Today the blog is for children, a funny story that we can read with parents and thus, encourage reading time in family. A child who sees books at home will always be more curious to read than the one that does not see any, and if the reading time is a family moment, where parents lead their children to magical and different worlds, I’m sure that many will know how to find the beauty of a book.

Revolta dels mitjons (the socks’ riot) by Sebastià Bennassar is a funny story for them, and for the fathers and mothers who are always running late because of the washing machines:

Martina is eight years old and she is very clever: her parents are dedicated to the world of literature, he as a writer and she as a translator, so Martina has empowered her imagination all her life.

When she hears her mother complaining once again that the socks are gone, she shares her theory with her good friends, Oleg and Isa: the washing machine is a door that leads to a parallel world where all the lost socks can be found.

Accompanied by her friends, she decides to embark on this adventure: Oleg and Isa distract the person in charge of the laundry while Martina goes inside a giant washing machine. Suddenly, once inside and already on the move, a hand pulls her and takes her to Gelàndia, a different world where she meets Gregor, a curious being with only one leg and three eyes.  

There, Gregor tells her how his world works: they have magical drawers that when they put their hand, they take out a random sock. Fascinated by her discovery, Martina decides to accompany her new friend to school, where she meets more children like him and learns new things about his world. For example, that humans like her are considered a threat, since an ancient prophecy assures that a human girl would be the end of Gelandia.

Scared, many of the children denounce Martina who, in spite of having the support and protection of her new friend, condemn her to a duel of stories. At this moment, Oleg shows up to find her friend, and Martina asks him to leave and find her parents to be her representatives in this battle.

Without hesitation, Martina’s parents run to save her, but they don’t get the chance to participate in the duel, as the storyteller from Gelàndia denounces the tyranny of his governors and assures that the true prophecy speaks of a human girl who will give them freedom. Finally, Martina and her parents can return home, with their new friends and the satisfaction of having discovered the great mystery of the missing socks.