As a child, I was quite the chatterbox. I remember my cousin offering me five rupees if I could stay quiet for five minutes. I spent all of those five minutes asking if five minutes were over. Needless to say, I never earned those five rupees. And that’s why a character like Rini is particularly endearing. She isn’t just a chatterbox; she is a chatter-machine. But like so many other children who enjoy the sound of their own voice, she doesn’t quite remember to listen, to pay attention to what those around her might want. On Air with RJ Rini is a charming story about a girl who realises that becoming a radio jockey is the perfect career choice for her. When her best friend Uma isn’t nearly as excited about the prospect, Rini is confused. Why is Uma unhappy? It takes Gaga—aka Gayatri Aunty—to help her solve the mystery of the sulking best friend. I thoroughly enjoyed the … [Read more...]
Book Covers – Reimagined
Our second guest session of the season--and my thirty-fifth guest session in all--was such a visual treat! We haven't ever had a cover design workshop before and I enjoyed this one, particularly as Isha Nagar, who conducted the session, designed two of my book covers (Fishbowl and Uncontrollable), both of which I love! Through the course of an hour, Isha guided us through the process of redesigning covers for our favourite books. We began by writing down the main characters and theme of the story. Then, Isha explained the three essential elements of a book cover - title, the main illustration, and author name. She showed us multiple examples, demonstrating various design approaches from her own work as well as famous titles by other illustrators. She spoke about Fishbowl, The Ghost of Malabar, Banian Buddies, and several more. It was wonderful to see the range of covers she shared … [Read more...]
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 and his friend Soups are fun, enterprising characters, itching to try something new. After all, they want to win a prize on WAYOUTS - World’s As Yet Original Untried Tricks and Stunts. Toothpaste art sounds like a good idea--or not. Funny, silly and full of wacky ideas, Mooli is a character with whom book clubs are fun! Art Explorations Mooli tries to create art using a tube of toothpaste. We're not going to waste toothpaste, but we are going to have fun with art! Can the children draw with their eyes closed? Or with their … [Read more...]
Tara and the Friendship Theorem
Maths and Logic are fascinating. I remember when I studied Descartes, who tried to prove the existence of God using pure logic. I understand the drive to do that - just like I understand Tara's need to use a theorem to find friends. Can a foolproof Friendship Theorem exist? Can we actually use a Venn diagram to find friends? Tara and the Friendship Theorem is a lovely book about big changes and making friends. Like with Ramanujan, I enjoyed the facts at the head of each chapter; they help me get into Tara's very particular character. Just like Tara (and the author Chitra Soundar), I, too, played pallanguzhi as a child too, though my rules were a little different from the ones at the beginning of the book. But I played all things mathematics - Cheese Buzz, Magic Squares, even mental maths games. Unlike Tara, however, I never attempted to use Maths to find friends. And more importantly, I … [Read more...]
Ada Lace, On the Case
Most of my book clubbers love mystery stories, and that's why the A to Z Mysteries are a great favourite. It's time to introduce another series--Ada Lace, On the Case! Like Maya from Maya and the Robot, Ada Lace is a scientist and inventor. How does she solve the mystery of a dog that has suddenly gone missing? As we find out, here's what we'll do! Picture Description Let's begin by looking at the cover of Ada Lace, On the Case. What do we learn about the protagonist just from the picture?What, in your opinion, is Ada most interested in? Field Journal The cover of Ada Lace, On the Case has the protagonist holding a field guide. What is a field guide, and what is a field journal? I will ask my book clubbers to keep a field journal for ten days, as we read this book. During the last class, each of them will share what they jotted … [Read more...]
Maya and the Robot
Maya and the Robot by Eve L. Ewing is a heart-warming story about a girl and a robot. It is the story of being lonely, finding community. and discovering what it is to be human. Particularly in an age when AI has found its way into so much of our lives, it's a relevant read while also being a timeless one. Here's what we'll do as we read it at my book club. Book Discussion What, according to you, makes a human different from a robot? At my book club, we'll have a mini-debate on the topic: A robot would make an excellent friend.I'm curious about what my book clubbers will come up with! Vocabulary Games Maya and the Robot is one of those books for which I found tons of resources online--though mostly related to vocabulary. Let's do criss-cross puzzles, word games, and more! Science Fiction For the creative writing … [Read more...]
Song of the Asunam
Song of the Asunam is a stunning book. Just like when we read Chris Riddell's Ottoline series, we're going to spend a lot of time looking at the pictures of this gorgeous graphic novel as we read it together at my book club! Here's what else we'll do as we read. Fantastical Creatures Can you create a fantastical creature? And no, I don't mean a unicorn with wings or a three-headed dog. Can you come up with something unlike anything you've ever read about or seen? At my book club, we'll describe and draw creatures that would belong to the world of the Asunam! Monster I love playing monster games because they give so much scope to the imagination! Together, we'll create a monster and like Vetri in the story, we'll figure out whether the monster is truly wicked or just sad and misunderstood. Heroes and Villains What … [Read more...]
Rocket Champs
Rocket Champs by Niyatee Sharma is perfect for young readers who enjoy stories about STEM. It follows the timeless enemies-to-friends trope in a fun, believable way. I look forward to introducing this quick read to my book clubbers! Here's what we'll do as we read. Things Going Wrong Arjun feels like everything's going wrong. His mother has banned experiments at home. Worse, he has to team up with the most annoying girl in school for a science project! At my book club, we'll use this as the prompt for a couple of exercises. One - how many synonyms do you know for the word "annoying"? And two, what does the most annoying day in the world look like to you? Write a journal entry! Experiments While I would have loved to make a rocket with my book clubbers, it's challenging to do it online! I can't monitor their experiments well, and … [Read more...]
The Pink Dress
The Pink Dress is such a delightful book! Just like so many other books I've read by Shabnam Minwalla, it is hilarious and fun, while also addressing bigger themes, including class divides and education.Here's what we'll do as we read this book at my book club next month! Presents As The Pink Dress is the first book we will be reading next month, it will be a good time to get to know one another. Let's talk about presents! What is the best gift you have ever received? Who gave it to you? And is there something that you want that your parents refuse to get for you? Word Games There are lots of words in the book that my book clubbers may not know. So, I'll ask them to look through the book and play a little game. Find three words you don't know and ask someone else to spell them. A little competition always creates a fun way to pay … [Read more...]
A Time to Dance
I went back to a novel in verse after a long time with A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman. It's a lovely tale of grit and ambition, about finding one's path and learning what it is to be a dancer. More than once, I had a pebble in my throat as I read Veda's story of discovery and rejoiced in the way she discovers and defines herself. Veda's mother doesn't want her to dance. She would rather her daughter spent time on more useful, lucrative things, like mathematics. But Veda knows what she wants, and her father and grandmother support her, celebrating her wins and urging her towards excellence. And then, Veda suffers a nightmarish accident. She wakes up to discover that her leg has been amputated from the knee down. Her dreams come crashing down around her, and worst of all, her dance teacher Uday Anna counsels her to choose another path. What follows is a journey of … [Read more...]