Cub Reads

When asked about the origin of Wimpy Kid , author Jeff Kinney said that he wanted to write “about the funny parts of growing up and none of the serious parts”. Hard Luck, the eighth in an ongoing series and a bestseller, is exactly that. Reminiscent of Spanky and Alfa’s troubled friendship in The Little Rascals , Greg Heffley’s latest struggles revolve around losing his best friend. Rowley Jefferson has dumped Greg for Abigail, the girlfriend. With Rowley gone, Greg’s social life takes a turn for the worse. Kinney’s depiction of Greg’s school is both scary and hilarious. Segregation and bullying abound, often resulting in comical outcomes. Sample this: The only place where boys and girls hang out is the playground. The kids have started playing Girls Chase Boys but, as a hapless Greg soon finds out, the girls are only interested in chasing the popular boys. When the boys chase the girls, they risk getting stuck in detention. Kinney’s Hard Luck relies on making the ordinariness of growing up super funny. However, it is also a darker commentary on the travails of childhood. Kinney is a grown-up version of Greg, whose memory of a punishing childhood is softened by time.

If Wimpy Kid chronicles the struggles of childhood, Ranjit Lal’s Miracles is a teen tale that swings between extremes of enduring loss and finding joy. On her first day at a new school, 16-year-old Trisha has many things to worry about — her hip mom’s popularity, a bratty little sister Shivi and her puppy fat (a teen obsession, naturally). But soon enough, Trisha’s shapely curves, dulcet voice and wicked spin bowling leave her neighbour Akshay spellbound. Even as teen love blossoms, dark clouds gather in Trisha’s life when her mom is diagnosed with cancer. The time is ripe for her transition into a responsible adult. Keeping vigil at her mother’s bedside, Trisha deals with the household, mends fences with her grandparents, has a breakup and tops her board exams. If the plot for Miracles takes a leaf out of K-Jo’s family dramas, what keeps it heart warming is Ranjit Lal’s sprightly writing. And in Shivi, he gives us a loveable brat. Curious, mischievous and immensely huggable, Shivi is the brightest spark in young Trisha’s coming-of-age tale.

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