Book Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever
Author: Jeff Kinney
Publisher: Puffin Books, Penguin Books
ISBN: 978-0141341880
Genre: Children’s Fiction, YA Fiction
Pages: 224
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5

Jeff Kinney does it again! One doesn’t tire of reading the journal/diary of Greg Heffley and this time he is back with twice the fun and antics of Rowley and him. I remember when I first started reading this series, only three of them had been published and I finished them in all under two hours. I also remember not only recommending them to friends and family, but also gifting them the first book. Needless to say that I love this series.

The book is set between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Greg needs to be good so Santa can be good to him in return. He and Rowley decide to be good boys till Christmas Eve. However, all does not go well as planned. They are accused of vandalizing school property and before any action can be taken, there is a blizzard in the season and the ground is covered in three feet of snow. This only means that Greg is locked with his family in his house and cannot step out.

My favourite part in the book was the flashback when Greg’s younger brother Manny is just a newborn and Greg’s mother buys him a doll to get used to the idea of being a big brother. The book is hilarious. It has so many moments of Greg and his brothers (Rodrick and Manny) stuck at home, that there were times I actually laughed out loud.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is one of those books I wished was published when I was growing up. I have enjoyed the drawings and the prose with every single issue, but this time it was very-well written. Though the book is definitely American and Indian kids might have a bit of a problem relating to the content in some parts, I would still highly recommend Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series to every kid.

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever

Book Review: Indra Finds Happiness by Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik

Title: Indra Finds Happiness
Author: Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik
Series: Fun in Devlok
Publisher: Puffin
Genre: Mythology, Children’s Fiction
ISBN: 9780143331681
PP: 52 Pages
Source: Personal Copy
Price: Rs. 99
Rating: 5/5

So I set out to read these fantastical mythological tales churned for children by Devdutt and let me tell you a secret: Though the back cover of the book mentions that the book is for ages 6+ I immensely enjoyed them. There are 3 titles in this series, “Indra Finds Happiness”, “Gauri and the Talking Cow” and “An Identity Card for Krishna”. I picked up all of them knowing I would not be disappointed and trust me I wasn’t.

What is “Indra finds Happiness” all about anyway?

Little Harsha is sad as his parents are fighting, his sister is not speaking with him as she is too busy on her cell  phone, and he doesn’t get to eat ice-cream when he wants to. A cloud then takes him to the abode of Indra, and there he finds out that Indra – the god of gods is the unhappiest one around. Harsha on the course of his journey sees magnificent things – the six-tusked white elephant Airavata, the tree that fulfils every wish, the pot of never-ending gold and the potion that keeps Indra young and healthy and despite all this, he finds the god unhappy and miserable. He feels that all that he has achieved is under threat from everyone else.

Amidst all this, Indra decides to steal the sage Vasishta’s cow and gets caught in the act. It is the sage who teaches Indra how to be happy, however like they say, it is for the learner to decide whether or not he would like to apply what he has learnt and the question is: Does Indra realize and learn the lesson after all?

Now what I liked about the book: The story was told but of course quite simply as it is meant for children. It is the way it was told – the clarity of writing for children, with the precision and insight to be able to blend the traditional and mythological with the modern twist to the stories. I only wish the illustrations were done by Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik themselves, considering he is brilliant with stick illustrations.