Grounded

One look at the list of authors of “𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱” is enough to add this to the pre-order cart. But author-names are never enough to sway children’s opinion (especially my Grade 4s), brutally honest as they always are!

Blessed with an ARC, we read the first few chapters where 4-year-old Ruqi momentarily left in charge of her 12-year-old sibling Feek goes missing at the airport, while flights are grounded and four kids Feek, Hanna, Sami and Nora who have nothing much in common come together. Well, Ruqi is eventually found, but Snickerdoodle the cat is still missing.

The effect of the first few chapters? Wide-eyed class kids in rapt attention, all set for the adventure that “𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱” promises to be. Quite a few iPads were snuck out, not for surfing, but to check the release date of this book. Kids clamoured for “𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦”, and the teacher-reader heart in me knows that this, this is the book to look out for in 2023!