Tag Archives: 9-12

Didi Kanu and the Singing Dwarfs of the North

AGES 8 - 12, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , , ,

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Title: Didi Kanu and the Singing Dwarfs of the North

Author: Jude Idada

Publisher: Creoternity Books

Number of pages: 252

Type of Book: Fantasy, Fiction; African

Age: 10+

Available here: http://www.amazon.com/Singing-Dwarfs-North-Adventures-Volume/dp/1508745900

Price: $10.99

MY SUMMARY

Didi was a dreamer. An 8-year-old girl born into a very poor family in Eastern Nigeria and the youngest of five children, she desperately wanted to go to school almost as much as she wanted to visit one of the places she had heard about in Ede’s stories: the mountainous lands of the North. Didi wanted to see the singing dwarfs. Her chance to achieve both dreams came when Uncle Ikenna came to the village from Lagos and took Didi back with him. However, bad luck, or was it fate, knocked on her door when one day, Uncle Ikenna had an accident, which sent him into a coma. Only a song by Mei Kalala, a singing dwarf of the North can save Uncle Ikenna’s life. Didi had a few days to journey to the mountainous lands of the North to find the singing dwarfs and learn the song. Read the book to follow Didi on her journey to the North and find out whether she passed Mei Kalala’s test and got back to Lagos in time to save Uncle Ikenna.

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: The major highlight of this book was its genre: African magical realism, a genre that isn’t very common in the world today. I would recommend for voracious readers, adult and child alike. This book is not for beginning readers or children who are just learning to love books.

DOWN: It was a bit too descriptive and rather slow-paced. It had quite a few grammatical errors that should have been picked up by a discerning eye.

RATING

3 Stars 

TRIVIA

  1. Who were the singing dwarfs of the North? They were bush babies that lived in the mountainous lands in the North.  
  2. Mei Kalala told Didi that this would happen to her if she told a lie after drinking of the Nectar of Unbreakable Oaths? She would turn into a Pillar of Ash on the Plains of Sorrows!
  3. Ede? The village storyteller. He told stories of times in the past when the village was ruled by magic.
  4. What were the ingots and grengots? They were half-humans that lived in banana trees and had tails for legs. Ingots made the bananas ripe, and protected them from the grengots who liked to eat them. The grengots could make people mad by jumping into their nostrils and living in their heads!
  5. Who was Big Aunty? Aunty Nonye’s stepmother.
  6. “ … it was something that looked like an elephant… had what looked like human arms. But they bulged with muscles so big that they looked like large tubers of yam stuck to the arm. In one arm, there was a big club with a humongous head from which jutted out sharp objects … it had what seemed like maggots falling out of it… there was pus coming out from other parts of it. There was hair over what looked like its chest and in that mass of hair, creatures that looked like mice scurried about. But these mice had extra-long snouts.’ The Keeper of Searcher’s Gates.

Read an excerpt here http://www.amazon.com/Singing-Dwarfs-North-Adventures-Volume/dp/1508745900

CHALLENGE: Didi Kanu and the Singing Dwarfs of the North

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

  1. What is Magical Realism? Write a short 400-word essay. Give examples using books and movies.

OR

  1. Draw a picture of the ‘Big Aunty’ using the details below.

“Big Aunty’s arms were huge and her stomach bulged. Her neck was as thick as a tree trunk and her legs were like two pillars, the kind that held up the yam barns back in the village. Her chest kept rising and falling making her breasts look like two oversized pawpaws … Big Aunty’s breath came out like the puff of the blacksmith’s oven back in Obosi. She was like an elephant dressed in a green wrapper and green blouse. Her head was wrapped in a green head-tie. … she had Half Past Four eyes.”

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 10-12 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Sunday, January 24th 2016

Next Book of the Week:

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE by C.S. Lewis

 

 

 

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

AGES 8 - 12, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Title: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

Author: Judy Blume

Publisher: Puffin

Number of pages: 144

Type of Book: Fiction, Contemporary

Age: 8+

Available here: http://www.iqrabooks.com.ng/search_results.php?key=tales+of+a+fourth+grade+nothing&term=Anything&Submit=Search# and http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Fourth-Grade-Nothing-Blume/dp/0142408816 and for free download here: https://cambridgecollegelibrary.wikispaces.com/file/view/Judy+Blume-Tales+of+a+Fourth+Grade+Nothing.pdf or borrow it from ZODMLibrary, Ikoyi here: http://zodml.org/eachbook.php?id=37148 (membership of Library required)

Price: N5570; $6.29; free download or borrow for free at the Zaccheus Dibiaezue Library (ZODML) Ikoyi

MY SUMMARY

9-year-old Peter Hatcher has a HUGE problem: his 3-year-old stubborn and spoilt little brother, Fudge! Fudge is the worst possible little brother to be trapped in a family with and in every chapter of this book, he finds a way to terrorize Peter, from destroying his room and his homework, to making Peter do all sorts of things to entertain/calm him down to swallowing his pet turtle. To make matters worse, everyone, especially Mrs. Hatcher gives too much attention to Fudge and this annoys Peter to no end. Peter’s convinced his mother loves Fudge more than him and he’s not her real son. But will Fudge always get his way and will Peter ever feel like his parents love him too and he’s more than ‘Nothing’? Guaranteed to make you and your child laugh-out-loud.

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: The first in the Fudge series, this book shows sibling rivalry at its best in an honest but totally humourous way. Fudge’s antics are definitely the major highlight of the book. Other books in the Fudge series are Otherwise known as Sheila the Great, Superfudge, Fudge-a-mania and Double Fudge.

DOWN: None

RATING

4.5 Stars

TRIVIA

  1. What did Peter think they should trade Fudge in for? A dog.
  2. When is the only time that Peter likes Fudge? When he’s asleep!
  3. One of Fudge’s favourite pastimes? Banging pots and pans together.
  4. ‘Fudge, you will eat that cereal or you will wear it!” Who said this and what eventually happened to the cereal? Peter’s dad; He dumped the bowl of cereal on Fudge’s head.
  5. This happens every time Fudge misbehaves (like when he destroyed Peter’s room and made their father lose an important account); Peter feels like this all the time? Nothing!
  6. Some fun facts about Fudge’s eating habits: He swallowed Dribble, Peter’s turtle, ate his mother’s flowers, and once, Mrs. Hatcher made Peter stand on his head to get Fudge to eat.

Read the book here: https://cambridgecollegelibrary.wikispaces.com/file/view/Judy+Blume-Tales+of+a+Fourth+Grade+Nothing.pdf

Visit Peter and Fudge here: http://www.judyblume.com/books/fudge/tales.php

Test your knowledge of the book after reading it here and get a CERTIFICATE!: http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=Tales–Fourth-Grade-Nothing

Some more on Peter and Fudge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd51NjpFnyo 

CHALLENGE: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing 

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

  1. What is sibling rivalry? Write a short 400-word essay

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 8-12 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Sunday, December 20th 2015.

Next Book of the Week:

A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens

 

 

An African Night’s Entertainment

AGES 8 - 12, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

AN AFRICAN NIGHT'S ENTERTAINMENT

Title: An African Night’s Entertainment

Author: Cyprian Ekwensi

Publisher: African University Press

Number of pages: 152

Type of Book: Folktale, Fiction; African

Age: 10+

Available here: Borrow from ZODML Library, Ikoyi Lagos (http://zodml.org/eachbook.php?id=5061 ) or buy here: http://www.amazon.com/An-African-nights-entertainment-vengeance/dp/B0006CV54M

Price: $50.00

MY SUMMARY

It tells the story of two men on a quest; one to have a child at all costs and the other to get revenge on the man who wronged him. Mallam Shehu, determined to have a child after 35 years of marriage fails to heed the warning of the gods and using love potions, takes a new wife, Zainobe who finally bore a son for him. Abu, Zainobe’s fiancé from childhood, betrayed and angry decides to seek vengeance. He leaves home and travels for years in a bid to find someone to take revenge on Mallam Shehu for him. The book chronicles Abu’s travails in foreign lands and the suffering of Mallam Shehu and his family afterwards. Read it to find out how Mallam Shehu and Abu succeeded in their individual quests and the price they paid for their actions. Aptly described by the narrator as a tale of vengeance, adventure and love, it will keep you glued to the pages till the very end.

THUMBS UP AND DOWN
UP: It is reminiscent of the popular-in-the-90s NTA (Nigerian Television Authority) TV series, Tales by Moonlight. However in the book, an old man, who made a bet with his audience that they would fall asleep before the end of the story and he would keep their money, replaces ‘Aunty’!
It is well written and very easy to read. The book also featured sections on moral lessons, vocabulary building and comprehension exercises in every chapter as well as a 20-page glossary.

DOWN: None

RATING
4.5 Stars

TRIVIA
1. How did Mallam Shehu win Zainobe from Abu? He gave her a scent prepared by Mallam Sambo which made her fall in love with him.
2. Why did Abu embark on a perilous journey into the Kurmin Rukiki, forest of death? To get sap from a special tree with a gourd given to him by Tausayi, the man who helped him get his revenge.
3. How many parts of his body did Abu lose on his way to the forest of death? Two: his eye and his ear
4. Did both Mallam Shehu and Abu succeed in their quests? Yes. Mallam Shehu had a son, Kyauta, ‘meaning Allah be Thanked’ and Abu found someone to take revenge on Mallam Shehu.
5. What warning did the Gods give to Mallam Shehu? They warned that if he persisted in his quest for a child, he would have one but the boy would bring untold sorrow to him.
6. What warning did Tausayi give to Abu? He warned that there will be grievous consequences for their actions and that Abu would bear all the consequences.

Next Book of the Week:
TREASURE ISLAND by R L Stevenson

The Time Machine

AGES 8 - 12, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , ,

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Title: The Time Machine

Author: H. G. Wells

Publisher: Bendon Classics

Number of pages: 178

Type of Book: Science Fiction; Classic

Age: 10+

Available here: The Hub, The Palms Shopping Mall, Lekki, Lagos; http://www.amazon.com/Time-Machine-H-G-Wells/dp/1497415578/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1447672172&sr=1-3&keywords=the+time+machine

Price: N880; $6.66

MY SUMMARY

The time traveller’s theory: If our minds can move back and forth in time, we can too. All we need is the right math and the right invention.”

Armed with the right math and the right invention, the Time Traveller (TT) travelled hundreds of thousand of years into the future to find a new earth, as beautiful during the day as it was scary at night. The care-free, little, pretty and doll-like lazy people, the Upper-worlders, called the Eloi, laughed a lot, danced with him and gave him fruits to eat but it was the terrors of the night, the Morlocks, the ape-like Under-worlders who stole his time machine and tried to kill and eat him time and time again, who nearly made him lose his mind. Find out if the future was indeed all the TT hoped it would be and whether or not he made his way home after his time machine disappeared!

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: Wells paints a picture of a picturesque yet gruesome world with his words. His description of the form and lives of the Eloi and the Morlocks make the book come alive for readers. Thanks to the Morlocks, there were some pretty creepy/scary scenes in this book, in fact, The Morlocks made this book for me! For a sci-fi book that was written in the 17th century, this book is fantastic. It’s small wonder that Wells is considered one of the Fathers of Sci-Fi.

DOWN: None

 RATING

4 Stars: if one takes into consideration the year of publication – 1895; 3 Stars: if written today.

TRIVIA

  1. What extraordinary thing could the Time Traveller’s Time Machine do? It could travel back and forth through time!
  2. Did any of the Time Traveller’s dinner guests believe his stories? Not one!
  3. Who/What were the Morlocks? They were carnivorous, white, ape-like creatures with large greyish red-eyes that lived in the Under-world in 802,701 A.D.
  4. Why were the Eloi scared of the Morlocks? Because the Morlocks ate the Eloi for dinner!
  5. The Time Traveller found these when he went further into the far future? Monstrous table-sized crab-like creatures with many legs, big slime-covered claws, gleaming evil eyes, long slimy feelers and huge hungry mouths.
  6. What did the Time Traveller have as proof of his journey to the future? Two strange white flowers given to him by his little Eloi friend Weena.

Read it here: http://www.planetpdf.com/planetpdf/pdfs/free_ebooks/The_Time_Machine_NT.pdf

CHALLENGE: The Time Machine

Compare and contrast Time Machines and Time Capsules

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 8-12 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Tuesday, November 24th. 

Next Book of the Week:

IVY + BEAN: BOOK ONE by Annie Barrows

Zahrah the Windseeker

AGES 8 - 12, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , , ,

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Title: Zahrah the Windseeker

Author: Nnedi Okoroafor-Mbachu

Publisher: Farafina Books/ HMH Books for Young Readers

Number of pages: 320/308

Type of Book: Fantasy, Fiction; African

Age: 10+

Available here: http://www.konga.com/farafina-zahrah-the-wind-seeker-1080068; http://www.amazon.com/Zahrah-Windseeker-Nnedi-Okorafor-Mbachu/dp/0547020287

Price: N500; $7.51

MY SUMMARY

Zahrah is a 13-year-old girl born with dadalocks in a kingdom where people with dadalocks are looked upon as strange. She is quiet, shy, constantly bullied and afraid of heights. All these change when one night, Zahrah finds herself floating off her bed. Her quest for knowledge eventually leads her and her best friend Dari, into the Forbidden Greeny Jungle where Dari is bitten by a war snake whose venom sends him into a coma. Only the serum from an unfertilized elgort egg can save Dari’s life. Zahrah has four weeks to enter the depths of the Forbidden Greeny Jungle to find and steal an unfertilized egg from an elgort, the fastest, most vicious animal in the Jungle.

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: Everything!! Again, Nnedi kept me up till 4am. I read this book some seven years ago and it made a huge impression on me!! It was a pleasure to read again! And I will definitely read it some more in the future! Nnedi Okoroafor’s imagination is out of this world. Her use of language is fantastic! Her story world is described in such detail that the reader is easily sucked into it! Zahrah the Windseeker is African Magical realism at its best!!! The plot, the characters were so well fleshed out but the highlight of the book for me: The Setting!!

The book is set in the Ooni Kingdom, a kingdom that is dominated by plants. The houses are made of plants, the towers and sky scrapers as well, the computers are plants, the currency of the day: flowers, even the medical equipment (heart monitors) are plants. Other highlights were the Dark Market (with the drawing baboons, live vultures, fortune-tellers, personal pepper seeds, dog-sized toads, etc.) and the Forbidden Greeny Jungle (with the flesh-eating plants, the Speculating Speckled Frog: a shiny pink frog with gold speckles and the ability to answer all questions, a human-sized scorpion with a poisoned whip for a tail, talking panthers, a two-headed green tortoise the size of a large car, thieving bush cows, etc.)

One of my best lines from the book: ‘Fear landed on my shoulder like a heavy bloodsucking masquerade’ Such imagery!

DOWN: None

RATING

5 Stars

 TRIVIA

  1. Who were the Windseekers? They were dada-born people born with the ability to fly.  
  2. How did Zahrah escape the giant scorpion and its poisoned whip? The enormous car-sized, two-headed tortoise with eyes as big as dinner plates appeared out of nowhere, smashed the scorpion to death and feasted on its body!
  3. What are elgorts? Elgorts are described as the ultimate killing machines. With enormous trunks lined with sharp teeth and the ability to fell whole trees while in motion and eat their prey (even humans) in three crunches, they are the fastest and deadliest animals in the Forbidden Greeny Jungle.
  4. Why did people grow their own personal peppers? To become socially spicy: more attractive and more popular.
  5. The first man Zahrah met when she went to the Dark Market? A one-eyed man with cornrows, selling live vultures.
  6. “ … From the information you typed into me, you are a thirteen-year-old girl who seeks to find an unfertilized elgort egg for your friend? … Then you are truly mad” Who/What said this? Zahrah’s talking compass.

Read an excerpt here http://www.africanwriter.com/zahrah-the-windseeker-an-excerpt-from-the-nnedi-okorafor-novel/

CHALLENGE: Zahrah the Windseeker

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

  1. What is Nsibidi? Write a short 400-word essay

OR

  1. Draw a picture of the Dark Market using the details in Chapter 4 of the Book.

OR

  1. Write a poem on ‘Bullying’.

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 10-12 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book and a copy of ‘Akata Witch’ by the same author.

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Tuesday, November 17th 2015

Next Book of the Week:

THE TIME MACHINE by H.G. Wells

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

AGES 8 - 12, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , ,

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

Author: Jeff Kinney

Publisher: Puffin Books

Number of pages: 217

Type of Book: Fiction; Contemporary; Graphic Novel

Age: 10+ (Because younger readers are more impressionable and Greg is not a good role model)

Available here: http://www.konga.com/diary-of-a-wimpy-kid-rodrick-rules-1091364; http://www.wordsmithbook.com/book/childrens-books/DIARY-OF-A-WIMPY-KID-COLLECTION/; https://www.jumia.com.ng/jumia-books-rodrick-rules-7005.html; http://www.amazon.com/Rodrick-Rules-Diary-Wimpy-Book/dp/0810994739

Price: N2500; $8.37

MY SUMMARY

In ‘Rodrick Rules’, Rodrick does indeed rule. Rodrick made GH miserable in this book in so many laughable ways. He camped out in the bathroom after dinner every night so that GH had to do the dishes all by himself, he sold a paper he failed to GH, he locked GH in the basement while he had a party with his friends and made him clean the after-party mess up, he made GH ride in the back of his van with his band equipment so that GH crashed into them whenever he (Rodrick) hit the brakes and when GH complained, he went over every speed bump he could find, he threatened to spill GH’s secret from last summer every chance he got and he eventually did spill the secret! Read this book to find out the ‘secret’ Rodrick the bully held over GH for so long and what happened to dear GH after the secret was spilled.

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: Humor! If I could say one thing for the Wimpy Kid series, it’s that they have humor going for them. With ‘Rodrick Rules’, I laughed until I cried! I loved the illustrations, they were quite quirky.

DOWN: I cannot overemphasize this point. GH is not a role model for the average tween.

RATING

4.5 Stars

TRIVIA

  1. Why were GH’s brothers the bane of his existence? His big brother Rodrick was quite lazy and a bully and his little brother Manny was a big tattletale, a miniature snitch.
  2. How did Rodrick get GH to keep mum about his party even after locking him up in the basement all night and making him clean up the mess from the party the next day? By threatening to spill his (GH’s) ‘secret’
  3. One of the lessons GH learnt in this book? Never to buy an assignment. He bought Rodrick’s old assignment from him because he was too lazy to do his, only to find out at the last minute that Rodrick made an ‘F’ on the assignment!
  4. Why did GH get stuck with Scott, the blubbering 6-year-old in the annual winter Talent Show? Because he hid a dumbbell under a pillow knowing that Rowley would kick it and Rowley did and broke his toe! So he had to take Rowley’s place as Scott’s magician’s assistant.
  5. When asked where he thought he would be in 15 years, what was GH’s mental response? ‘In my pool, at my mansion, counting my money’
  6. But what kind of job did the career day questionnaire predict that he would have? His response to that ‘There must be something wrong with the way they set these forms up or something because I don’t know any clerks who are billionaires ’

Read an excerpt here: http://www.wimpykid.com/books/book2/

Visit GH here: www.wimpykid.com

CHALLENGE: Diary of the Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

CREATE (WRITE a Story/Poem OR DRAW)

  1. Where do you see yourself in 15 years? Write a short 200-word story

OR

  1. Watch the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie and draw a picture to show how the movie affected you.

OR

  1. Write a poem on the importance of having pen pals.

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 8-12 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Tuesday, November 3rd.

Next Book of the Week:

ZAHRAH THE WINDSEEKER by Nnedi Okoroafor-Mbachu

Best Friends

AGES 8 - 12, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , ,

Title: Best Friends

Author: Jacqueline Wilson

Publisher: Corgi Yearling

Number of pages: 224

Type of Book: Fiction, Contemporary

Age: 8+

Available here: http://wordsmithbook.com/book/childrens-books/BEST-FRIENDS/

Price: N1700

MY SUMMARY

Even though Gemma and Alice have been best friends since they were born (they were born on the same day in the same hospital) they are NOTHING alike. Alice is every bit the lady while Gemma is a boisterous tomboy. In spite of their differences, they loved each other and shared everything. Find out what happens when Gemma realizes that Alice has a secret she hasn’t shared which may change their friendship forever.

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: Gemma!!!! She gave me a good number of laughs, bless her soul and a time or two, she made me almost cry too. It is a beautifully crafted tale of friendship, which the little girl in most of us can relate to especially if you lost best friends either to new friends or ‘cos they had to move to new towns or new schools.

DOWN: It was about ‘thirty-something’ pages too long.

RATING

3.5 Stars

TRIVIA

  1. How Gemma lost her long hair: She got it all sticky after she got into a giant bubblegum-blowing contest with the boys. .
  2. Which friend climbed halfway up a drainpipe in the school playground and crashed to the ground and which friend was made a form monitor? Gemma, Alice
  3. What did Gemma want to do to Miss Cholmondly in the ladies’ room? She badly wanted to stuff her head first into the toilet and flush it.
  4. This person made Gemma furious many times and eventually, Gemma thrust a chocolate cake in her face. Flora
  5. Why did Alice leave Gemma? Because she had to move to Scotland with her family.
  6. The origin of Biscuit’s nickname? He has a voracious appetite. He can eat a whole packet of chocolate Hobnobs in exactly 2 minutes! I suppose it doesn’t help matters that his real surname is McVitie.

Visit Gemma and Alice here: http://www.jacquelinewilson.co.uk/library.php

CHALLENGE: Best Friends

“Best Friends For Ever”

Did/Do you have one?

If yes, write a brief 200-word essay on the joys of having best friends

If no, write a brief 200-word essay on the joys of NOT having best friends

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 8-12 age range. The best entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Tuesday, November 3rd.

Next Book of the Week:

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES by Jeff Kinney

The Missing Clock

AGES 8 - 12, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , ,

510XyP6iWmL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_Title:  The Missing Clock

Author: Mai Nasara 

Publisher: Visa Books                                 

Number of pages: 96            

Type of Book: Fiction

Age: 10+

Available here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Missing-Clock-Mai-Nasara/dp/9789088868 or contact the author on twitter

Price: $9.99 or N1.300

MY SUMMARY

Banji Tobe learns that planting leads to multiplication and he has something he loves that he would love to share. So Banji decides to plant this item in a bid to multiply it. This singular act sets off a series of events that start off badly but end very well for the Tobes. Join Banji and his family on their journey as they search for the missing clock and discover the joys of planting seeds and other objects.

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: It teaches quite a few things about farming in general and planting Ugu seeds in particular. It was a bit didactic but then it’s a book that’s meant to teach as well as entertain and it does both quite well.

DOWN: Having read the blurb on several sites on the Internet, I expected a rather comic, adventurous tale about a mischievous 9-year-old-boy told in the first person. I was therefore a bit disappointed that it was neither written in the first person nor written in a child’s voice. In so many ways, adult assistance would be required for some readers to fully grasp the contents of the book.

RATING

3.5 stars

TRIVIA

  1. What misfortune befell the Tobe family? Lanre Tobe, Banji’s father and head of the Tobe family lost his job.
  2. What seeds did Rashida plant in the Tobe garden? Ugu seeds
  3. “It would help if everyone tried to grow things other than flowers in their garden”. Who made this statement: Meyiwa Ashiru
  4. What was the source of the Tobe fortune? Ugu
  5. What did Banji plant instead of seeds? The bunny clock
  6. These 2 loved mangoes. One kept climbing trees to pluck them and the other kept taking them from him. Alphonso and his madam, Mrs. Ekwensi.

CHALLENGE: The Missing Clock

“It would help if everyone tried to grow things other than flowers in their garden.”

Can you answer the question below?

Describe the process for planting and harvesting Ugu.

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 9-12 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Tuesday, October 27th.

Next Book of the Week:

JELLY BABY by Phillip Begho

Fela Anikulapo Kuti

AGES 8 - 12, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , , , , ,

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Title:  Fela Anikulapo Kuti   

Author: Ola Ajibola

Publisher: Lantern Books                            

Number of pages: 126        

Type of Book: Creative Non-fiction

Age: 10+

Available here: https://www.lantern-books.com/book_inner.php?mid=12&cat=121&cat_id=122 and other major bookshops.

Price: N400

MY SUMMARY

This book is a beautiful account of the life of Afro beat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. It shows interesting details from his birth, his early childhood with strict parents and his career as a musician, to his rise to fame as the King of Afro beats and the voice of the Nigerian people in the fight against oppression and corruption in the 1980s. It details an important slice of Nigerian history in a fictitious/fictional and appealing manner. The perfect summer read for the child with a love for history.

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: The description of the antics of the young Fela, the attacks on Fela’s home, Kalakuta Republic and the story behind most of the songs he released in the 1980s made this a pleasurable read. Another plus was the fact that the book features a glossary for complex words and a page filled with questions – for the parent who would like to ensure their child read the book. *wink

DOWN: The book was so badly written. The author seemed to write in ‘Nigerian’ English. “What a fool I have been all these while”, “He then started asking questions and was getting the right and convincing answers” “He fixed a cold gaze at the minister who still refused to mind him” “He saw that musicians will be the ones ruling the world …”, to list but a few. It is almost inappropriate for children who wish to learn proper use of English. I’m not sure whom to blame, the author, the editor(s), or the publisher. Maybe all of them really. It was also ridden with grammatical errors.

RATING

4 stars

I have rated it 4 stars in spite of these errors because it captures the life of a legend in a truly beautiful way.

TRIVIA

  1. Why did Fela play music? He played music because he wanted to be the voice of the people and to stop oppression and other societal vices in Nigeria.
  2. How many wives did Fela marry in one day. 27 wives
  3. What course did Fela’s parents want him to study and what did he eventually study: Medicine and Music
  4. What were the first and last names of Fela’s band: Koola Lobitos and Egypt 80
  5. How did Fela stop Billy the bully? He shot stones at him many times with his catapult until Billy bled and had to have his head bandaged.
  6. What programme is held every year in honor of Fela’s memory? Felabration

CHALLENGE: Fela Anikulapo Kuti

Are you a true history buff? How well do you know Fela? Can you answer the question below:

Fela’s communal compound, Kalakuta Republic was located at ………………………. (give the address in full)

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 8-12 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Thursday, August 20th.

Next Book of the Week:

READERS’ THEATRE: TWELVE PLAYS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE  by Mabel Segun 

The No. 1 Car Spotter

AGES 8 - 12, BOOK REVIEW, , , , , , , , ,

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Title:  The No. 1 Car Spotter

Author: Atinuke

Publisher: Walker Books     

Number of pages: 111        

Type of Book: Fiction

Age: 8+

Available here: Terrakulture Victoria Island, Lagos; http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Spotter-Walker-Racing-Reads/dp/1406320773

 Price: N1200; GBP 4.99

MY SUMMARY (without the ending):

This book, the first in a series introduces the bubbly and cheerful Oluwalase Babatunde Benson as No 1. No. 1 lives in a village where car spotting, a game involving spotting cars sometimes just by hearing the sound of the engine, is a major hobby for the men. He’s the Number 1 car spotter in his village, maybe in the world!

This book contains four ‘complete’ stories in which No 1 saves the day by providing an innovative solution to the problem of the village market cart, goes to the market with the village, buys ‘lipstick’ for Aunty Fine-Fine, runs the risk of losing his hard-earned nickname and helps to save his grandma and improve village life.

The No. 1 Car Spotter series details that fun and frolics of a young boy in a village in an African country (which isn’t mentioned).

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: Reading this book is easy-peasy and the illustrations scattered all over make it even more fun!

DOWN: None

RATING

3.5 stars

TRIVIA

  1. The name of the car manufactured by No. 1 and Wale and his crew: The Toyota Cow-rolla.
  2. Car spotting is a hobby for the _____________ in No. 1’s village: Men
  3. What did Aunty Fine-Fine send No. 1 to buy from the shop with many small-small bottles and containers and many girls: Lipstick
  4. What did No. 1 buy instead: Nail Polish
  5. As far as No. 1 is concerned, without __________, there is no such thing as good food. Palm Oil
  6. The 10 pink Porsche convertibles that stirred up dust when No.1 and Coca Cola were returning to the village from the market: Aunty Fine-Fine’s toenails painted with bright hibiscus pink nail polish.

CHALLENGE: The No. 1 Car Spotter

Are you a car spotter? How well do you know cars? Can you list 26 types of cars using the 26 letters of the alphabet?

e.g A-Aston Martin, B-Bentley, C-Cadillac (these examples can not be submitted as answers)

The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Sunday, July 5.

Next Book of the Week (07/July/2015 – 12/July/2015):

TREASURE ISLAND by Robert Louis Stevenson