STORIES: 5/5
CHARACTERS: 5/5
WRITING: 5/5
OVERALL: 5/5
GENRE & THEME: Adventure, Children’s, Short Stories, Humour
Hey, my lovelies, it’s your girl Ahaana rolling back with a fantastic review of How Not to Get Wet in the Rain: 21 Tales for Tricky Times by Sunanda Kulkarni. For those of you who don’t know, Sunanda Kulkarni is the sister of my favourite author of all time – Sudha Murthy. And trust me, I loved her writing as much as I adore her sister’s.
The book has 21 short tales that weave stories around tricks. For example, the trick of turning brass into diamonds, to remain dry in the rain, or simply dividing oranges among seven children. Meet a stupid person who mistakes treasure for trash, a mouse who turns into a girl and then back into a mouse, a very sick king, a mysterious man who does the daring act of pulling the emperor’s beard, and many such amazing characters.
The stories are all set in different places. While some take you to schools, others take you to palaces, forests, caves, colleges, fields, etc.
I loved all the stories, and trust me, there isn’t even one story that can be skipped. All of them are simply too good. My favourite stories from this collection are – How Not to Get Wet in the Rain, The Case of the Seven Girls, Cause and Effect, and Education is Like a Box of Sweets.
I liked How Not to Get Wet in the Rain because it taught me something very important – and that is intelligence. I liked Education is Like a Box of Sweets because I liked Ajit’s cleverness very much, as he put in the effort to win the heart of the girl of his dreams (Neha). The Case of the Seven Girls was interesting because of the way the girls in the story use the rice very sensibly.
I found Sudha Murthy ma’am’s and her sister’s writing style very similar. They both have the same grounding and humble characters that they pour into their storytelling. And yes, they both have the ability to addict young readers to their storytelling.
This book is perfect for readers aged 9 to 16, but I am sure that readers of all ages would equally enjoy it. The book taught me so many things, like intelligence, wit, wisdom, friendship, and love. But to top it all, it made me laugh out loud so many times.
Read it, enjoy it, and thank me later. Until next time, bye!
Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of How Not to Get Wet in the Rain.
