Posted @withregram • @learninghappenseverywhere Do you watch/read the news with your kids?

I know not everyone does, and that doing so can provide a very slanted view of the world - but anyhow, at our house, we do. But we don’t do only local news - we try to sample through other places the kids are connected to, that they’ve travelled to, that have meaning for them. It shows them a non-touristy view of the place, what issues are being experienced there, and allows them to compare what news media there shows compared to news media here. Key point being, we talk extensively about what we see being reported/not reported.

The point of my babble above is that some months ago, back when Covid-19 still felt countries away, we were inspired to learn about the situation for domestic helpers and other migrant workers in Singapore, since the outbreak in the worker dorms had highlighted their plight. We’d discussed it - this topic breaks my heart - but eventually moved onto other topics, until I came across this book and we all read it. It’s aimed at a middle-grade audience, and both my kids highly recommend it for bringing to light the plight of these domestic workers in a very balanced, yet kid-friendly way. It highlights very nicely the impossible situation these workers are in, and the importance of teaching the next generation to prioritize kindness and social justice.

Caveat: for a middle grade book, there are a surprising amount of swear words in this book, from both the 10 year old protagonist and her mother. No filter! And the resolution of the plot line is quite white-saviour-ish, 🙄, but I suppose that can be another discussion point for guided reading. 🤷🏻‍♀️ This isn’t a book to leave with the kids to enjoy on their own - it’s definitely going to need discussion of all parts.

#homeschool #homeschoolmom #raisingreaders #middlegradebooks #middlegradefiction #bookwormkids #thisishowwehomeschool #unschooling #chipmunksofinstagram @monsoonbooks ...

Posted @withregram • @literasea.bookclub “There wasn’t any fiction about Brunei; it might be novel to have a sort of window into that small country.”⁣
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In April, the LiteraSEA Book Club caught up with the author of Written In Black, Dr. K.H. Lim via Skype. We talked about Lim’s inspiration for the book and wondered if the story had been based on his own childhood — here we share the highlights with you!⁣
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We also caught up about the Bruneian literary scene and censorship, but we’ll share them with you some other time ⁣👀
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Thank you Dr. KH Lim for spending time with us, and @monsoonbooks for connecting!⁣
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#LiteraSEAbookclub #LiteraSEA #southeastasianliterature #asianliterature #southeastasia #brunei #bruneianliterature #KHLim #writteninblack #bookstagram #igbooks #diverseclassics #literature ...

Register for a Zoom lecture on “Writing Indonesian History” by Prof. Anthony Reid of ANU at bit.ly/Guest-LectureS3 (Thursday 20 Aug, 1pm WIB, 2pm Singapore, 4pm AEST, 6am GMT)

Monsoon Books has yet to hear back from the Indonesian organizers but we believe the original Indonesian flyer should have read Thursday 20 Aug, not Tuesday 20 Aug (so we have edited their flyer). Please try the following login credentials if you don’t hear directly from the Indonesian organizers:

Meeting ID: 965 8813 8717
Passcode: 676947
Or click on the following link to join:
https://undip-ac-id.zoom.us/j/96588138717?pwd=dU9SSksrQlFSY2NHM1Z0eUZHQzcvQT09 ...

Register for a Zoom lecture on “Writing Indonesian History as Fact and Fiction” by Prof. Anthony Reid, author of “Mataram”, on Tues, 20 Aug at bit.ly/Guest-LectureS3 #indonesia #indonesianliterature #booksonindonesia #java #mataram #historicalfiction ...