First runner-up for the
Scholastic Asian Book Award 2018
Shortlisted for the
AG-BLF Book Prize for Children's Fiction 2023
Shortlisted for the Neev Book Award 2021
Selected for the NLF Reading Challenge 2023
Finalist: Scholastic Asian Book Award 2016
Finalist: Singapore Book Award 2019
Hello!
I love writing for children, and have been writing since I was seven. I began my publishing “career” at the age of seven and a half with a story about a dame (blame Enid Blyton for that) who hated plants. I went on to mice who turned into fairies and pixies who never drove or gave away their cars.
A little older now, I have two collections of short stories, five middle-grade novels, three chapter books, four picture books, two series of books on trains, plus stories and essays here and there.
I also run online book clubs and creative writing programmes for children and teenagers. As a rule, new editions of my book club for ages seven and eight, and Read, Write, Explore for ages nine and ten begin every alternate month. My writing programmes are three months long and are conducted twice a year – April to June, and October to December.
If you would like to receive email notifications about my programmes, please fill this form. Alternatively, follow me on social media – Facebook and Instagram – for regular updates.
Upcoming Workshops
Explore My Books
Published by Duckbill
Dead. My parents are dead.
It’s . . . my fault?
Voices, noises, whispers.
I build a fragile, safe world against it all.
For now, I’m safe.
But will I ever . . . be me?
Fishbowl is my second middle-grade verse novel, one that explores grief and healing as it seeks to make sense of 12-year-old Mahee’s fragmented world.
Red Eyes
Published by Scholastic Asia and Scholastic India
Eleven-year-old Veer Prann runs away from his posh boarding school, where he was bullied, to Suryanagar, where his father is a forest officer. At Suryanagar, he makes friends with the forest guides and learns about the jungle. It’s a different world from boarding school, but nothing prepares Veer for the naked red-eyed girl he sees in a tree one day. The girl, whom Veer calls Medha, is a mystery, an intelligent and intuitive being who communicates with Veer through the psychic transmission of images. Afraid that she will become Suryanagar’s next tourist attraction, Veer must figure out whom to trust and how to save Medha from being caught.
This book is was first published by Scholastic Asia in 2022. It is now available in India too!
Published by Duckbill
Children forced out of their homes
Humans discarded as empty shells
A Machine that sucks out Power.
Secrets
More secrets
And still more secrets-
I must fight a government of evil,
destroy the Machine,
and . . . save my mother.
Me, twelve-year-old Rohini.
Ha. Really?
Parallel worlds, time travel, vortices and an evil Machine come together in this fast-paced fantasy novel in verse. The eternal struggle of good versus evil rages on. Can Rohini and her friends triumph?
Dhara's Revolution
Published by Puffin
Can friendship withstand the test of school elections?
In Sarvaloka Public School, children are referred to as ‘future citizens’, but the teachers never ask the students for their opinions. Nine-year-old Dhara sets out to change this. She starts a revolution and convinces the whole school to vote for the first time. But in the chaos of the elections, Dhara loses sight of what’s really important to her.
Can Dhara find her way back before things get out of control?
Published by Scholastic
A boy is excited at the prospect of finding treasure in an old house; a girl meets a strange creature with a magical gift; a retired teacher reminisces about the students whose lives she touched; and a colour-blind child triumphs in art class. These are just some of the stories in this light-hearted, often humorous collection that showcases the lives of children in contemporary India.
Dragonflies, Jigsaws, and Seashells, published by Scholastic Asia, is a collection of short stories for young readers. It was shortlisted for the Scholastic Asian Book Award 2016.
Watch a reading of one story from the collection here, and explore activities you can do based on this book here.
Published by Young Zubaan
As if being the new kids isn’t enough, Padma and Kannagi Shankar quickly find that New Dawn High School isn’t exactly a regular school. They have weird subjects like ‘Pot of Gold’ and ‘Maths and Beauty’ — and some of their classes are taught by students! But it’s more strange than bad, and the sisters start to enjoy themselves and make new friends — until a discovery in the library and a few unpleasant encounters make them confused and anxious about both school and family. With their parents far away, and their Thatha not the easiest person to talk to, the girls are forced to look for solutions on their own. But will that be enough, or will their new school soon become their old school?
Published by Duckbill Books
Jasmine and Sheba want to spend the holidays finding homes for stray puppies. But to do so, they have to first solve a series of puzzles set by Sheba’s father, Clockwala Uncle. Can they do this in time?
This book was shortlisted for the Neev Book Award 2021 in the Emerging Readers category.
Published by Karadi Tales
“We’ll show them we can do things they never even thought of doing!” [Tarini’s] mind raced. “We could just try things out, you know, like scientists!”
Holi is around the corner! Antara, Tarini, and their friend Saira want to do something different. So they get plotting and come up with a wonderful idea. But will all go to plan?
Varsha Seshan tells a heart-warming story about the resourcefulness of three young girls who come up with the best idea of all to save their Holi!
Published by Pratham Books
Illustrated by Mandar Mhaskar
A whale shark is a big fish. How big is it? Is it bigger than a blue whale? Or smaller than a dolphin? Set in the marine world, this book introduces the concept of comparison.
This is a Level 3 picture book, free to read on Pratham Books’ StoryWeaver platform.