New Reads
Carve The Mark
Veronica Roth
Where there is evil, there must be good.
Violence and vengeance rule in galaxies
and, to combat this, everyone is born with
a unique gift that will shape their future.
Not good news for our lead characters,
Akos and Cyra, whose gifts make them
vulnerable to others. Will they survive,
escape the clutches of a brutal tyrant,
and restore balance to the universe?Our Dark Duet
Victoria Schwab
Kate Harker is a monster hunter
and very good at it. August Flynn
is a monster, who can never be
human. The war between humans
and monsters has reached
a dangerous threshold;
there’s a new demon in town who
feeds on chaos, and has the
power to bring humans’ inner
demons out to play. Kate must
keep her wits about her and
August must play his part as they
battle the demon together.
Wintersong
S Jae-Jones
For 18 years, Liesl has heard tales
about the mysterious Goblin King
who surfaces every winter to take
a bride for himself. This year,
he chooses Liesl’s younger sister.
Left with no choice, Liesl races
to the Underground to rescue her
sister and herself before
their fate is sealed.Caraval
Stephanie Garber
Scarlett has always
been mesmerised by
the Caraval, a magical
circus that occurs once
a year and where the
audience participates
in the show. Joined by
her sister, Tella, and
a mysterious sailor, she
arrives at the circus, only
to have Tella kidnapped
immediately by Legend,
the circus master. Tella
has five days to rescue
her sister from the magic,
audience and performers,
as they all repeatedly tell
her that everything is an
elaborate performance.A
NITA Nair’s book, Muezza
and Baby Jaan, chronicles
Islamic folklore and its myths,
drawing both children and adults
alike into that fabled world.
The Bangalore-based author won
the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2012,
and writes in longhand using
a fountain pen. Muezza and Baby
Jaan is her second book for children.EXCERPTS FROM AN INTERVIEW
How did you develop the idea
for Muezza and Baby Jaan?
It basically came about during
my research. I read anecdotes about the Prophet’s cat and the kind of
relationship they had, and that’s when I realised that he would be
the perfect storyteller. As for Baby Jaan, I came across some trivia
about djinns and how they often appear in the desert as white camels,
and, out of the blue, I had both my protagonists.
Why Islamic folklore?
All across India and the world, everyone has some basic knowledge
about other religions, except perhaps for Islam. We know who
Jesus’s mother was and we know Ram’s wife was Sita. But even
the intelligentsia does not really know Islam and its stories. Islam has
been misinterpreted and that is a risk every religion faces. I thought it
was important to look up the scripture of Islam, namely the Quran,
so it could be seen for what it truly is – a religion of peace and love.Which is your favourite tale in the book?
The story of Quitmir the dog, who stood guard outside the cave
for 300 years, is my favourite.You have had books published in three different genres and for
different age groups. How is writing for children different?
My writing process for this book wasn’t any different. The thing
about children is that you can’t talk down to them. They smell
patronisation from a mile away. So the storytelling has to be
engaging and not just instructive. Besides, children these days
have abysmally shorter attention spans, so it’s important to talk
to them in their language.Do you see yourself more as an author
or as a storyteller?
Definitely a storyteller.What can we expect next from you?
I’m working on multiple projects – a literary novel,
a collection of stories, a children’s book and
a screenplay.
Anita Nair spoke to Moshita PrajapatiJune 2017 33