Monday, October 30, 2017

Escape from Java and Other Tales of Danger - Ruskin Bond

Ruskin Bond once told me - children love to be scared a bit. This is a book of tales of danger. The first one is 'Earthquake' -a story about an earthquake that hits a village and how the family loses their old home but end up alive. The comes 'Riding through the flames' a story of a boy who has to ride home alongside a forest fire and just about makes it home after diving into the river.
Puffin, 178 p, Rs. 199
'A Flight of Pigeons' is a story from the Sepoy mutiny days when an English family is in danger from the mutineering sepoys. The father is killed and so are many others but the local Lala provides shelter to the women of the family until the danger passes. 'Escape from Java' is his autobiographical story of how he and his father escaped from Java and came to India where he studied in a convent school in Shimla. 'Sita and the River' is about a young girl who has to face a flood and how she is saved by a tree and then a boy.

Written in his lucid and simple, engaging style it's a nice lesson for anyone setting out to write. I took it off Anjali's collection. I have taken a Feluda for my next read and then on to the famous 'Phantom Tollbooth'. I think I will stay with her comics and books for a while. I have had enough of he adult world for now.

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