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 children.Engaging in its format and full of possibility in terms of what I can do with it at a book club, The Great Indian Safari is a work of creative nonfiction told from the point of view of Charred the Bard, a jungle crow. I look forward to soaring through the forests of India with him! Wildlife How many of my book clubbers have been on a safari? What rules do we follow on safaris and why? During one of our sessions, each of my book clubbers will present something about any animal found in the jungles of India. As an … [Read more...]
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, Explore in December, we'll talk about siblings, both real and fictional! Do you have a sibling? We'll have a freewheeling conversation, but we'll also work on similes, comparing siblings to different things in nature, an activity I've done before and enjoy. This will connect well to our next activity! Figures of Speech To say Ampoorna Ma'am was angry would have been like calling the Taj Mahal a hut.What figure of speech is this? How can we bring humour into our writing by using comparisons? Let's find out! Chapter Titles Creative … [Read more...]
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 goes, only to meet with curiosity and bullying. In a way that is perfect for this age-group, humour underlines everything that happens to Kristofer. Soon, he makes friends with not just Bo, but also Bran, the class bully. Together, they go to school, they go on a camp, and they even catch a chicken thief!I'm waiting to reread it with my book clubbers. Here's what I plan to do with it. Book Discussion Kristofer is a vampire who hates blood!As this is the first book we will be reading together, a good way to begin is with a discussion on what makes us … [Read more...]
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 to The Grouchy Times complaining about the noise the rooster Tandoori makes. Tandoori belongs to the fruit vendor’s daughter Kannalmozhi. When the local authorities dash into action, they want the vendors to move away, but they also want to cut down the banyan tree to widen the road!Banian Buddies touches upon a lot of interesting subjects that are sure to make children think. For one, when the children approach a celebrity to support their cause, they are utterly disillusioned. This grand celebrity who seems to care about the environment isn’t at all what she seems to be! … [Read more...]
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 beautiful novel in verse that takes us through Mimi’s ups and downs as she finds her feet in a new school. Several sections in the story made me stop and sigh—particularly moments when Mimi experienced kindness and sensitivity from her father, a potential friend, or a teacher. Laced with light humour, this middle-grade book is a quick and easy read that juxtaposes the tiny steps we take as individuals with Neil Armstrong’s small step on the moon. Whenever I read books that bring in other languages, I love it when these words aren’t explained to us in the … [Read more...]
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 did not commit. Even though the protagonist Amal isn’t identical to the author Dr Yusef Salaam, what he goes through is based on the latter's incarceration. Yusef Salaam came, eventually, to be known as one of the exonerated five. Together with Ibi Zoboi, he crafts an unputdownable story that left me both angry and hopeful.Amal means ‘hope’, but when he is in prison for no reason except the colour of his skin, it is hard to hold on to hope. Every emotion rages through the story, and the way the writers play with format, word choice and alignment made the story all the more impactful. Amal oscillates … [Read more...]
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!The story features a sister who does just that. When Ira, who is in the first grade, doesn't want to go to her classroom, her sister Ana hides her under her desk. The problem is that Ira is much happier in Ana's class than in her own, especially as all Ira's friends get into the act and make the little girl comfortable.The Great Sneak-Out is about helping someone who is unhappy, keeping secrets and finding that you belong. Unlikely friendships, unpredictable adults, and enterprising children kept a giggle in my throat and wonder in my eyes as I read about Ana and … [Read 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. Plus, the cover made me wonder if I would be reading yet another American immigration story.I suppose the answer is 'yes and no'. It is an immigration story, yes, but it is both simpler and more nuanced than many others that I've read.You Bring the Distant Near is about finding your place in the world, whether or not your identity spans continents. In some ways, it's simplistic because it feels like finding your "happily ever after" is a straightforward, uncomplicated journey. Yet, the very simplicity of it was a breath of fresh air. I liked that it was not charged and … [Read more...]
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 hold on to?I didn’t stop smiling as I read What Feelings Like Best. All the feelings Tina Oziewicz writes about came alive to me—Tenderness, Joy and Contentment, of course, but also all the negative ones like Malice and Worthlessness. Through this gorgeous picture book, we see a fabric of emotions beautifully woven together. We see how Common Sense gets the better of Stubbornness, and we see why Stubbornness matters. Worthlessness, living in her little dustbin, ironically, has value too, for she treasures everything that no one else does. And in the drawers that Memory hides … [Read more...]
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 Mystery of the Disappearing Drone soon too!Aarav, Karthik and Asha have a new mystery to solve—the mystery of a stolen Rolex watch. Things spiral out of control, however, when the watch is stolen not once, but twice. Worse, when it is stolen for the second time, Karthik becomes the prime suspect because the evidence seems to indicate that the watch was stolen by a drone, and the only one with a drone with claws is Karthik! Suspicion within a club is never a good sign, and the three detectives have to find a way to solve the mystery and clear their names.The complexity of the story is perfect for early … [Read more...]