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...]
Petu Pumpkin: Tooth Troubles
Another edition of my book club, another hOle book! We've read nineteen so far, and I'm running out of ones I think my book clubbers will enjoy! I read Petu Pumpkin: Tooth Troubles four years ago. It is fun and light, and we'll have fun with it, especially as it's the first book we will read next month. Book Cover What's happening in the cover image? Before we start reading, we'll talk about the book cover and try to imagine what the boys are doing. We'll take this one step further and write about the emotions the children are likely to feel too. The Gap Club I love the idea of the Gap Club! As a child (and a devourer of books about clubs), I set up multiple clubs with various different agendas. If you could set up a club, what would the club be called? What would your mission statement be? Can you design a logo for the … [Read more...]
The Lucky List
Are you the kind of person who finishes a book once you've begun? Or are you perfectly happy abandoning a book that doesn't work for you? I'm usually the second, but I'm so glad I stuck with The Lucky List! Two chapters in, and I was not invested in the story. Teenage girl, isolated from her group of friends because she did something unforgivable to her boyfriend ... it didn't seem like the story would engage me. But it was a light, easy read, so I persevered. And I loved the way the story played out. Emily feels anything but lucky. Her mother is dead. Her father seems set on starting afresh, which means getting rid of everything to do with the wife he loved. Emily's best friend Kiera is away at camp. And none of her other friends wants anything to do with her. When Blake, a childhood friend, moves to Huckabee, Emily is both hopeful and despondent. Hopeful because at least … [Read more...]
The Stories Grandma Forgot (and How I Found Them)
How are such few people reading verse novels? They're so lovely, so full of emotion and magic! My latest read was The Stories Grandma Forgot (and How I Found Them), a beautiful middle-grade book about love, stories, and friendship. Nyla Elachi is of mixed heritage, and she's bullied for it. But in some ways, that's the least of her problems. Her beloved grandmother has Alzheimer's. Her mother is overworked. And her father is dead ... or so she thinks. When her grandmother says she saw Basim, her father, Nyla begins to ask questions. And as she follows one clue after another, hope, fear and anticipation alternate. She doesn't even know if she's ready to find out everything that is in store for her, but she hears snippets of whispered conversations that make her more curious than ever. With her grandmother's "time-travelling", as Nyla calls the tendency to mix up timelines, the … [Read more...]
The Art of Laughter
Every time I begin a new batch of my writing programme, it feels like the weeks fly by! This edition is nearly at an end, marked by our third and last guest session of the season. This session was conducted by Arundhati Venkatesh, author of a number of humorous books. My book clubbers have read several – Bookasura (which we’re reading again in December 2024), Koobandhee, Petu Pumpkin: Freedom Fighter, Petu Pumpkin: Tiffin Thief and Petu Pumpkin: Cheater Peter. Step by step, Arundhati led us through the writing of a humorous story. To begin with, if you want to write humour, you must enjoy reading funny stuff. This is something I say often---if you don't read, you cannot write. I don't restrict my definition of reading to fiction, though. We consume content in all kinds of ways, including memes and blog posts! Secondly, the core of humour is truth, something that I completely … [Read more...]
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