School Days

by Ruskin Bond

School Days is a collection of stories that captures the splendour of our school days. Here Ruskin Bond has weaved together some of the most adventurous and engaging school stories written by master storytellers like Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Samuel Smiles, Anton Chekhov, Richmal Crompton and others.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Childrens

174 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

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We've gotter do somethin' for ourselves if we want anythin' done at all."

A collection of stories and excerpts by various authors talking about young characters.

And yes, I am disappointed with the misleading book title and the cover.

Most of these stories focus on slice of life kind of events without proper plots or endings.

But yes, I loved reading the contents as they were so well written.

Expect old, old stories.

1. Miss Babcock's Big Toe, Ruskin Bond
3 🌟
*Lacked plot, liked the writing and the chaos

2. Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain
4 🌟
*Loved the characters, young
*"Who tore the book?" shooked me.

3. David Copperfield Fights the Canterbury 'Lamb', Charles Dickens
3 🌟
*Want to read David Copperfield now
*Uriah reads a lot (adore him for this)
*Not happy with some expressions used

4. Little Jack, Anton Chekhov
3 🌟
*Slavery, domestic violence, abuse

5. The Baker's Boy, Samuel Smiles
4 🌟
*He's an avid reader so I am happy with this one
*I stan Robert Dick

6. The Sea in the Bottle, Lionel Seepaul
3🌟
*"So loudly I laughed that my mother struck me with the broom." A common scenario still.
*Violence towards children

7. The Brothers and the Witch, Ian Fellowes Gordon
3🌟
*Get ready for the witch to attack the brothers
*Assaults, too stereotypical

8. The Outlaws' Report, Richmal Crompton
4🌟
*Learning about life what schools do not teach

9. Auntie, Edward Blishen
4 🌟
*Expect something opposite to the title
*Art

10. The Children's Crusade, Steven Runciman
4 🌟
*Almost a fairytale

11. G. Trueheart, Man's Best Friend, Jamescnamee
3🌟
*What love means

12. The Girl Who Never Knew Dad, A Head Teacher
4 🌟
*The shortest short story and it's good

13. The Dam, Halliday Sutherland
4 🌟
*A little adventure

14. Going to a Hockey Game with my Sister, Terukp Hyuga
4 🌟
*Exactly what the title says, liked the warmth it gave

15. Old Warrior, David Walker
4 🌟
*Loved Toby
*The thrill of the adventure is something

16. The Phantom Pirates, Rick Ferreira
3🌟
*Slow and the title is more interesting than the actual story

17. Oath of Friendship, Arthur Waley
Bleh
*Not a Story
*Just a short poem of 8 lines by Anon

***Sometimes authors and publishers try too hard to add more titles for nothing. It's irritating.

18. Miss Smith and the Black Pearl, Maureen Lee
4 🌟
*About a memorable school teacher

19. The Black One, Charles Webster
4 🌟
*Wilderness and adventure

20. Kafa, the Furious One, Peggy Albrecht
2🌟
*totally against animal cruelty

21. The Candidate Who Knew Too Much, Surendra Mohanty
4 🌟
*Read this one for sure. Love the intensity of the short interview

22. Uncle Ken's Rumble in the Jungle, Ruskin Bond
4 🌟
*Wilderness and adventure

A good collection but most of them are taken out from full-fledged books by these famous authors so I felt the stories as somehow incomplete.

[Em*Greedy* (Iniya) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the collection of stories, though not all of them were school days stories...

[Praveen · Rating 1 out of 5]

School Days……

For all of us School Days have gifted us with vivacious memories and I am not exception. And when I recollect the stories which I heard in my school days… it’s like looking thru a kaleidoscope...

But this book it’s not actually written by Ruskin Bond, these are the stories edited by him which are taken from the classical children stories. The selection of stories in this book is sick….there are more vibrant stories which can be made into a collection which takes about School Days.

[Padmaja · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of short stories compiled by Ruskin Bond is a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed some stories like

[Prateeksha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before commencing this book, I had a completely different assumption. I thought this would have been set in an Indian landscape or somewhere in the hills of Utra Khand to be more precise. 

But to my surprise, It was a collection of short stories that fascinated Ruskin Bond. The stories were written by Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Richmal Crompton, and so on. Most of the stories are set in Europe. Some stories are extremely cute, I had wished to time travel to that period. Whereas some depict the intensity of slavery. Some stories explore the zeal of childhood. Also, How could Ruskin Bond's book get completed without his touch? The last story in this anthology is written by him with his usual plot setup in the mountains along with a black jaguar. 

 If you think that stories can bring back nostalgic feelings to you, Umm! that's not guaranteed. But! I can assure you that it'll provide you with a phenomenal reading experience.  Perhaps you can connect to the stories as well, I can't be certain. While staggering between serious literature "School days" would be the luscious candy we must consume. If you like to read lighthearted children's stories, pick this one. Happy reading.

[Satyasheel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compilation of short stories of school days, from many popular works. No genuine Ruskin Bond stories.

[Prachi Kumari]

I want to read school days

[Sananda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointing read. The stories selected are actually excerpts from stories and poor compilation. Nothing of the book reminds of school days.

[Himani · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a good story

[Ishika Jain · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection of 22 stories edited by Ruskin Bond. Some of the stories are set in schools.

[Chris Cyriac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice book

[The Tauriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology apt for school going kids and school missing adults. It is a compilation of various authors.

[Shreya Lal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just wish there were more ruskin Bond's stories

[Pallavi Shukla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the cover of this book, it’s so beautiful!
Ruskin Bond loved a collection of short stories by authors like Charles Dickens and Mark Twain. The stories take you to Europe, with some being super cute and others showing the harsh reality of slavery. You’ll also find tales of childhood adventures!!

If you think stories bring back nostalgia, it’s a bonus! But one thing’s for sure - this book will give you an amazing reading experience! If you enjoy fun and light stories for kids, this book is a great pick!🌻

[Sneh Pradhan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having picked up the book , going by the author's name .........I found the book to be lacklustre . There are a lot many short stories which pulsate with the innocence , wildness , joy and vibrancy of childhood . I could not help but compare the reading experience with that one derives from masterpieces like Malgudi Days, Tom Sawyer, David Copperfield , Oliver Twist etc. A cold, insipid dish , indeed !

[Neha]

it's very nice book

[Seshadri Koushik · Rating 1 out of 5]

Expected So Much but got disappointed by the book. The story is not at all intersting

[Pooja Samaniya]

Very good

[Akshiv Bansal · Rating 5 out of 5]

superb mind blowing one

[Rakshith · Rating 5 out of 5]

i like it

[Ravi Reddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the stories are quite interesting

[Anu Jain · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice book :)

[Sweta Prajapati · Rating 4 out of 5]

perfect for refresh your memories