As a 5th and 6th grader Friendship day was really important to my friends and I. So when August 4th turned up we would all be rushing around tying friendship bands on our friends wrists and comparing how many each of us had. I still remember one fateful August 4th when I fought with my BFF and both of us returned our friendship bands saying we would never be friends again. Guess what, before school ended that day we had already managed to make up and tie our friendship bands again.
Today, 17 years later, we are still very good friends. We see this rollercoaster friendship everywhere around us. It’s not just our friends from school or in our neighbourhood, even our pets and belongings can become our cherished friends. A friend can be someone we met on a holiday, someone who eats lunch with us daily, or someone who is willing to go the extra mile to stand by our side. Just as there are various colours, friends come in many different types.
Looking back, stories of friendship and partners in mischief were always my favourite books to read (Famous Five, Malory Towers) because I always felt like I was part of that group.
So here are 6 books with different kinds of friendships – stories inspired from traditional Indian folk tales to friends and enemies in the classroom.
MERRIN ABRAHAM
Merrin completed her Integrated MA in English Studies from IIT Madras. She is a storyteller, bibliomaniac and a lover of indie music who had a passion for the English language that she dedicated her childhood to reading Victorian literature. Besides drinking bitter coffee and analysing Asian media, she is trying to find a horror story worthy of the genre.
Mangoes, Mischief, and Tales of Friendship: Stories from India
by Chitra Soundar & Uma Krishnaswamy
Prince Veera and his best friend Suku are out to solve different cases in the court of King Bheema – like the merchant who insists on charging people for just enjoying the smell of his sweets and the mystery of precious jewels magically turning into pickles. Enjoy this journey steeped in traditional folktales and India’s colourful flavours.
by Harshika Udasi
Putti finally gets the chance to visit Deolali, his hometown and he is so excited to explore the place that his Nana & Nani had told him about. But things aren’t that smooth after he befriends his neighbour Inu, because their parents forbid them from playing together. So, Putti and Inu are set on getting to the bottom of this mystery.
By Andrew Clements & Brian Selznick
Nick Allen always seems to get into trouble in some way or another at school. Therefore, when he learned how words came into existence, he decided to put a new plan into action – Who says a pen has to be called a pen? Why not call it a frindle? This small idea snowballs into a huge movement where everyone in his school and town starts calling a pen ‘frindle’. Join Nick and his friends as they challenge the idea of language and growth.
Mission Mumbai: A Novel of Sacred Cows, Snakes, and Stolen Toilets
By Mahtab Narsimhan
A wonderful story of friendship between Dylan Moore from America and Rohit Lal from Mumbai. Dylan has been invited to visit Mumbai and live with Rohit and his family. Though they are friends, the new culture and their personal struggles get in the way of their friendship. As Dylan deals with familial issues and Rohit just wants to live the American dream, friends clash and make up as they try to make their summer worthwhile.
By Sarah Weeks & Gita Varadarajan
A friendship born between unlikely students – Ravi who just joined this new school in America after relocating from India, and Joe who has been diagnosed with Auditory processing disorder and is currently lacking 2 best friends as they moved away. Will they find anything in common as they face the class bully and finally join hands to stand together?
by Ross Welford
When Ethan’s twin sister Tammy goes missing one Christmas Eve, Ethan decides to find his sister with help of his friend Iggy and a mysterious character named Hellyann. A story filled with aliens, spaceships, suspense and new friendships, it is up to this trio along with a chicken and a robot to find Tammy and reunite the twins. Will they be courageous enough to travel to another planet?
