Every book I read helps educate a child in India

Dear Friends and Family,
This has been a busy and fulfilling summer for all four kids! From perennial favorites such as Enid Blyton and Tintin, nostalgic classics like Good Wives and Daddy Long-Legs, to more recent books by authors like Maile Meloy and Rick Riordan, the kids have really enjoyed reading and also sharing some of their summaries with you. We are all truly grateful for your support and encouragement you have given to the kids to complete their Pratham-Read-A-Thon!
Best Regards,
Das and Maitra family

A compilation of books read by the kids (youngest to oldest)-

ESHNA

Week 1

1. The Folk of the Faraway Tree
2. The Magical Faraway Tree
3. Early Starts – Secret Garden
4. Naughty Amelia Jane
5. Amelia Jane Again
6. Magic Tree House – Earthquake in the Early Morning

Week 2
7. Mr. Pink Whistle by Enid Blyton
8. Tintin in America
9. Rainbow Magic – Lindsay the Luck Fairy
10. Rainbow Magic – Brianna the Tooth Fairy
11. Mermaid Tales – Blue Tortoise Dream
12. The Magic Wand by Enid Blyton
13. Horrid Henry Meets the Queen
14. Frozen (yes, it’s a chapter book, too!)
15. Horrid Henry’s Monster Movie
16. Horrid Henry Robs the Bank

Week 3
17. Tintin and the Golden Crab
18. Bimbo and Topsy by Enid Blyton
19. Agatha Parrot and 13 Chicken
20. Judy Moody Girl Detective
21. If I Were President
22. Tintin, Prisoner of the Sun
23. Just Grace

Week 4
24. Still Just Grace
25. The Seven Crystal Balls
26. Judy Moody Doctor Is In
27. Tintin in Tibet
28. Tintin the Castafiore Emerald
29. Noddy by Enid Blyton
30. Weird but True

ARJUN

Week 1 & 2
1. Owls-Tom Warhol (*****)
2. Spy Camp-Stuart Gibbs (****)
3. Lunch Money-By Andrew Clements (****)
4. Last Holiday Concert-By Andrew Clements (*****)
5. Room One: A Mystery or Two -By Andrew Clements (****)
6. Grandma and the Great Gourd- Chitra Divakaruni (*****)
7. North-Nick Dowson (*****)

Week 3, 4, and 5

8. The Jacket- By Andrew Clements (****)
The Jacket is about Philip and how he misunderstood how Daniel got his little brother’s jacket. Philip learns he was wrong to think that Daniel had stolen the jacket and they became friends.
9. The Janitor’s Boy-By Andrew Clements (****)
The Janitor’s Boy is about Jack and how he was embarrassed that his Dad is a janitor in his school. He has to do gum patrol because he gets in trouble and during that time he learns that his Dad has an important and very useful job.
10. Eagles-By Melissa Gish (****)
I like that eagles are predatory birds but hunt so gracefully. Did you know that bald eagles have eyes the same size as humans but their vision is four times sharper than humans? Harpy eagles have the largest wingspan among eagles up to 7 feet wide. Eagles have played an important in Greek mythology as well as U.S. history. Eagles are the national bird of the United States and appear on the Great seal of the country.
11. Savvy- By Ingrid Law (*****)
Savvy is a story narrated by thirteen year old Mibs and how she goes on a roller coaster of an adventure with her brothers and friends. During the adventure, she learns about her ‘Savvy’ which is her unique special magical talent!
12. Scumble-By Ingrid Law (****)
A sequel to Savvy, Scumble is narrated by thirteen year old Ledger, Mibs’ cousin. The story is about how he learns his savvy and tries to ‘scumble’ the secret of his family from Sarah Jane who is a journalist. I learnt the word ‘scumble’ which means to cover up something and make it less obvious.
13. About the B’nai Bagels-E.L. Konigsberg (**** ½*)
This book is narrated by Mark Setzer who is an 11 year old baseball player on the B’nai Bagels team. The story describes how his team goes towards the Championship but Mark has to make an honest decision that might change everything.
14. Tintin in Tibet -by Herge (****)
Tintin in Tibet is a comic book about Tintin’s adventure to save his friend Chang who gets lost in a plane crash on the Himalayan mountains. During his fierce adventure, Tintin, his dog Snoopy, Captain Haddock and Sherpa Tharkey discover clues leading them to Chang and they also encounter the Abominable Snowman.
15. The Adventures of Feluda-The Secret of the Cemetery-by Satyajit Ray (**** *)
This book is about Feluda, a detective, solving a mystery about the spooky Park Street cemetery set in Calcutta with the help of his nephew Topshe and a movie maker Lalmohan Babu. Feluda uses his canny mind to solve who had dug Thomas Godwin’s grave.
16. Celebritrees-Margi Preus (****)
This tree-full story is about the most remarkable and historical trees on earth! These include Hyperon, the tallest tree in the world, General Sherman, the biggest tree, and Bodhi Tree, the tree which Buddhists believe that Buddha gained enlightenment while sitting under it.

ANANYA

Week 1 –
1. Pollyanna- A little orphaned girl who always tries to be glad goes to live with her sour-tempered aunt, and cheers up the world around her- to be met with a dreadful accident.
2. The Throne of Fire-Siblings Sadie and Carter Kane awaken Ra, the sun god, with help from their new and old godly friends, Bast and Bes.
3. The Serpent’s Shadow- Sadie and Carter try eliminating Apophis, the ruler of chaos, using his shadow.
4. One Wish- Tanya can see fairies, so when she goes to Spinney Wicket on a holiday and sees the wishing tree, which grants every body one wish, she must decide to use it on herself or a new friend.
5. A Single Shard- Orphaned Tree-ear lives under a bridge and loves watching the potter Min work, so he is excited when Min sends him on a mission.
6. The Black Pearl- The heir of a pearl industry finds the legendary black pearl, the best pearl in the world, to find it brings luck and wealth, and also jealousy and even death.

Week 2-
7. Johnny Tremain- An apprentice silversmith back when America was under the British knows he is better than the others. But then Johnny’s hand gets crippled, bringing him in touch with Revere, Adams, and Hancock.
8. The Magician’s Elephant- Orphaned Peter gets told by a fortuneteller that his sister is still alive, and an elephant would bring them together.
9. Anne of Avonlea- Anne will have a lot to do in Canada with six-year-old twins staying at Green Gables, and her determination to win the heart of all her students, especially trouble maker Anthony.
10. The School for Good & Evil- Best friends Agatha and Sophie go to a school for good and evil that teaches fairy-tale characters. It seems like Agatha will be evil, and Sophie good, when their fortunes get reversed.
11. Big Questions for Little People- This nonfiction book answers many kids’ questions, from why the adults are in charge to how cars work.

Week 3-
12. Good Wives- The 4 March sisters are growing up with marriage, travel, and love.
13. Little Men- In Plumfield many little men are growing up in an easygoing boarding school with Mother Bhaer and Uncle Fritz (Jo and her husband.)
14. Jo’s Boys- Demi, Nan, Daisy, and the rest are finding themselves new homes.
15. Into the Unknown- 14 remarkable adventures are narrated in this book traveling in sea, air, space, and land, all across the world.

Week 4-
16. Best Friends- Gemma and Alice are exceptionally close friends and feel like they couldn’t live without one another- until Alice has to move to Scotland.
17. The City of Ember- Doon and Lina live in the great city of Ember, where the lights are always shining- but will not shine much longer.
18. Walls Within Walls-C.J., Brid, and Patrick find a mystery in Brooklyn and its buildings that starts from their own apartment.
19. Bed-Knob and Broomstick- Carey, Charles, and Paul find out that elegant Miss Price is a witch. In order to keep the children quiet Miss Price allows them to visit anywhere in the world.
20. The Horse and His Boy- Shasta, Bree, Aravis, and Hwin set off to find Narnia and the North.
21. Prince Caspian- Prince Caspian is trying to become King in spite of his uncle.

INDRANI

1. The Watson’s Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis (****)
Set in 1963 during the time of segregation, this book is about how Kenny Watson’s family takes a trip down to Birmingham. During the trip, Kenny learns that people have many layers of personality-including his 13 year old arrogant brother named Byron.

2. The House of a Million Pets by Ann Hodgman (***)
This true story is about Ann Hodgman, and how she claims every stray animal she sees and somehow manages to take care all of them at once. Not only did she have the everyday pets, but she had crazy pets like pygmy mice and sugar gliders, too! Though I felt the way she cared the animals was a little over the top, you just can’t get enough of Ann Hodgman!

3. The Julian Chapter by R.J. Palacio (*****)
In the awesome story, Wonder, the book consists of eight parts, each narrating a different character’s point of view, but none of the parts belonged to Julian, the bully in the book! So in this parallel story, you find out what really happened on Julian’s side, and if everything was his fault.

4. Where The Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (*****)
This book is about Minli, a girl from a very poor family. After listening to her father’s stories many times, she decides to go to the Old Man of The Moon, a person mentioned many times in her father’s stories, to change her family’s fortune.

5. Out of My Mind (*****)
Melody Brooks is insanely smart. But she has never been able to express that because she has cerebral palsy. So when her “special needs” class participates in an inclusion program, Melody tries really hard to blend in- yet stand out at the same time by participating in a competition.

6. When You Reach Me-By Rebecca Stead (****)
This epistolary* novel is about how twelve year old Miranda is receiving anonymous letters that seem to suppress the rules of time. While carrying on with her everyday routine, Miranda follows what the note is saying so she can find out who that person is.

*-epistolary- A new word I learned, meaning that a novel is written as a series of documents, such as letters, telegrams, and diary clippings.

7. Daddy Long-Legs by Jean Webster (****)
This is another epistolary* novel, and orphan Jerusha (Judy) Abbott is writing letters about her college experience to her benefactor who she calls Daddy Long-Legs. This book was an easy and enjoyable read, with a surprise ending!

8. Escape by Sid Fleischman (*****)
Would you believe that someone could be locked up in a straightjacket and escape in less than a minute? Well, Escape by Sid Fleischman proves that Harry Houdini did! This biography is about escape artist Houdini’s mesmerizing escapes and breakthroughs, and his success and failures.

9. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (****)
Hatchet is a survival story about 13 year old Brian Robeson who was in a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness and is left with just a windbreaker and a hatchet. Brian is very shocked at first, but he gets into full Caveboy mode and makes weapons and gets food from things surrounding him.

10. The Apothecary by Maile Meloy (****)
Janie Scott and her friend, the Apothecary’s son, Benjamin Burrows use the Pharmacopoeia, a book full of potions, to look for the Apothecary, who has been kidnapped by Germans, and save the world in the process.

11. The Apprentices by Maile Meloy (****)
In this sequel to The Apothecary, Janie finds herself in grave danger. Benjamin, his friend Pip, and Janie go on a wild goose chase around the world trying to reunite with each other.

12. The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens (***)
The Emerald Atlas is a mystery about orphans Kate, Michael, and Emma using time travel to keep the dark side from getting what they most want to take over the world- The Atlas.

13. Odette’s Secrets by MaryAnn MacDonald (****)
This book is about how five year old Odette Meyers is sent away from Paris to live in the countryside since she is Jewish. As she learns the ways of the Christians, Odette must hide her biggest secret of her Jewish heritage.

14. The Witches by Roald Dahl (**)
This book is about a seven year old boy who gets turned into a mouse, and has to rack his tiny but clever mind to defeat the malicious witches

15. Esio Trot by Roald Dahl (*)
This book is about how Mr. Hoppy tries to win Ms. Silver’s love, who is actually in love with her tortoise, with his clever plan, involving hundreds of tortoises.

16. Grandma and the Great Gourd by Chitra Divakaruni. (***)
An Indian Folktale about an old woman using her canny mind and a huge gourd to get past the dangerous animals of the forest while visiting her daughter’s house.