The Battle for Baramulla, the latest book in the Songs of Freedom series takes us to 1947 Kashmir. The maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir wants his kingdom to remain independent. But when there are attacks from the northwest frontier, is staying independent really an option? The Battle for Baramulla begins slowly. I took a while […]
Rosa in a Rush
Pai’s purple dahlias are missing! Of course Rosa is in a rush–she must find out who stole them. Was it Dona Sylvia de Braganza, who won second-best garden when Pai won the prize for best garden? Or was it Cousin Mario who recently turned his house into a hotel? Rosa must find out! It’s quite […]
What Could It Be?
Bapu is scared of something in the bathroom! What could it be? A gang of ghosts in a giggling gather? Scary skeletons covered in lather? When Diya discovers it’s none of the things her imagination leads her to believe but just a lizard, she knows that she must save her father. Even if her Bapu […]
A Girl, a Tiger and a Very Strange Story
A Girl, a Tiger and a Very Strange Story begins slowly. We see Junglee, a wild child. She is faster than all the others, and she can’t sit still—except when the stillness comes over her. As I turned the first few pages, I wondered where the book would take me. Once I got into Junglee’s […]
Queen of Water
I’ve been waiting to read Queen of Water, the fourth book in Devika Rangachari’s Queen books! I just finished reading it, and it didn’t disappoint. While I did enjoy Queen of Ice and Queen of Fire more, this one also drew me into a world of political intrigue, mistrust and loyalty, where women must fight […]
Delightfully True – A Workshop on Writing Creative Nonfiction
What is creative nonfiction? What makes it different from regular nonfiction? Award-winning author Mallika Ravikumar led us through the second guest session of the season, teaching students what makes creative nonfiction engaging. From techniques of writing–like showing instead of telling–to research methodology, Mallika helped students understand how to go about writing credible creative nonfiction. An […]
Sneaker Paati
Kittu is delighted to discover that he has a cool Paati, the kind he can boast about! She does headstands, and is even willing to teach him to do them! Soon enough, Kittu discovers that his Sneaker Paati, aka Shobha Attai, can do more than just headstands. Maybe she’ll be his new confidante and solve […]
The Adventures of Mooli and the Bully on Wheels
We’re rereading The Adventures of Mooli and the Bully on Wheels at my book club! The book features characters some of my book clubbers have read about before. We’ve read both The Adventures of Mooli and the Sticker Trickster and The Adventures of Mooli and the Blue-Legged Alien. It’s time to meet Mooli again! Mooli […]
The Wall Friends Club
The Wall Friends Club has been shortlisted for the Crossword Book Award! And by the time this edition of Read, Write, Explore begins, I will know who the winner of the award is. I’m excited to be introducing this book of mine to young readers! In this book of mine, Anandi, a soon-to-be 10-year-old leaves a letter in […]
The Kingdom of Wrenly: Adventures in Flatfrost
Fantasy is almost always guaranteed to appeal to my book clubbers! And that’s why we’re reading two works of fantasy this time–The Vampire Boy and Adventures in Flatfrost. The latter is part of a well-loved series too, making it all the more exciting for my book clubbers. Just like when we read a couple of […]
Frindle
We’re rereading Frindle at my book club! I read it quite a long time ago, and it’s EXACTLY my kind of book. Nick Allen isn’t really a troublemaker. He just likes to have fun. And where’s the harm in making up a new word? Pen. Quite a boring, mundane word. Why not call it a […]
The Great Indian Safari
I’ve read barely any nonfiction with my book club. Historical fiction, yes, but nonfiction? I can remember having read only Sita’s Chitwan. The theme of The Great Indian Safari by Arefa Tehsin is similar–wildlife. It’s a theme close to my heart, and I find myself using every opportunity I can to introduce books about it to […]
The Great Sneak-Out
The Great Sneak-Out is such a fun book that I knew I wanted to introduce it to my book club the moment I read it! Humour, silliness and sweetness come together to make this a perfect read for the early middle-grade reader. Siblings As this is the first book we will be reading at Read, Write, […]
The Vampire Boy
The Vampire Boy by Sharanya Deepak is another delightful hOle book – quirky and unique. We’ll be rereading it at my book club in December 2025! The government has decided that all children – including young vampires – must go to school. What is Kristofer to do? He knows he will be shunned, but off he […]
Draw It In Style with Lavanya Karthik
We had nearly twenty participants during the first guest session of the season, an illustration workshop with Lavanya Karthik! Focusing particularly on her Dreamers series, Lavanya talked about her creative process, and how she chose various art styles for different books. The idea of the session was to get participants to work towards creating a self-portrait. To […]
Banian Buddies
Banian Buddies is another lovely book by Vibha Batra! I love how she manages to bring a local flavour to each of her books, from Kolam Kanna to Pinkoo Shergill and now, Banian Buddies. The banyan tree on Banian Avenue is in danger—and it’s all Venky’s fault. He asked his Thatha to write a letter […]
Full Cicada Moon
“Where are you from?” Sometimes, this feels like such an innocuous question. But often, it isn’t. For Mimi Yoshiko Oliver, growing up in 1969 Vermont, it feels like a particularly loaded question because her mother is Japanese and her father is African-American. She is American, but she doesn’t “look” it. Full Cicada Moon is a […]
Punching the Air
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Verse can do what prose cannot. I cannot imagine a book as powerful as Punching the Air being written in prose. It is stark and vivid, detailed and hard-hitting all at the same time. Amal was just sixteen when he was convicted of a crime he […]
The Great Sneak-Out
What an adorable book! The Great Sneak-Out is my favourite POFFS book because it’s such a perfect blend of ridiculous and heartwarming. The charm of the story begins with the dedication. The author Sanjana Kapur once hid her sister (the editor of this book, Aparna Kapur) under a table!? I would love to know more! […]
You Bring the Distant Near
You Bring the Distant Near has been on my TBR for a few years now. Yet, I never got around to reading it because I often don’t enjoy sagas that span generations. The cover says, ‘Five girls. Three generations. One great American love story.’ I wondered if I wanted to read a book spanning generations. […]