School Time

by Ruskin Bond

In this collection of stories, which includes a little girl waiting for her father to return from war, a Eurasian schoolboy and his finicky grandmother who detests the English, a middleaged man who goes back to school and a destitute lad coping with a school full of wealthy students, Ruskin Bond brings together some of the finest writing ever to capture the unforgettable years of schoollife

Genres: Fiction

201 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Ruskin Bond is an Indian author of British descent. He is considered to be an icon among Indian writers and children's authors and a top novelist. He wrote his first novel, The Room on the Roof, when he was seventeen which won John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957. Since then he has written several novellas, over 500 short stories, as well as various essays and poems, all of which have established him as one of the best-loved and most admired chroniclers of contemporary India. In 1992 he received the Sahitya Akademi award for English writing, for his short stories collection, "Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra", by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters in India. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 for contributions to children's literature. He now lives with his adopted family in Landour near Mussoorie.

Reviews

[Gautam Gopal Krishnan · Rating 3 out of 5]

School Times is a collection of 21 fictional short stories published in 2010. Acclaimed Indian writer, Ruskin Bond, has carefully curated tales about school-age children by various authors. They are set in many different places around the world and span the previous two centuries. Fans of Ruskin Bond can savor the first and the last story in this collection which have been written by him, while getting an inkling of the writings which have had an impact on Ruskin Bond, based on the rest which have been handpicked by him.

Some of the narrations in this book, especially the ones from early 19th century with complex sentence constructions and parlance from yesteryear, can be arduous for the modern reader. The styles of writing and the topics dealt with, vary wildly between authors but there is an abstract thread of connection between them that is endearing. The contrast in lives led by children around the world which is subtly and beautifully conveyed by this book leaves a powerful impact. All in all, a relaxed read, easy to come back to, and with enough depth to make it engaging!

[Era · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was first published on The Era I Lived In

Though the stories compiled in this book qualify as inspiring for children in middle and high school, I couldn’t feel they all connect (as mentioned in the blurb on the back of the book) to the book’s title. All the stories deliver important lessons but all stories aren’t scenes of school life. Only a handful are.

I picked this book thinking it to be a collection of heartwarming stories by some of the best authors who ranked high in Ruskin Bond’s reading list. It is quite an experience reading your favorite author’s favorites because I loved to learn what ticked for him.

The first and the last story of this wonderful collection are written by Ruskin Bond himself and they beautifully set pace to the book while providing the inherent joy his stories gift me.

The beauty of this short story collection is that some of the works date back to the nineteenth century. While I stumbled at following the old English at a few points, the joy of enriching my vocabulary and also visualizing the school life of almost two centuries ago was quite an experience.

While I liked many stories, I particularly loved, My Grandmother and the Dirty English by Aubrey Menen for it brought to fore the cultural diversities of the Indians and British while in an amazing manner taught the lesson of how all races share stark similarity in their beliefs and customs.

Another favorite is, A Pair of Steel Spectacles by Richard Church that introduces the reader to the world of fantasy in a way to make their imagination run wild while being intrigued to explore the mundane life in intricate detail.

Ullie’s Dream is a wonderful story about a child waiting for her father’s return from war. I particularly loved the way Ullie chooses hope over fear and how fearlessly she darts out in the end to see her dream come true.

Undershorts and Roses by Muzzafer Izgu is an evergreen tale that carries an important lesson for every adult part of school life and also parents. The ending note in the story bears a very powerful message that shall remain with me for a long time.

Another story that stirred the parent in me is, What Happened to a Father Who Became a Schoolboy by F.Anstey. I am sure every child has at some point harbored the wish to change places with their parents and this is what actually happens in this beautifully narrated story. But along the way, it was amazed by the child’s points of view, making me see my relationship with my child in a new light.

All the other stories make for an entertaining yet enlightening read however few come across as rather predictable having been adapted over time into movies, plays and even books in one form or the other. Though something similar can’t be said about The Four Feathers and Getting Granny’s Glasses the two stories from Ruskin Bond’s pen. They both come across as rather simple incidents of a scholar’s life but their heartwarming, poignant beauty made me smile as I read these.

However, I didn’t enjoy a few stories. They include, The Phantom Ship Steered by a Dead Man’s Hand by Matthew Henry Baker, Charge by Stephen Crane, Boy among the Writers by David Garnett. Their language was bit difficult to understand and the stories didn’t inspire me enough as did other tales part of this book.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who enjoys reading short stories and would love to have a scoop of variety of themes covered in the powerful words of writers across centuries. Most importantly, because the selection here is some of Ruskin Bond’s favorites, if you’re a Ruskin Bond fan, you’d love this book just as much I did.

[Mohit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely short stories of childhood. Most stories share vivid memories. Collection of what Ruskin enjoyed as a child and couple of his stories which are most beautiful with lovely memories.

[Aahir R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was it a good book? Yes
Would I read it again? No

[Sankrutyayan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good collection of short stories which will remind most of us of our childhood or school days filled with euphoric, bewildered, embarrassed and many more feelings. Some of the stories were irrelevant, I think. I started reading this book despondently but later was absorbed into an ecstatic ride of nostalgia.

[Md Ehtasham · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a good book. there were many good stories ,really good ones that just didn't allow me to sleep untill i would finish reading them. but i didn't like few war stories, just a few. overall it is a book that i would suggest everyone to read in their spare time (coz if they read it while they had work, their work would be pending).

[Ishan Malhotra]

Good book

[Preeta Chandran · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kind of book that only Ruskin Bond can write :) Nostalgia and wishful thinking are some of the emotions I went through as I read School Times. Though it's in a place and setting very different from the place I myself have been brought up, the underlying sweetness and magic of childhood is totally relatable. Loved this book. It's the kind I would read over and over.