By Abhiveer Singh –

Author – Katherine Applegate

He used to be a street dog. Living on food scraps and leftovers. But he soon found the exit 8 big top mall, which was home to a mighty gorilla named Ivan. Somehow he ended up becoming friends with Ivan, and a baby elephant named Ruby. And then things really turned upside down. Ivan and Ruby landed inside a Zoo, and he became a little girl Julia’s pet. For a while, all three of them felt at home. But then Bob’s life started to take a twist…
A sequel to the newberry- medal winning The one and only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, The one and only Bob is as good as it’s prequel- but this time based on the life of Ivan’s best friend, a mischievous dog named Bob. As it is a perspective of a dog, it is equally hilarious and engaging to both young and adult readers. The most important thing about it is that it finally describes how strange humans can sometimes be, in a much easier way. It focuses on the point that humans must be equally looking weird and creature- like in the eye of animals, just like we look at THEM differently. Katherine is indeed a good writer! In this novel, Bob is living a comfortable and easy life with Julia, but at the same time wondering if it has made him a bit softer than when he was a stray. And then a new problem arrives- a huge hurricane heading towards the city; and when it’s over, there is a huge mess. Many people dear to Bob are nowhere to be seen, and while he is looking for them and taking in the destruction, he is certain that he hears someone long lost from his childhood.
This magical book written by Katherine Applegate is sure to bring excitement and curiosity to all readers! So witness the story of a loving but fierce dog who, along with a kindhearted gorilla and cute elephant, tries to find what he can truly call ‘home’.
Note: According to Abhiveer, this book is recommended for ages 9 and above.

– Abhiveer Singh, Grade 6, Toronto

By Khushi Seth-

Author – Michael Morpurgo

“Losing your memory, is like being stuck in a room, with only doors and one ray of light, that is your memory. The only way to be free, is to unlock all doors, to let all the light come in”
-Merry Maclyntre(Lucy Lost)
Living on a small farm on the countryside ,such as the Veronica farm in Bryhem ,on a tiny island, such as the Scilly, this book will take you for a journey ,to the Wheatcroft family, consisting of
Alfie, Jim, Mary, and of course! Good ol’ Uncle Billy, who rescue and nurse a deeply – wounded girl , with the help of an understanding doctor, whose sole purpose is to cure the patient, regardless, of where she came from, deserted on the gloomy islands of St. Helen’s, after falling – off, from the great Lusitiana
All the Scillians, the islanders, believe, that she is a German Spy, a Wilhelm, which rages many protests during the war between Germany, and America.
However, this family owns, whom they believe to be “Lucy”, as their own , despite what others’ say or do,
protecting this silent girl, from all the naysayers and bullies at school.
Like drifting of beautiful melodies from the moon, across the room, slowly, Lucy’s identity, her mystery unfolds, as she regains her power of speech, her memory, love of music, art, and horse-riding, and is reunited with her lost family. A story, where even enemies help each – other, proving, that we’re all the children of god, this is truly a tale of heart, courage, faith, and bravery.
I for one, am glad to know it, and would recommend it to all!!

– Khushi Seth, Grade 7, Tagore International School

By Saanvi –

Author – Aditi Ghosh

Miss Bandicota Benglenisis was not just any little Indian mole-rat. She had magical eyes like no other mole rats. She is truly called the explorer mole-rat. So every night she digs up a new burrow and unearths a new place. On her trek she would take her explorer kit, it had a magnifying glass, binocular, sunglasses, and her favourite strip of sticker bandages. This time her journey takes her to a seashore where she met some diverse animals that she had never seen before. During her journey, she had learned that not all humans are malicious. At last, she was so fatigued but she never gave up to dig a new burrow to explore a new place

So all my dear friends quickly grab this book and get ready for your adventurous journey

Happy reading!

I recommend this book to those who are venturesome by heart.

Recommended age group: 8-10 years

– SAANVI, GRADE 5, AMITY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

By Saumya –

Author – Benjamin Alire Sáenz

“The problem with my life was that it was someone else’s idea”
Stuck at home has made us all try different and new things. This book had been sitting on my shelf for quite a long time, so one beautiful evening I decided to pick it up and get lost in the amazing world of Aristotle and Dante. I will admit that at first, I didn’t want to read this book, it didn’t call me. But after reading the first few pages I was hooked. It is powerful, beautiful, and funny and breath taking all rolled into one.
The story is told by one of our protagonists, Aristotle. He is a shy young boy stuck in this big, scary and dreadful world. Fighting with his own demons and the demons around him he discovers himself and transforms into a beautiful person by the end of the story. This book is about self-discovery, about getting to know who you really are and what you really feel. Written beautifully by Benjamin, it is a heart- warming book which opens our eyes towards the lives of many teenagers who are still in the process of discovering themselves.
Aristotle is an average teenager surrounded by concrete walls, walls that keep him away from the world. He has a loving family, but not everything is perfect, he has a brother who is in jail (and dead to his parents), a mother who is in denial and a father who is still haunted by his time in the war. Ari has a hard time fitting in and is in constant self-doubt. Our other protagonist, Dante is the same age as Ari, has a loving family, but yet again, nothing in this world is perfect. Dante may seem like a boy who knows what he wants and is on his way to live a life in the real world but he has his inner demons too, everybody has them. Dante teaches us that it is okay to be confused, it is okay to feel things which aren’t “normal”, it is okay to feel.
Ari and Dante are a perfect depiction of the lives of teenagers. They tell us that not everybody is perfect, not everybody is who the world wants to be. They tell us that it’s okay to be different.
In my opinion, the author has done a brilliant job in writing the book. A good book keeps you engaged, it makes you want to turn the pages without stopping, and it makes you want to keep reading until your mind screams at you not to. This book, is a good one. It is very engaging and every page made me want to read more. The way the words were put together and the way Sáenz sewed this story is absolutely wonderful. The way the characters grew, the way the story was told makes me want to read the book over and over again.
This is a book that will touch your heart and stay with you forever. It is relatable, sweet, funny and extremely overwhelming. I would absolutely agree with James Howe when he said, “This book took my breath away”.
Ari and Dante teach us that the power of friendship can help us take over all the hurdles in our way and make us stronger than ever. Friendship can teach you the most important truths of life and help people define the way they want to be.
Self-love is the first step towards self-discovery. Don’t wait for someone else, learn to accept who YOU are.

-SAUMYA, GRADE X, SHIKSHANTAR SCHOOL

By Sanah Mahajan

Author – Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls is a chest full of
inspiration for young girls. It is an anthology of
short stories of rebellious and daring women who
changed the world. I liked the story about Malala
Yousafzai a lot. She is known for her activism in
promoting education for girls. When she was only
15, a Taliban gunman shot her in the head in an
assassination attempt in retaliation for her work. She
survived because of her strong will to live. And at
17, she received the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming
the youngest Nobel laureate. If you liked this short
story, then this book is definitely for you!! There are
99 more fascinating and inspiring stories like this.
And the writer has also published two more editions
of this book!!
I would recommend this book for ages 8-14. I
believe that all parents should make an effort to buy
this book for their daughters. I hope you all enjoy
reading this book!

-Sanah Mahajan, Grade 7, Lotus Valley School