I finally read a few more young adult books last year, so I don't have to combine my late middle-grade and young adult books! I loved all these books, three of which are by writers I've read before. I highly recommend these books for ages 13+! Spin I am not usually a fan of mythological retellings, but what a gorgeous book Spin by Rebecca Caprara was! It was part of the required reading for a course I did on revising a verse novel and it was my favourite on the list. Full of powerful imagery, this sapphic young adult verse novel blew me away with its story as well as its storytelling. It's splendid! Book review The Poet X I read Elizabeth Acevedo's less famous Clap When You Land some time ago and I loved it. The Poet X is, in some ways, even more powerful. It's such a moving story, and the verse form is the perfect way … [Read more...]
Top 10 Middle Grade Books – 2024
I read many, many middle grade books last year, but somehow just one Indian book stands out this time! Here are my top ten, in no particular order. I highly recommend these books to readers ten and above! The Stories Grandma Forgot (and How I Found Them) Last year, I read many books in verse, primarily because that's what I've been writing. My most recent middle-grade verse read was The Stories Grandma Forgot (and How I Found Them) by Nadine Aisha Jassat. It's a richly woven book about family and a support system. I always find verse novels to be pacy reads, but this one was even more so because it has multiple secrets at its core, secrets that the reader is curious to uncover. It's a story about stories, and I love how all the stories come together at the end. Book review Odder Odder by Katherine Applegate is the second … [Read more...]
Top 10 Early Middle Grade Books – 2024
Many of the titles on this list of my favourite early middle grade books from 2024 are book club reads. Some, the children enjoyed thoroughly; others, I enjoyed more than the children did! On the whole, I recommend these books for ages nine and up. In no particular order, here are my top ten early middle grade reads from 2024. No Talking Even though I don't usually like books that follow a boys vs girls sort of dynamic, I thoroughly enjoyed No Talking by Andrew Clements! For me, his books are particularly useful because there's just so much I can do with them at a book club. With easy, readable text that is humorous and engaging, they are perfect for all kinds of readers; plus, my book clubbers love them. No Talking was no different! Book activities Kushti Kid So many books by Vibha Batra have featured on my lists of … [Read more...]
Top 7 Picture Books and Chapter Books – 2024
It's time for my yearly roundups! I have no idea how many books I read last year (I never count), but I know I read a significant number. I read fewer picture books than usual, but I made up for that by reading dozens of chapter books.I always share these annual posts of mine with a disclaimer---not all these books were published in 2024; I just read them in 2024.A second disclaimer---I received several of these books as review copies from the publishers. This does not influence my opinion of the books; I review only ones that I enjoy.And now, here's the first of my lists - my favourite picture books and early chapter books. Three Hook Books and one hOle book feature on the list! What Happened to Grandpa What Happened to Grandpa by Nandini Nayar and Aditi Anand is a beautiful picture book about love and loss. A bittersweet story about coming to … [Read more...]
Boo-Boo the Eco-Warrior
I don't like horror stories, but what about stories featuring a friendly, helpful ghost? Boo-Boo the Eco-Warrior is one of those! Written almost like a series of short stories, this book by Tanushree Podder is a child-friendly read, made all the more engaging by the use of varied font sizes and, of course, pictures. Boo-Boo the ghost, along with her human friend Tanya, embark on a set of adventures including a rescue mission and justice for an old man employed by a cruel shopkeeper. I'm sure my book club will enjoy this one! A Ghostly Friend Wouldn't it be useful to have a friend who can turn invisible at will? What adventures would you go on together? Tanya and Boo-Boo have some answers, but I know that my book clubbers will have more! Newspaper Bags Schools often use the phrase "art integration", something that is an integral … [Read more...]
Misfit Madhu
We're rereading Misfit Madhu at my book club! It was a favourite when I read it two years ago, although it's longer and slightly more complex than the books we usually read. I'm waiting to read it again!Madhu makes an app that goes viral. At first, she can't quite believe it, but soon, she begins to bask in the attention. Things quickly go wrong, though, and Madhu must decide between what she wants and what's right. Here's what we'll do as we read the book! Apps When we read Cricket for the Crocodile, we did an activity where we made our own games. One child made a rudimentary online game, which made me wonder: what apps do children feel they need? While we won't create an app (I know nothing about coding!), we will try to design one, coming up with a name, a purpose and details of what the app can do, no matter how farfetched. What … [Read more...]
Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom
Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom opens with the oracle at Delphi predicting the fall of the Titans. The future is misty and the oracle’s glasses are foggy, so she can’t quite tell what will happen. What lies ahead? Dancers? Oh, no. Danger. Danger lies ahead.On that humorous note, we begin the story of Zeus, who has no idea that he isn’t an ordinary ten-year-old boy. Sure, it often feels like the lightning is after him, but then, that isn’t possible, is it? It’s a coincidence. It has to be. Except for the fact that each time lightning strikes him, he hears a voice saying, "You are the one."I thoroughly enjoyed reading Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom, which made me sure that my book club would love it too. Adventure, suspense and a good dose of mythology make it a fun read! Chip English At the temple in Delphi, Zeus discovers a rock chip, which … [Read more...]
Trouble-Maker
Have you read any books by Andrew Clements? I've read several, and each one of them has been such a good choice as a book club read! Perhaps it's because Clements writes about school and even though some elements aren't exactly relatable, there are so many that are! Plus, with books like Frindle and The Losers Club, there's so much we can do as we read! Troublemaker "Troublemaker" is a hard tag to break away from. Often, teachers give us labels that we like or dislike. Talkative. Quiet. Mischievous. Intelligent. Lazy. Hardworking. What labels do you feel people associate with you? Do you like them? Vocabulary Games One of the most popular games at my book club is what we call 'Fast Find'. Often, when we don't know the meaning of a word, we don't bother to look it up, but we do understand the meaning based on its context. I give … [Read more...]
Mini’s Questions
We read Mini's Books a while ago, and it was fun! As a couple of book clubbers who read it with me have already signed up for the February 2025 edition, I decided to read another book from the series. The familiarity of characters always makes for a fun reading experience!Children have more questions than adults can answer, and soon enough, adults get fed up of answering their endless questions. But what if questions can help solve a mystery? Would parents sit up and take notice? Like the rest of the Mini series, Mini's Questions is a simple, early reader chapter book that brings pictures and text together in an engaging way! Questions Often, when I ask children if they have any questions, they have none. But what about if I give them a picture and a few guiding questions? Let's see what other questions they have! A curious mind leads to all … [Read more...]
Kushti Kid
Kushti Kid is another lovely book by Vibha Batra, one that I know my book club will enjoy! For me, the challenge when it comes to introducing books published by Scholastic India is that there's no ebook available, which often means that I have to restrict my book clubbers to children living in India, or at least children who have access to books in India.Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to reading this with my book clubbers! Sport What is kushti? Looking at the cover image, do you feel the girl stands a chance? Why, or why not?As Kushti Kid is the first book we will be reading next month, I would love for my book clubbers to tell me what sports they play and watch. Also, since I like to link reading to other activities too, we'll do a quick listening exercise on sport as well. Sportspeople A discussion on sport will also be the … [Read more...]