May is 'Get Caught Reading' month. So, we got six publishers to put together an interesting mix of holiday reads, right from detective fiction to fantastical trips
Tina Narang
Publisher-Children's, HarperCollins India
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Age group: 8-12 years
Eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern travel to Brooklyn to spend the summer with their mother, Cecile, who had left them seven years earlier. While the girls hope to go to Disneyland to meet Tinker Bell, their mother has other plans. She sends them to a day camp run by the Black Panthers. What follows is a truly crazy summer for the three girls as they learn about their family, country and themselves. This moving yet funny Newbery Honour novel will help children understand the value of diversity.
Smile; written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
Age group: 10-13 years
Raina is a sixth grader who severely injures her two front teeth after she trips and falls. A frustrating journey with braces, surgery, a retainer with fake teeth and more is in store for her. During this long dental adventure, Raina also deals with school and friends to discover the true meaning of friendship until she is finally able to smile. An endearing graphic novel by bestselling author Raina Telgemeier.
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Himanjali Sankar
Author and senior commissioning editor, Bloomsbury India
Unbroken by Nandhika Nambi
Age group: 12 years and above
This teen novel by a young medical student is a voice like no other in Indian teen fiction. This is the story of a young girl in a wheelchair, who is really angry at the world - her family, her school friends, life. Sot deals with two unusual themes: a differently-abled protagonist and teen rage. An absolutely compelling read.
Cinnamon by Neil Gaiman
Age group: 12 and above
Written in his signature charming, ironic style with beautiful understated illustrations by Divya Srinivasan, this book is a must-read for all fans of Gaiman, especially as the book is set in a little kingdom in India where a blind princess meets a tiger who changes her life.
Vatsala Kaul-Banerjee
Editorial director for children's publishing, Hachette India
The Gita for Children by Roopa Pai
Age group: 12 and above
If you have wondered why everyone keeps quoting from the Gita, and if you thought this book was too complex and only meant for old religious people, then you will find a lot to discover in Roopa Pai's one-of-a-kind retelling of this ancient classic.
Me and I by Nabendu Ghosh, translated by Devottam Sengupta
Age group: 10 and above
The book is about young Mukul and his perplexing questions. Written by Ghosh, a path-breaking novelist, screenwriter and film director, this racy story about a parallel universe is translated from Bengali by his grandson and delivers it all with a suspenseful punch.
Sohini Mitra
Editor, children, Penguin Books India
A to Z Djinn Detective Agency by Parinita Shetty
Age group: 8 and above
This combines genies, mysteries and classic summer vacation adventures in a book that just has to be gobbled up in one go. It has plenty of ideas in there to figure out what to do with your summer holidays.
See you in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng
Age group: 8 and above
A space-obsessed boy Alex and his dog, Carl Sagan, take a journey toward family, love, hope, and awe in this funny and moving novel. To read the first page is to fall in love with Alex and his view of our big, beautiful, complicated world. To read the last is to know he and his story will stay with you a long, long time.
Sayoni Basu
Primary platypus, Duckbill
Superlative Supersleuths: The Case of the Candy Bandit and The Case of the Careless Aliens by Archit Taneja
Age group: 10 to 13 years
This series is a must read. The story is about two unusual young detectives, who use science, math, dreams and sheep to solve the case of candy robberies from the classroom and why aliens are distributing fake notes all over the city. It is rip-roaringly funny, engrossing and quite bizarrely scientific.
Flat-track Bullies by Balaji Venkataramanan
Age group: 10 to 13 years
It's a perfect summer reading, because it is about the summer holidays of young Ravi in Chennai. Told by his family that he needs to improve his coaching classes and handwriting practice, Ravi sneaks off to play cricket in the streets with his 'undesirable' friends. A very funny read.
Rohini Srinivasan
Editorial assistant, Tara Books
An Indian Beach by Joelle Jolivet
Age group: 4 and above
Even when it's too hot to go to the beach, you can spend a full day at a beach through this book. By day you can see fishermen bring in the catch, women selling fish, people and animals going about their business... But, then, when the sun starts to set, the beach becomes a different place. French artist Joelle Jolivet takes you through a day - and night - on an Indian beach. You can have fun exploring, colouring and adding to this never-ending book.
A Village is a Busy Place by Rohima Chitrakar
Age group: 6 and above
Travel to a village in Bengal and learn more about its people. This activity book in the Bengal Patua style of scroll painting depicts the everyday world of the Santhal people, who are amongst India's largest indigenous communities. Fold by colourful fold, the scroll opens out into a gorgeous panorama of village life, teeming with people, animals and activities. Accompanying text - along with careful pointers and questions - encourages the child to discover details, make connections, and set off on an exploration of village life.
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