Raman and Sunny: Middle School Blues

Middle School is the worst period in a child’s life. He or she has to undergo bullying, and an often painful transition from childhood to young adulthood. It is also a period most neglected at home and in school, for the child grows rebellious as he feels he is misunderstood and unjustly dealt with. Parents feel helpless to interfere. Imagine what then can be the plight of twins?Set in teeming, exotic Mumbai, India, this is the story about Raman and Sunny who are twins. Their childhood period was full of companionship and love and healthy competition. But with their graduation to middle school their travails began. Raman and Sunny felt suffocated on being compared with each other. Each wanted to choose his own path, be it academics or sports. They drifted apart and the bullying began. Where before their togetherness was their strength, their separation resulted in their being isolated and bullied, especially the mild Raman. Resentment between the twins creeps in and the crevice in their relationship widens. The mild Raman allows resentment to feed him and he becomes irritable and destructive. This leads to him being thrust before the school counsellor, Mrs. Bulwa, who decides that the best way to deal with waywardness in children, is to deprive them of their comfort zone.Raman’s only solace is his friend Imran. Imran is the son of a Doctor. He is weak in studies but has a literary bent of mind. He shares his passion with Raman. But as things turn out, even here Raman misreads the situation and resorts to a deed which lowers him in the estimation of his father.Enter Sunil Sir. He is a reformer teacher who firmly believes that children should be encouraged to explore the different subjects taught by research and analysis methods to inculcate a love for learning and literature. Though sometimes prejudiced by past events, he does not allow this to cloud his judgement. The book deals with parenting, the agony of middle school, the individuality of each child, the jealousy, resentment and fear of change faced by both children and teachers, each at their level. It deals with violence, resentment, bullying, and defiance in children. It explores new methods to get the child on the right path by introducing him to those less fortunate than himself. It explores a synthesis in learning and new and fun methods of teaching. And it deals with the inherent goodness in children and in man. It’s a family story, which shows that love, forgiveness and understanding in family life will help bring stability to a child’s life.

Fiza Pathan is a teacher and an award-winning author of nine books: S.O.S. Animals and Other Stories, Treasury of Bizarre Christmas Stories, Classics: Why we should encourage children to read them, Nirmala: The Mud Blossom, So This Is Love - Collected Poems, Classics: How we can encourage children to read them, The Flame Will Always Burn-Selected Poems, Amina: The Silent One, Raman and Sunny: Middle School Blues, and ＂Flesh of Flesh＂ (Short Story). She is the recipient of the following awards: 1. CLASSICS: Why we should encourage children to read them Silver Award Recipient, Mom’s Choice Awards(r) Kindle version. 2014 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, Best Book in the category of Education. (Paperback) 2015 Beverly Hill Book Awards-Winner in the category of Education/Academic. 2. CLASSICS: How we should encourage children to read them Silver Award Recipient, Mom’s Choice Awards(r) Kindle version. 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards-Finalist 2015 Eric Hoffer Award- Honourable Mention (e-Book/non-fiction) 2015 IAN International Book Award- Finalist (How-to) 2015 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award- Bronze Medal 2016 EPIC EBook Awards - Finalist Non-Fiction 3. NIRMALA: The Mud Blossom 2014 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, Best Book in the category of Novella. 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards-Finalist 2015 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award- Honourable Mention 4. S.O.S. Animals And Other Stories 2015 Holiday Book Festival- Honourable Mention 2015 Animals, Animals, Animals Book Festival- RUNNER-UP 5. So This Is Love - Collected Poems 2014 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, Best Book in the category of Poetry. 6. The Flame Will Always Burn-Selected Poems 2015 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, Best Book in the category of Poetry. 7. Treasury Of Bizarre Christmas Stories 2015 Halloween Book Festival- RUNNER-UP 8. Amina: The Silent One Fall 2015 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, Best Book in the category of fiction. Amina: The Silent One made IR’s - Best Indies List of 2015 (Source: IndieReader) 2015 New Apple Book Awards - Solo ＂Medalist Winner＂ in the E-Book General Fiction category. 9. Raman and Sunny: Middle School Blues 2015 New England Book Festival- Honorable Mention in Young Adult 2015 London Book Festival- Honorable Mention in Young Adult She also hosts a blog at www.insaneowl.com. Fiza invites you to connect with her via her website at www.fizapathan.com, on Twitter @FizaPathan, and on Goodreads