Category Archives: 9-11 years

World’s Weirdest Sandwich

This poem has been composed by 11-year-old Shaurya Gupta from Hyderabad and was chosen by the Jury as the Runner-Up of ‘Best Poem of the Year’ award at the BTB Wordsmiths of the Year Awards 2023.

Finally, I am conquering the feat
Of making the world’s most beastly sandwich seen
Poisonous if you do eat
Enough to make one’s mouth go scream

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Two to Tango by Ethan & Leona

At Beyond the Box, we are constantly thinking of ideas to give something unique, refreshing as well as challenging to our community of writers. Two to Tango is one such endeavour to encourage the participants to work along with another writer as a team and bring about a creative synergy. 40+ teams participated in Season 3 of this one-of-its-kind contest and the winners were chosen by prolific author Kanchana Banerjee. Below prompt was given to the writers and they were asked to narrate the same story from two different points of view. 

Prompt – Write a fictional story in which a book reveals a secret. Feel free to creatively interpret the prompt in any genre of your choice. 

The Winners in the kids’ category were Ethan Gonsalves & Leona Saldanha (Team 16). Enjoy their story!

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The Orange Cat of Bengal

A few years ago, in the Bengali town of Kalyani, there lived a young girl named Radha. She was a simple girl. She lived with her mother in a 2 BHK apartment above a sweet shop. Her father had gone to Chennai 10 years ago to make his fortune, but never wrote to them or sent any money back home. Her mother worked as a peon in a big office, and earned 1000/- a month, just enough for the two of them. Every morning she woke up at 5:30 in the morning to go to school, and by the time she came back, her mother would have left, but not without setting up lunch in the kitchen.

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Book Review – Flyaway Boy

Book Title – Flyaway Boy
Author –Jane De Suza
Published By – Puffin
Recommended Age Group – 9-12 years

Kabir is an ordinary boy at first glance, but there’s an astonishing difference between his biological and mental age. Despite being an imaginative and kind individual, he often finds himself sidelined by peers, teachers, and even his own family, almost invisible to those around him. However, when he mysteriously disappears, he becomes the center of attention. His elder sister and the police mobilize to find him, leaving the question hanging – will Kabir ever return to his family? Discover the answer in ‘Flyaway Boy’ by Jane De Suza. 

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Book Review – Wish

Book Title – Wish
Author – Barbara O’Connor
Published By – Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group
Recommended Age Group – 9-12 years

‘WISH’ is an enthralling book which tells us about the captivating story of Charlie Reese who is sent to live with a family when her mother could not take care of her in Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. It talks about how she adapts to the new place settling in with her big-hearted aunt and uncle, her loving dog and how she befriends a boy named Howard in her class. Charlie has a lot of wishes in mind but all of them seem unlikely to happen. The book tells us about how Charlie Reese finally realizes the true meaning of family in North Carolina.

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Book Review – Wonder

Book Title – Wonder
Author – R.J.Palacio
Published By – Penguin Random House
Recommended Age Group – 10+ years

When I finally finished Wonder, it was hard to stop thinking about how it inspired and refreshed me. The positive feedback covering the inside pages and back cover of the book could only begin to describe the great emotional journey that is Wonder. It is a book that I can guarantee will leave any reader feeling better.

“My name is August. I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.”

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Manarola Model

In the beautiful coastal town of Manarola, there lived a peasant girl named Lisa. She lived by the sea in a hut with her mother, as her father had left them when she was little. She didn’t have toys like we do, but she loved playing on the beach with her friends and helping people around her. There was no proper school in her town but she did her best to learn what she could and developed wonderful life skills as she grew up

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