor with a handful of suspense and mystery in the book Abduction.

Instead of moving the story really quickly, Peg Kehret has written a bit-by-bit,  persuading the reader to read another page, indulging the reader to find another clue on the condition of the 2 precious sweethearts. In this book the author also writes and moves the story very slowly to help the reader digest each part of the suspense created.

This is a great book because the character traits of the main character can  easily connect wit anyone reading this book. The author has crafted this story in such a way that it awakens the tension inside you and creates a lot of  depression, building word by word inside of you.

Another point that I would like to mention about the author’s craft and her  style is that she has tried to include a lot of description which draws an image  or paints an image in the reader’s brain, to help them visualize what is going on. While I was deeply engrossed in this book I also noticed that at the end of each chapter, the author has a cliffhanger to create more suspense and motivate the reader to read the next chapter without putting the book down.

Overall this author did a fabulous job in terms of including our five senses in  the book so that we as readers can be completely inside the book instead of just reading it.

I think that I wouldn’t change any aspect of the book because the author has crafted it based on what would happen in real life if someone were to face the same situation. Therefore I like it the way it has been laid out and how the story moves ahead.

I would definitely recommend this book if you love mystery combined with a little bit of mischief. To end this, I would rate this book 4 out of 5*. This book is  definitely a page-turner and the author does a wonderful job in keeping you engaged throughout. 

Hi there book lovers, your friend Sara here! If a book is written for kids, shouldnt we ask the kids to tell us how they liked it?

That is exactly what we do in this wonderful section –  ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers’!

Thanks for pouring in all your wonderful entries

Today’s review of an iconic book is by Sai Deeptha ,a 9th grader in N.S.N Memorial School, Chennai. She loves reading books and not being able to buy more books is depresses her.

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Book- Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone

Author- J K Rowling

Publisher- Bloomsbury,UK

When I first saw the cover of  “ Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone,”  I thought that it would be a very droopy and boring story, but it was so not what I had expected. The cover has him, Ron, Hermione  and Hagrid,the school’s gatekeeper, of whom he is very fond, with Hogwarts in the background.

The saying ‘ Don’t judge a book by its cover’ is used quite literally here . 

I was engrossed  in the book and I was experiencing all those adventures . 

My friend recommended this book to me, but I tried to stall as much as I could, to not read the book. I did not even try to watch the movies.But, as I started  reading it, I found it very compelling and kept reading it.

The story is basically about a young wizard called Harry Potter , who had  survived a death curse  and was living with his cruel aunt, uncle and cousin  because his parents were killed trying to save him.But as he turned 11,he was  taken to Hogwarts, a first rate wizard school. He was to be trained to be a  skilled wizard. There, he made friends with his best friends for life, Ron  Weasley and Hermione Granger. They have all sorts of adventures together  during the quest to protect the philosopher’s stone from the villain, Voldemort, who had tried to kill Harry Potter.

The lead character is Harry Potter, who is a powerful young wizard. He is  undeniably brave and extremely loyal to all his friends and family, so much so that they don’t mind giving their lives for him. It is interesting that even after  so much pain and suffering, he stayed strong and continued fighting. That is really impressive .

In this story , Harry is mistreated and shunned by his own family and lots of people would be questioning their existence.But, even though his parents weren’t alive and he was cruelly treated by his aunt and uncle, he was still  loved by his friends and they supported him no matter what. I feel that the central idea of the story is that love is more powerful than anything and it is proved when his mother’s love actually saved him from Voldemort .

The illustrations of the book is what that gave the book its magical feel but as I said before, I’m not very fond of the cover. The writing style makes me feel like I’m with them, experiencing all the adventures and undergo all they went through .

My favourite part of the book is when Harry,Ron and Hermione take on a fully  grown Troll all by themselves.It is really impressive how they work together  and vanquish it without any proper knowledge of spells .

My takeaway from this book is that love is more powerful than anything and even a powerful villain can be conquered easily .

The one thing that I would change in this book is that Draco Malfoy can be portrayed in a nicer way, so that he might not seem so cruel and arrogant. Draco is forced and brain washed by his parents to act the way he does ; to be as if he was better than anyone. I would have made Harry and Draco have an almost civil relationship and defeat Voldemort together .

Any person above 8 years can read this.It is in a very easy language and is appealing to all age groups.

I would definitely rate the book 5/5* because I couldn’t put it down and was so engrossed in the book that I didn’t notice what happened around me at all.

Do you have a book review to share? Click here to know how

Hey there book lovers, your friend Sara here! If a book is written for kids,  shouldn’t we ask the kids to tell us how they liked it?

That is exactly what we do in this wonderful section –  ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers!’

Today 9 year old Vetrivel K from Chennai shares what he feels about his favourite book.

Vetrivel got into the habit of reading story books, after enhancing his English through Phonics Power, . He loves to read books and play chess.

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Book: Disney Minnie Storybook Collection
Author: Disney
Publisher: Penguin Random House India

I bought the book in a book stall which is in the Phoenix Mall. I got this book to enjoy reading it with my favourite Disney characters.

Inside this beautiful book there are six fabulous stories to enjoy. Solve the  mystery of the missing brownies, join the search for Pluto, and enjoy a classic  Minnie Mouse fairytale and lots more!

My favourite character in the book is Mickey Mouse which supports Minnie  Mouse in all the stories.

In this collection of stories, Minnie is a lead character, supported by her friends Mickey, Daisy, Donald duck, Pluto and Goofy on various mysteries and  adventures.

The pictures in this book are my favourite. The high quality printed pictures  explain the story easily and supports my reading habit. It is definitely a visual  explanation. The story is narrated in a simple manner were early learners can  read it easily.

My favourite part of the book is Minnie’s New Hat story because lot of adventure and excitement was there while reading the story.

I learnt to visualize the story while reading using the lovely and supporting  pictures given in each pages. I read Rapunzel and Little Red Riding hood with a lead character as Minnie, which gives different experience while reading and visualizing from its original.

My recommended age group for reading this book  8 – 12 years

Rating of the book is 4.5 out of 5*

Hi there book lovers, your friend Sara here! If a book is written for kids, shouldnt we ask the kids to tell us how they liked it? That is exactly what we do in this wonderful section –  ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers’! Thanks for pouring in all your wonderful entries.

Today’s book review is by 12 year old Meher Gandhi from Vadodara on one of the books in the popular Percy Jackson series.

Meher is an avid reader who also loves to play keyboard and likes to swim and dance. Meher goes to Navrachana International School Vadodara.

She is a student of Young Orators.

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Book  – Percy Jackson and The lightning thief

Author- Rick Riordan

For a girl like me who is very picky and unsure of many things in life, I was very sure about one thing after glancing at the cover page of this book-I instantly decided that I wanted to read it.

The book  with its catchy book cover caste a spell on me and I was compelled to read the book.

So, Percy the protagonist is a normal boy next door doing all the usual  activities until he discovers, he is the son of the Greek Sea God, Poseidon. He is accused of stealing Zeus’s master lightning bolt.

This 16 year old kid, unaware of his identity was going to school and suffering  from dyslexia. Percy’s mother Sally, wanted him to go to a secret place called  Camp Half Blood, since he was a demigod and his life was in danger. How his  life changes after this unexpected consequences and how he deals with it, is  the crux of the story.

Percy goes on a thrilling quest and during his journey he encounters many  challenges, meets ample number of monsters and other characters. To know  how he finished his task is an absolute delight to any fiction lover.

The book is very well paced and full of surprise elements. I loved the author’s  description style throughout the story. It is embedded with every possible  minute detail about characters and surroundings which makes you visualize the scene clearly. The book actually takes you to the world of Gods and Monsters.

The enriching vocabulary is another big plus of the book. The author has the  ability to mesmerize and engage the readers so well that it simply captivates  you and it becomes very hard to put the book down.

Young readers between the ages 12-14 will find it fascinating and will surely enjoy delving deep into a different world. It is a must read for fiction lovers – not to be missed!

I would give 5 out of 5 points* to this book for its well-crafted plot, spectacular  imagination and detailed description. This enchanting book makes us believe  the most unbelievable things, through its brilliant narration.

This book compels you to yearn to read the next part – Sea of Monsters.

Hi there book lovers, your friend Sara here! If a book is written for kids,  shouldn’t we ask the kids to tell us how they liked it? That is exactly what we do in this wonderful section –  ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers’!

Thanks for pouring in all your wonderful entries.

Here is 9 year old Sanjith D from Chennai sharing a wonderful review of his favourite book. He is interested in reading books related to Space and celestial events.

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Name – Blast to the Past

Author- Scott Nickel

Publisher-Stone Arch Books

Illustrator-Steve Harpster

The book’s cover page was a dinosaur chasing David and Ben.When I saw the front page, it was so fun. I got impressed.

I got this book from a kids library. I wanted to read it to know more about  dinosaurs.

The story is about two boys who get a time machine from their uncle and  planned to retake a test, but they traveled a long way back instead.

The characters are David, Ben, Mrs. Franklin and Darrin. David and Ben are  brothers.Mrs.Franklin is their school teacher and Darrin is their Uncle. David and Ben traveled back past few days, in order to retake a test which they failed.

The writing style was very easy to understand. The illustration was so good  and meaningful. My favorite part of the book was when they were trying to escape from the past, a dinosaur took the remote and when they were trying to come back, they traveled to future instead.

After reading the book, I got to know more information about dinosaurs.

If I were one of the characters, I would change the reason for which they used the time machine. I would instead use the time machine to save people from  danger.

The best age group for this book would be from 7 to 10 years

I would give the book 4.5 stars out of 5*

Hey book lovers, your friend Sara here! If a book is written for kids, who should be reviewing it? Kids, right? That doesn’t happen but we are here to change that, in this wonderful section –  ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers!’ Thanks for pouring in all your wonderful entries.

11 year old Ganeev from Delhi sends us her comprehensive book review.

She goes to Springdales School and is student of Jabberwocky- Speech  and Drama.

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Book-Counting By 7s

Author-Holly Goldberg Sloan

Counting by 7s is a heartwarming book written by New York Best Selling author and award-winning director Holly Goldenberg Sloan.

The story is of a 12-year-old genius girl named Willow Chance who loves  learning about diseases, skin problems, has a knack for planting, and loves counting by 7s. But when she returns from a counseling session from the school counselor Dell Duke, her whole life turns upside down. Her loving  parents are no more and she has no relatives who can take her in.

Young Willow Chance’s life is shattered as her adopted parents die in a car crash. Will she be able to cope with the loss will she ever count by 7s again?

Her new friend Mai Nyung takes her in and there shines a little light for Willow.  In a concrete building, Willow brings bright yellow sunflowers.

The book just connects with the reader, somehow making them feel warm  reading it. The book is for anybody who likes coming of age stories and books with happy endings.

Willow has no antagonist in her life except that fate always is one step ahead of her but Willow listens. She listens for things that most people don’t and she  uses them in her real life. She is a ‘genius’ as stated by Dell Duke.

The book is very beautiful and draws you in from the very first page. The  interesting characters build up and the story-line does not drop.

My favorite character for Jairo a taxi driver who thinks Willow is his angel as whatever she says to him turns. But in the end, he pays off her favor in  mysterious ways.  It was not what I expected it to be it was better in many ways.

It was more humorous and the point of view of the different characters  enhanced the overall experience. The book is for all kinds of readers- it may drag along but it improves throughout and I would recommend it to anyone who loves realism heartfelt books.

In the words of Willow herself, “books=comfort.”  This book will make you feel comfortable and warm the second you pick it up.

The recommended age for the book is 11 to 16 years.

The book is an award winning New York Times Bestseller. I would give this book 5 stars. 

Hi there book lovers, your friend Sara here! If a book is written for kids, shouldnt we ask the kids to tell us how they liked it? That is exactly what we do in this wonderful section –  ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers’! Thanks for pouring in all your wonderful entries.

Here is a delightful review by 11 year old Ditya J Nair, studying in 6th grade in The Samhita Academy, Bangalore.  Ditya has a keen interest in books, music, and travel. She is an avid reader, enjoys playing her guitar and writes her experiences on her own blog. Her review is of a book recommended to her by  Kahaani Box Library- Bangalore.

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Book-Pashmina

Author & Illustrator- Nidhi Chanani

Publisher- HarperCollins Children’s Books.

When I first saw this book, I was amazed. Of all the books that I have read, this one probably had the simplest cover page. However, it did speak a lot in itself.

Pashmina is about an Indian-American teen Priyanka Das, who has never seen  her homeland India. She doesn’t know about her father and her extended  family. When she finds a Pashmina in the attic, she wraps herself in it. What  she sees next is a world filled with beauty and diversity. Along with it, there is a  mysterious shadow trying to tell her something. She feels the need to go to  India to find answers to her endless questions.

Priyanka, who prefers to be called Pri, is the lead character in this book. She is  an amazing cartoonist and is very close to her uncle Jatin. I loved Pri’s curiosity  and her interest in drawing and driving.

The central idea according to me is the curiosity of a girl to find out more  about other members of her family and her homeland. She lives in a little world comprising of her mom, uncle, and aunty. The shock that each of them faces because of her sudden desire to visit India gives the story a nice twist.

Nidhi Chanani’s illustrations are amazing. Her writing style is simple and narration is to the point and ideal for a graphic novel. I loved the way she has  shown the curiosity of Priyanka in the cover page itself.

My favorite part of the book was her interaction with kids in the slum during  her visit to India. The happiness of the children on meeting her and her  appreciation of their skills was shown very well in the story.

It left me feeling happy and motivated about how someone can bring a change in the life of less fortunate children. In most books I have read, the story is always about kids who lead a different life with hardships and I always have a takeaway. Pashmina too has a takeaway ready for its readers.

‘Nobody can stop you from making a decision, it is your thing.’

Lastly, if I could change something in the book, then I would make Priyanka’s character have a couple of friends who have her back. Now when she will find the  Pashmina, she doesn’t need to keep the secret to herself. She would let her friends know and they would decide to accompany her to India.  And her mom doesn’t forbid her citing safety concerns.

The best age group for this book is 10 + years

I would give this book a rating of 4 on 5.

Hi there, book lovers, your friend Sara here! If a book is written for kids, who should be reviewing it? Kids, right? That doesnt happen but we are out there to change that in this wonderful section –  ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers!’ Thanks for pouring in all your wonderful entries

Today’s book review is by 10 year old D. Adrian from Chennai on an all time favourite book by Roald Dahl.

Adrian studies in Grade 5 and has enjoyed reviewing his favourite book Matilda by Roald Dahl.

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Book- Matilda

Author- Roald Dahl

Illustrator- Quentin Blake

Hello Everyone,
I am Adrian and I love reading books. This is the review of one of my favorite books- “Matilda” by Roald Dahl.

It is a classic, light hearted and inspirational book.

The story is about a female character who is kind, compassionate, humble,
intelligent and outspoken. Her name is Matilda Warmwood. She has an elder
brother by name Michael. Her parents are not very supportive and they often
ignore her while her brother was treated well by them. Her parents were biased to the extent that she was even deprived of education. Her mother felt that girls should give importance to their appearance and boys should be educated well. So, Matilda decides to learn by herself by reading books. When  her parents were away for a while, Matilda used the opportunity well by going to a public library and eventually she managed to join a school. The class teacher Ms. Honey admired her intelligence and was very supportive. She decides to promote Matilda to a higher grade where another evil character enters the story by name Ms.Trunchbull who is the principal of the school. She hates children and does not agree to promote Matilda to a higher grade.

The story highlights a lot of emotions among the characters involved in the  story. In short, this is a very interesting story to read and I will definitely  recommend this book for beginners.

While the recommended age group for this book is 8-11 years, I feel it will be loved by children of all age groups. It is not too heavy and easy to hold. The font size is big enough to read without any struggle and most of the pages have an illustration that help us to relate to the story better.

I will give this book a 4 star rating

Hey book lovers, your friend Sara here! Today on this special day of India’s Independence Day, I am proud to bring this special review-an example of what young minds can achieve when allowed the freedom to express themselves. Here is a story by a 11  year old writer from Surat, enjoyed and reviewed  by a 9 year old from Chennai. Isnt it beautiful what we are created?  ‘Book reviews for young readers, by young readers’!  

9 year old Jessica Rachel from Chennai studies in grade 4 in  N.S.N Mat. Hr. Sec. School. She chose to review a story she read on the Bookosmia website, by another young writer.

Title: A Race to secure India’s top secret document

Author: Dheryaa Mehta

Publisher: Bookosmia

My first reaction to the cover page was an excited face because I like
mystery stories very much.

I was reading some of the stories on the Bookosmia website, when I came across this one.

This story is about a girl and her friend named Riddhi. She worked for the government. Once, the minister gave her some very important and  confidential documents. But she looked quite upset and tensed. When her friend asked her about it, she told her that she had to take the documents to  Delhi to hand over to the Parliament but because of a death in the family, she also needed to head home immediately. She told Riddhi that she will take the  documents properly and hand it over safely. What follows is a thrilling series of events, as the girl loses the top secret document in the inadvertent exchange of her suitcase at the airport, then spinning off into a series of thrilling events.
The lead character was a girl who was clearly very clever and brave.

The central idea of the story was getting the document back to ensure that information critical to India is safe.

The writing style of the book is excellent

My favourite part of the book was when the lead character fooled an international spy.

My understanding was that when we have made a mistake, we should not panic rather think of ways to correct it.

If I could change something in the story, I would give a name to the lead character, Riddhi’s friend.

I think the best age group for this book is 9+

I would give the story a 5 star rating*

Read this exciting story here-

Read with Sara: A race to secure India’s top secret document

Hi there, book lovers, your friend Sara here! If a book is written for kids, shouldnt we ask the kids to tell us how they liked it? That is exactly what we do in this wonderful section –  ‘book reviews for young readers, by young readers’! Thanks for pouring in all your wonderful entries.

Here is a delightful review by Vibisha L.M studying in 7th grade in The Samhita Academy, Bangalore. She enjoys reading both non-fiction and fiction stories! She has a blog where she writes poems and stories and aspired to be an author? Her favourite library is Kahaani Box Library- Bangalore.

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Book: Smile

Author & Illustrator: Raina Telgemeier

Publisher: Scholastic

“Weird…something happens when you smile at people. They smile back”?  Smile  

When I saw the cover I was excited to read the book as I was too getting my braces soon and was at the same age as the protagonist of the story, Raina.

I borrowed this book from my favourite library in Banglore, This book was suggested by my friend. 

Smile is a wonderful story written by award-winning author Raina Telgemeier who received many awards, the recent one is the Eisner Award for best writer. This graphic novel takes us through the feelings and changes that we undergo when moving from middle school to high school.  The book is based on Raina Telgemeier’s real-life experiences with boys, dental drama, family, friends and earthquakes,yes earthquakes! 

Raina just wants to be a normal teenager but on the night of returning from girl scouts, she trips and injures her two front teeth. Resulting in a long journey of on and off braces, headgear and retainers with fake teeth. Between all this drama, Raina is struggling with her not- so-friendly friends, boy trouble and an earthquake in her city! Will Raina be able to clear out the confusion in her feelings and stand up to her friends?

This novel taught me about standing up for myself and being proud of who I am. I was able to relate to Raina as she is the same age as me. The book is filled with colourful illustrations and fun characters. I couldn’t stop reading! 

If I could change something in this book, I would have added a little bit more about Raina’s new friends at the end.

This novel is a must-read for teenagers(12+) who may be facing the same issues with its entertaining graphics and fun story line.

It keeps you on the edge and keeps you turning the pages. I enjoyed reading this book.I would rate it 4.5 stars out of 5. And would continue to read the series by Raina Telgemeier.

Suitable for age group : 12+
Rating : 4.5/5

Hey book lovers, your friend Sara here! Keep the wonderful entries to my  ‘book reviews by young readers’ section coming in!

Today I share this well rounded book review by Sachi Patel studying in class 10 in Navrachana School, Vadodara. Sachi is a student of Young Orators.

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Name of book : Divergent
Author : Veronica Roth
Publisher : Harper Collins Publishers

“I feel like somebody breathed air into my lungs. I am not Abnegation. I am not Dauntless. I am DIVERGENT – Tris Prior.

Imagine having to choose between your family and your identity. Imagine  having to make a decision that will change your life forever. Imagine facing  some of your greatest fears depending on your choice. Once chosen, there is no turning back. Face what is in front of you or live your life in poverty, dismay and utter misery. Well, this is Beatrice Prior’s world, welcome to it! Welcome to Divergent!

The population of the city is divided into five groups called the factions, each having its specific character traits. Each year, every sixteen-year-old has to choose one of there five factions: Erudite [the intelligent], Abnegation  [the selfless], Dauntless [the brave], Amity [the friendly] and Candor [the honest]. Once chosen you have to abide by their laws forever, forgetting your past, leaving your family, and taking the quote ‘faction before blood’ seriously even if it means changing your identity. Just like in the case of Bentrice Prior who is now known as Tris.

Tris was born in an Abnegation family but was feeling suffocated about always giving up what she loved, just to he selfless.  Just like the others, she depended on the aptitude test to tell her which faction is most suitable for her to choose, until it was declared that the test didn’t work, it was inconclusive as she had an aptitude for not 1 but 3 factions. She was a DIVERGENT. You might think she is lucky, but in her world, divergence is considered extremely dangerous, she must conceal it to stay alive.

On the choosing day, Tris shocks everyone by the choice of her faction: Dauntless. She starts her initials training by jumping off a roof. Initials is a training divided in three stages: physical, mental and emotional. At the end of initials, only ten of the initiates would make it in. Will she be able to make it? What happens if she doesn’t? What happens next? All of your answers to such questions are hidden in the book so go ahead and read it.

Divergent is filled with suspense, drama, action, mind-blowing plot twists, captivating dialogues, realistic characters, a hint of romance and a dash of humour. Here you will meet many characters that you can relate to in real life, like the-want -it-all- Peter, brave, skilled but soft-hearted- Four, the villain -Jeanine and of course the protagonist -Tris. Tris will amaze you with her strength, will power, intelligence and above all her transformation from an Abnegation to a Dauntless.

According to me, Veronica Rath has done an excellent job. She has given it everything I ever expected from a book.  It has 2 more sequels which are equally amazing and all 3 of them are major motion movies now. The Divergent series has so far sold 32 million copies. It is one of the New York Times bestsellers. If you enjoy reading books like The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner than Divergent is a must-read. It’s one of my favourites. You will love it.

Suitable for age group : 13+
Rating : 5/5

Hello young readers, your friend Sara here! Thank you for all your submissions to my  ‘book reviews by young readers’ section, keep them pouring in from far and wide! Keep reading more books and telling me all about it!

Today 10 year old  Sampoorna Laxni R from Chennai, a student of Phonics Power  shares her review of the book  A Dream On Ice  from the widely popular series Thea Stilton – Mouseford Academy.

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Title of the Book:  A Dream on Ice (Mouseford Academy #10) by Thea Stilton

Name Of the Author: Elisabetta Dami, aka Thea Stilton

The key characters in the book are the Thea Sisters-Colette, Violet, Nicky, Paulina, and Pamela, who are five students at Mouseford Academy on Whale Island. They are adventurous, lively, fun mice, and they want to become  journalists someday. Between lessons and friendship, life at Mouseford Academy is incredibly fabulous!

The story centers around a winter on Whale Island,  when the students at Mouseford Academy are thrilled with the visit of a famous figure Tara Mousinski. The Thea  Sisters come up with the idea of hosting Mouseford’s first ever Winter Game.

The reader is gripped by the question- Will the games be a success, or will diva mouse Ruby Flashyfur ruin the fun for everyone else? As all were waiting for the race to start, Ruby said, “I will destroy the Colette in  the figure Skating competition. What unfurls is an exciting string of events.

My favorite part  of the book is  when Colette, Violet , Nicky , Paulina and  Pamela participated in the  Ice skating events.

The best age group for this book is  9  years old

I enjoyed this book  because dreams about ice skating often reveal your desire to experience some pleasant moments. I would give 4 out of 5 star rating for this wonderful story.

*On a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest

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Hello young readers, your friend Sara here. Our  ‘Book reviews with Sara’ section by young readers like you is really flourishing, isnt it? Keep reading and keep telling me all about it!

Today 11 year old Shikha Dholakia from Vadodara shares her book review with us.

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Book: Diving with the Dolphins, from the series Magic Tree House

Author: Mary Pope Osborne, a famous American writer who writes books for children from ages 5-15. She lives in New York, and has published over 40 books be it fairytales, myths,and much more.

Some famous person said, “Books are another way to get on an  adventure.” While keeping this in mind, I read this beautiful and adventurous book.

I loved the way the author has written the book. Whenever I read the book, I get the mysterious and thrilling feeling in me.

The book is about a brother and a sister who go into the deep sea in order to solve riddles given by a person named Morgan. Their journey from sitting in a mini Sub and all the adventures they go through, is what makes the story  interesting. They go through different difficulties which include the minisub getting attacked by octopus, seahorses and the scariest part was when they were going to be attacked by sharks. But the main twist happens when the dolphins save the mini sub from drowning . This is the part I like the most. It is said that dolphins are very helpful and friendly to human beings and this scene proves it.

The bond between the brother and sister is also very sweet because Jack, even though the older brother never, scolded his little sister and always helped her, supported her, and took her everywhere he went out for an adventure. I think that this is what we should do with our siblings.

Other special moments I would like to share from the book include the way the dolphins showed their bravery and courage in order to save the kids from the drowning mini sub, and the best part was when the story begins from how the two kids see the same dream and keep it in mind and set off for the clues and riddles given by Morgan. The way the kids have used their intelligence in order to find clues in the deep sea is phenomenal.

I would recommend this book because it is well researched,  interesting,  exciting, adventurous , etc.

As I said that If you are an animal lover this book would be really interesting to read. This book is really nice as it not only shows the importance of people but also  animals.

I recommend the book not only for its intended age group- 6 to 10 years, but also older.

If you trust me and read this book you will fall in love with the Magic Tree House series. I would give it a full 5 stars out of 5*

*On a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest

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Hello young readers, your friend Sara here! Thank you for all your submissions to my  ‘book reviews by young readers’ section, keep them pouring in from far and wide! Keep reading more books and telling me all about it!

Today I bring to you the review of an all time favourite book for kids, by 12 year old R.Sankruthyayan from  Indian School Sohar, Oman.

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Book: Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

Author: Roald Dahl

Illustrator: Quentin Blake

The first sight of the book’s cover made me think that it would be hilarious.

It was a gift from my father’s friend.

The lead character in this book is Charlie Bucket. The other salient
characters are Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Mike Teavee, and Violet
Beauregarde. Charlie was a well mannered and obedient boy with patience.

The central idea of the story is to select the luckiest five kids through the
golden ticket lottery to visit Willy Wonka’s magical chocolate factory and to qualify the best among them for handing over the mantle. There were a few character tests to ascertain his apt successor.

The story’s twist and turn created a suspense that increased my curiosity. My  favourite part of the book was when Charlie got the last golden ticket just before factory opening day. This reminded me the saying, ‘Last but not the
Least!!’

According to me the author emphasizes moral values through this fantasy filled story that one must have patience, calmness and obedience to become
successful in life. Being rude with others, and greediness will never fetch
success.

Some conversations of Mr. Wonka portrayed him as a person who is always concerned about his chocolate-factory, ignoring basic humanitarian values.
Eg. When Mrs Gloop was worried that her son would become chocolate fudge and enquired to Mr Wonka. He replied, “Never, I won’t allow it! Because the  taste would be terrible,  just imagine it! Augustus-flavoured chocolate-
coated Gloop!! No one would buy it!!” He could have replied and consoled Mrs
Gloop politely rather ridiculing her son.

The story is in simple English and easy to understand. This book would be highly enjoyed by kids 7 years and above.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I would give this book a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5*.

Do you have a book review to share? Click here to know how

Hello young readers, your friend Sara here. I am so excited to see the fantastic response to my ‘book reviews by young readers’ activity section! Keep reading and keep telling me all about it!

Today 14 year old Raghunandan from Nava Nirman Public School , Cochin shares a well laid out book review.

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Hello young readers, your friend Sara here. I am so excited to see the response to my activity section -book reviews by kids!

Today 11 year old Adhiraj Gogna, a student of Army Public School in Saugor, Madhya Pradesh sends us this detailed review of the classics Hardy Boys series.

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Book- Hardy Boys Series

Author- Edward L. Stratemeyer

I got this book on my birthday from my good friend.

The book’s cover page was a dark coloured book in a 5 book pack and I thought it was full of mysteries.

The series includes some  teenagers who are amateur sleuths or detectives solving cases and mysteries. 

Frank and Joe, together known as Hardy Boys after their surname, are fictional characters who appear in several mysteries trying to solve them and also  sometimes trying help their father Fenton Hardy.  Frank is eighteen, and Joe is seventeen. They live in Bayport on Barmet bay with their world class detective father Fenton Hardy and their mother Laura Hardy. The brothers attend high school in Bayport, where they are in the same grade. In each mystery the boys  are in danger but still try solving mysteries without any fear.

The first mystery was that the Hardy boys’ friend had a car and it was stolen by somebody and when they found where the car was, they got an idea that  the stolen car mystery and tower mystery were connected somehow. The  mystery was that there is a tower in which the Applegate family lives. There are two towers, an old one and a new one.

Just when they figured out the thief and started their investigation, the thief  died in the hospital because of severe injury. The Applegate’s riches and  securities are stolen by a thief and Fenton Hardy, father of the Hardy boys’ was to solve  the case. They try to solve the case with him.

My favourite part of the story was when they solved the case on their own without the help of any adult, by using their brains so efficiently.

The learning we get from the story is that we should not commit any crime because if we do, we only will get harmed eventually.

If I could change something in the book,  I would make the Applegates a little helpful and kind, with a calm behaviour. In the book the Applegate’s are shown as really harsh.

RATING: 5 stars

The best age group according to me for this book would be 10 years and above.

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Hey everyone, Sara here!  Today I am launching a new activity section which is very special to me. Book reviews by kids!

First one rolling in is from 8 year old Harshika from Hyderabad. It is on my favourite book Yaksha, an Indian superhero who tells kids it is ok to feel different.

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Book: Yaksha

Publisher: Bookosmia

Author: Archana Mohan

Illustrator: Adithyaa Sadashiv

The story is about a boy named Yaksha who is in the same grade as me. He  learns about his family secret of Yakshagana dance from his parents and  grandmother. When he learns that the dance form is dying, he wears a  Yakshagana dress to school and tells his friends about it. 

Before reading this book, I had never heard of Yakshagana. I loved this book because of its illustrations and story, one activity and also because the boy is of my age and grade. I like that Yaksha said it is ok to be different. 

I did not like that he was bullied in his new school. If I was in Yaksha’s school, I would have been kind to him and not made fun of anyone because that makes one sad. If I was the author, the book would have ended with Yaksha going on to perform many competitions inspiring other children and everyone appreciating him.

After I read the book, my mumma helped me know more about Yakshagana. I am happy she gave me this book. 

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Harshika Nair

Age : 8

Delhi Public School, Hyderabad

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https://bookosmia.in/sara_activities/book-reviews-with-sara0-submission-guidelines/