Hop On- My Adventures on Boats,Trains and Planes

by Ruskin Bond

A little boy goes riding on a boat. He has been told many fearful stories of sea monsters and strange sea creatures. But what really happens on the boat? Then he is taken high up, far above the land in a tiny plane. The pilot loves to take his plane up and down, diving and swooping. Is that fun? On a train, the boy goes slowly up a hill, amidst piles of snow, through an amazing winterland. But this is no ordinary train, for it is taking a whole load of schoolboys to their boarding school. Can such a train ride really be exciting?

Find out in this set of stories where a young Ruskin Bond travels by train, plane and boat, and tells us all the marvellous adventures from his childhood days. Charmingly illustrated, written in simple language that will delight younger readers, Hop On is the perfect introduction to the wonderful world of Ruskin Bond’s stories.

64 pages, Paperback

Published December 25, 2020

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

[Dhwani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adventures, we’ve all had them, correct? So did a kid named, Ruskin, yes, as in young Ruskin Bond.

In the book, Hop On, Mr. Bond reminiscences the adventures he has had while he was young. He’s written about young Ruskin’s take upon adventures in trains, planes and boats. The book mainly focuses on the circumstances that led to the adventure and how it was perceived by his younger self. This set of stories help us see the perspective of a child and honestly, it’s really fun to read. The cook has filled scary things in young Ruskin’s head about the fishes and he’s really scared of the sea. The pilot navigates the plane with swoops and dives and young Ruskin is scared for his life. Upon the train ride to the boarding school, snowing delays the journey and the boys have to spend the night in the train. What happens next? You can read the book to find out.

Written in a simple yet enjoyable language, Hop On is a fun little book that can get you out of your reading slump. The illustrations work as cherry to the cake and are very enjoyable.

I’m recommending this book to all the kids who like reading and to everyone who enjoys Mr. Bond’s writing and adventures.

[Shruti Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hop On is a lovely book for children with lovely illustrations. What I liked about this book is that Mr. Bond has kept it real and not exaggerated any of his journeys. The book has easy sentences that a child aged 8+ years can easily read.

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book for the young readers with color illustrations. Author's adventures as a young boy.

[Ekta Kubba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hop on! Hop on!
The train will soon be gone.
"Hurry up Rusty!" Mr. Oliver is shouting,
Kalka station is ready to flag off the hill train.

Train is moving through the snowy tracks,
Groaning, whistling and sounding of children's laughter cracks.


Hop on! Hop on!
The boat is ready to sail.
Up and down, waves to drown, the adventure will never fail.

Be armed for the fish-men,
Who can change into a beast or a beautiful maiden.
If caught by one,
Jump for your life, or you'll be completely done.

Hop on! Hop on!
The plane is about to fly.
Fasten your seat belt,
It will surely spin in the sky.

Sheep are grazing on green lands,
The boys are merrily playing.
One spin, two spins,
For safe and quick landing, you'll be praying.

Hop on! Hop on!
Toot-toot! Rusty presses the merry whistle.
Read the book, enjoy the adventures,
Go on with Rusty and find out the sizzle.
-The Writing Nerd

[Sourav Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although it's a children's book but I enjoyed it on my late 20's and I enjoyed it a lot. It felt like I just got a chance to revisit my childhood again, those nostalgic moments and everything was just amazing. I really loved the pictures with every story, they are so cute and colourful. I took nearly 15 minutes to read the book and I must say I really that time and thoroughly enjoyed!
The cover is so beautiful.
Overall, a short and good read!