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 […]
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. […]
What Feelings Like Best
What a stunning sequel to What Feelings Do When No One Is Looking! What Feelings Like Best takes us on a whimsical journey with our feelings. Who does Curiosity hang out with? Why does Courage think her elder brother is actually the braver one? Where must Gratitude search for beautiful little bits and bobs to […]
The Mystery of the Disappearing Drone
The AKA Detective Club is back with another mystery to solve! A couple of months ago, we read The Mystery of the Missing Geometry Boxes at my book club for ages 9 and 10, and most of my book clubbers enjoyed it. A series of mysteries is always fun, so we’re sure to read The […]
Mules that Fall from the Sky
How does one write about a book like Mules that Fall from the Sky? As adults, we often feel the need to shelter children from anything disturbing or difficult. I wonder, though, whether it’s because we don’t want to think about these things, rather than for any other reason. Mules that Fall from the Sky […]
The Halloween Adventure and Other Stories
The World of Butterfingers works so well in the comic format! I’ve read just one book from the popular series by Khyrunnisa A before–Smash It, Butterfingers!–and it was an enjoyable read. This one, illustrated by Abhijeet Kini, is fun and engaging, reminding me of the Tinkle comics I read as a child. The Halloween Adventure […]
Boo-Boo’s Adventures
We’ve read Boo-Boo Investigates and Boo-Boo the Eco-Warrior; we’re now all set to read Boo-Boo’s Adventures! My book clubbers particularly enjoy the Boo-Boo series because the chapters are like little standalone stories, which are fun and engaging. A friendly ghost and a kind human child make a charming pair! Good Deeds GGPa announces an award for the one who […]
Blame It on the Untz
Blame It on the Untz by Lavanya Karthik is such a fun book! From the crocodile of group work to music making and competition, there’s so much we can do with this book at my book club! Once more, it’s part of a series–POFFS. I don’t yet know whether I will read the others in the […]
The Timekeepers: Exploring Ancient Egypt
Time travel, adventures in history, and a gang of kids set to defeat a villain come together in The Timekeepers: Exploring Ancient Egypt. At the October-November 2025 edition of my book club for ages seven and eight, I’m excited to be introducing yet another fun series of books to children. Ancient Egypt, with its mummies, pyramids, […]
The Worst Witch and the Wishing Star
We read Jill Murphy’s The Worst Witch to the Rescue last year; I’m excited to read another book from the series. The Worst Witch and the Wishing Star brings together so many things children love that I’m sure we’ll enjoy it. For one, most of my book clubbers love reading about magic. Added to that, when we have […]
Koobandhee
Koobandhee is such a fun book! We’ve read Bookasura twice; now we’re rereading Koobandhee too! Bala is excited about meeting Bookasura again, but when he goes near the well at Navaneeth Uncle’s farm, he discovers another monster there, a monster that’s even scarier than Bookasura! Worst of all, Koobandhee seems like an asura who is out […]
Ghosts, Thieves and Aha! Adventures
We’ll begin with another Silly Billy book next month! I hope there will be many more of these because it is a delightful series for young readers. With its full colour illustrations and its wacky, agenda-free stories, the series is a treat for early middle grade readers. We’ve read Jumble Sale and Agassi and the Great Cycle Race. […]
Left-Out Paru
A brand-new hOle book for a brand-new edition of my book club! Left-Out Paru is a book that struck a chord with me because even though I’m not left-handed, I’ve thought about lots of things designed for right-handed people. Scissors. Cameras. Desks. Here’s what we’ll do as we read this book by Bijal Vachharajani and Rajiv Eipe […]
Blame It on the Untz
I learned one new word when I read Left-Out Paru, and I learned another when I read Blame It on the Untz! Untz. What a delightful word! And just like so many books I’ve read by Lavanya Karthik, Blame It on the Untz is such a fun book! Adi is excellent at the keyboard. And […]
October, October
We live in the woods and we are wild. That’s what eleven-year-old October says, over and over, about her father and her. The woman who is her mother is not like them. She isn’t wild. She left them in the forest, choosing to go closer to civilisation and live with human comforts. And October cannot […]
Willodeen
Screechers. Hummingbears. Peacock snails. I’m always amazed when writers seem to effortlessly bring a fantastical world to life, and Katherine Applegate is a master at it. I came across it first in Crenshaw (one of the top 5 chapter books I read in 2020); Willodeen left me awestruck. Willodeen plays out in a world very much like […]
The Upside Down River: Hannah’s Story
Sometimes, you read a charming story, almost old-fashioned in its telling, and you don’t quite know why you like it so much. My Father’s Dragon was a book like that; The Upside Down River – Hannah’s Journey was another. When I picked up the book, I didn’t know that it was the sequel to a […]