Books
When Varsha is not writing or dancing, she’s probably reading a book for children. She reviews books she reads and enjoys.
Brachio
What a charming book! Brachio by Venkataraghavan and Ananya Broker Parekh is a visual treat, one that touches the reader with sweetness and whimsy. Brachio is so tall that he doesn’t fit on the…
Dear Author, You Are Wrong
Varsha Varghese’s Dear Author, You Are Wrong is another book I had the chance to read as a manuscript a few years ago when it was submitted for the Scholastic Asian Book Award 2023.…
The Case of the Mysterious Witches
The Case of the Mysterious Witches
What a powerful, important book! I haven’t read the first two M4 mysteries, but I have read–and admired–some of Mallika Ravikumar’s other work. My first was the award-winning The District Cup, which I loved.…
ingey angey
Do you find language learning fun? I’m not sure if I ever did. It was something that happened automatically, or didn’t happen at all, and I’ve written about it before in the context of…
Moin and the Monkey Monster
Moin is back! But more importantly, the monster is baaaaack! (It even has a song about it.) With its quirky characters (most of whom we’ve met before in Moin and the Monster and Moin…
Hey Sis! Hey Bro!
It’s been such a long time since I read a collection of short stories! Hey Sis! Hey Bro! by Deepa Agarwal was a fun read, bringing together a range of stories featuring brothers and…
What’s the Point of Kiki?
The name of the book itself makes me chuckle. It makes one think of big philosophical questions like What’s the point of life? or Why are we here? And yet, there’s a simplicity to…
ZardoZi
ZardoZi by Debasmita Dasgupta is a gentle, deceptively simple book. In just a few words, accompanied by powerful pictures, it tells a rich story–one that, as the subtitle says, is stitched with love. ZardoZi…
A Patch of Sun, A Patch of Shade
A Patch of Sun, A Patch of Shade
A Patch of Sun, A Patch of Shade is an endearing story, one that I read for the first time as a manuscript that was shortlisted for the Scholastic Asian Book Award 2023, when…
Trouble in the Tea Gardens
When I started reading Trouble in the Tea Gardens by Mitali Perkins, I was struck by how similar several elements were to Tiger Boy. An intelligent small-town child capable of winning a scholarship to…
