Tale of mystery and intrigue

A peek into the life and times of a great prince, warrior and statesman.

There's something about history that holds you in thrall. Mughul history has all the ingredients of a masala movie, but what makes it absolutely intriguing is that its true.

Puffin's Akbar begins with the 15-year-old bride of Humayun travelling through unkind deserts. What makes this particularly pathetic is she is nine months pregnant. Humayun was in the midst of battle – fighting for his crown.

According to legend, it looked like the baby would be born in an inauspicious time. But then the midwife who came in to help with the process was “so fierce and threatening that the young queen recoiled in fright”. The jolt set her back the whole process by a few hours, so the baby Akbar managed to enter this world at the astrologically perfect time.

Full report here Hindu

Hero in you

You no longer have to be famous to get your name in a book. For all those fond of intrigue and mystery, Puffin India has launched an online contest that may win some lucky child the chance to feature in the second book in Jeanne Perrett’s Ash & Tara series.

The contest, an online treasure hunt, will have clues and puzzles for children to solve. Jaya Bhattacharji, Consultant Puffin says, “The winner’s name will be the name of one of the characters in the next book. Also, the winner’s school will get Rs 50,000 worth of books.”

For those above the age-limit for this competition (17), excitinglives.com has more options for you. You can get a customised copy of Romeo & Juliet with your name and your lover’s instead of Romeo and Juliet for just Rs 890.

Full report here Hindustan Times 

Coming of age

Indian publishing boasts of a thriving children’s market, but it has remained limited in scope...

Worldwide, readers of young adult (YA) fiction have never had it so good. That trend is now gathering steam in India. Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, House of Night, Twilight, Princess Diaries — young adult (YA) readers have never had it so good. But while shelves overflow with YA books of every genre, if you go looking for home-grown fare, the view is rather more dismal.

Indian publishing boasts of a thriving children’s market, but it has remained limited in scope. Classics, folk tales and mythology have been rehashed and regurgitated innumerable times, suiting both publishers who are largely content to stick with the tried and tested, and parents who decide what children ought to read. And while there is a fair amount of original writing for younger children, it is slim pickings in the YA segment. In fact, YA itself is a category difficult to pin down, more so since young people trying to find their place in the larger scheme of things are near impossible to slot into convenient “types”. One thing is clear: while the term might be “a snappy shorthand for a global phenomenon”, as Anita Roy of the YA publisher Young Zubaan puts it, there’s no doubt that pre-20 age group is hungry for good literature.

Globally, the crossover market to which YA belongs, comprising books that appeal to youngsters as well as adults, has taken off in a big way. The trend has not escaped the notice of Indian publishers. So far only a handful — Young Zubaan, Puffin, Hachette, Scholastic and HarperCollins, to name a few — are actively exploring it, but it is early days yet.

In India YA publishing has gotten the cold shoulder. A well-rounded exploration of adolescence hasn’t been a strength, says Vatsala Kaul Banerjee, editorial director (children’s and reference books) at Hachette India. Reaching out to this category of readers is not simple: “Ever tried being interesting to a 16-year-old?” she asks. Not easy, since young people are discerning readers.

Full report here Business Standard

REVIEW: Mr Oliver's Diary

REVIEW

Mr Oliver's Diary
Ruskin Bond
Penguin India
Rs 150
Pp 128 with 15 b/w illustrations
9780143331148
Paperback

Blurb

Mr Oliver, a history teacher, arrives in Simla with a train-load of hungry boys to start a new term at the Prep School. As he records the antics of the amazing characters there, and all that they get up to, we quickly realize that there is never a dull moment. A fire, a missing Headmaster, runaway students make sure not a day goes by when Mr Oliver has nothing to report in his diary. He writes about the eccentric teachers, the girls’ school next door and the lovely Anjali Ramola, whom he secretly admires.

Laugh-out-loud funny, with a core of old-world charm that is trademark Bond, Mr Oliver’s Diary has stories and characters that have never appeared anywhere before. With his runaway wig, pet shrew and endearing dry wit, Mr Oliver is sure to become as well-loved as those other vintage Ruskin Bond characters, Uncle Ken and Rusty.

Reviews

Hindustan Times
What, you wonder, can be new in the story of a not-yet-40, bald and a bit lonely teacher at prep school, replete with the antics of juvenile boys, a parrot that screeches "bottoms up", frolicking frogs and a violin-playing headmaster?

But Ruskin Bond, who has more than 30 children's books to his credit, uses all the old tricks to make Christopher Oliver a funny and loveable little hero in the hills of Simla.

As a new term begins, our Olly, with his big nose, is not quite the dashing bachelor who evokes instant admiration. He wears a wig that amuses the boys no end - one day they send a barber to his door! Without it he is even declared "topless" by Anjali Ramola, the pretty colleague he is not-so-secretly in love with.
There are, of course, no secrets between the reader and Olly, as he pours his heart out in his diary. "Such a pity caning has been banned," he muses one day.