I love the hOle books, and it's a joy to have two books of my own in the series--The Clockwala's Clues and Think Big! We read The Clockwala's Clues at my book club some time ago, and I'm all set to read this one! Here's what we'll do as we read. The October Bazaar We're reading this in October, so let's recreate an October Bazaar! Imagine that you have to set up a stall in your school. What would you do? How would you go about setting up a stall that is creative and attractive? Yucky Recipes Poetry Pastries, Puzzle Pizzas and Sudoku Snacks ... What could these be? Use your imagination to come up with new and innovative kinds of food. For instance, what would you put together to create the most disgusting juice, sandwich or cake in the world? A Recipe for a Best Friend Geet and Rima try all kinds of wacky, imaginative … [Read more...]
The State League
I don't play football; I don't even watch football. Despite that, I was sucked into yet another brilliant book by Mallika Ravikumar - The State League. To be fair, considering how much I have enjoyed nearly everything she's written, I expected to enjoy this one too. What I didn't bargain for was how unputdownable the book would be, drawing me into its drama, emotion and layering.Prithvi from The District Cup is back. He's now being trained at Elite Sports F.C. in football-crazy Goa. He's talented, ambitious and hardworking--all characteristics that ought to stand him in good stead as the world of football rolls open before him.But bring in age-cheating and match fixing, and the picture grows ugly. First with bewilderment and then with utter shock, Prithvi discovers how murky the world of betting is, and how far-reaching. Match fixing isn't restricted to huge matches with big … [Read more...]
A Revolution in the Valley
Protest. Isn't that what is on everyone's mind now? How does one protest? How does one agitate, educate and organise? Where do we find the courage to stand up for what we know is right?The Chronicles of Courage series reminds us that it's been done in the past and that we can do it again. And Bijal Vachharajani's epistolary novel, A Revolution in the Valley, is a moving, hopeful, triumphant part of the series.A Revolution in the Valley is told primarily through letters exchanged by Jenny, who lives in Kerala, and Teesta, who lives in Bombay. There's a lot happening in the country at this time: 1973-1984. The Emergency. The proposed Silent Valley Hydroelectric Project. And of course, the cricket World Cup. In the midst of all this, Jenny must write to a pen-pal because her handwriting is 'untidy'.It's with her pen-pal Teesta that Jenny's world begins to widen. Through … [Read more...]
Bud, Not Buddy
I said, "No, sir. I don't know why, but my eyes don't cry no more." Steady Eddie said, "I like that, 'my eyes don't cry no more.' You mind if I borrow that? That sounds like a great name for a song." I said, "No, sir, I don't mind at all."I'm not sure why this section made left a strong impression on me. Perhaps it's because of how simple it is and how much it reveals through its simplicity. A ten-year-old boy says his eyes don't cry anymore. It's heartbreaking and poetic--and this little exchange makes us notice both.Bud, Not Buddy is a precious book, bursting with the kind of innocence that makes my heart ache, much like The Mighty Miss Malone, which I read and loved several years ago.Armed with a set of rules to have a funner life and be a better liar, Bud sets out to look for his father. All he has to help him is a suitcase full of his treasures. Some of his … [Read more...]
The Vaidyar’s School of Medicine and Magic
Recently, I was asked to conduct a workshop on exploring new perspectives in fantasy writing. As usual, I started by asking students what they'd read. All the usual names cropped up - Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Dog Man ...We went on to discuss Indian fantasy, and the fact that publishers so often tell us that Indian fantasy doesn't sell. What a blanket term that is - Indian fantasy! What is "Indian fantasy"? Can stories inspired by Hindu mythology be compared with those inspired by Greek or Roman mythology?These conversations lead to other important ones - about all the crossovers between myth and fantasy, science fiction and fantasy ... and, in the context of The Vaidyar's School of Medicine and Magic, history and fantasy.Kathir, the narrator and protagonist, believes that the Siddhars belong to folklore--until he is apprenticed to the Hill Vaidyar. What follows is an … [Read more...]
At Least a Fish
I love Anushka Ravishankar's books. Whether it's Moin and the Monster or Captain Coconut or At Least a Fish, I find myself chuckling as I read, shaking my head at her wacky humour.Ana, the protagonist of At Least a Fish, wants a dog. She really wants a dog. But her parents go and get her fish instead - not one, but three! Ana's friend Zain would call them Fishyone, Fishytwo and Fishythree, but Ana being Ana calls them Socrates, Aristotle (Totty for short) and Plato.That's just one of the dozens of crazy things in the story. From a dragon in a filthy pool to a dog who thinks he's a fish, At Least a Fish brims over with humour and madness. I can't wait to read it at my reading programme! Differences At Least a Fish is such a wonderful book to talk about differences - both obvious ones and not-so-obvious ones. There's one hilarious page in the … [Read more...]
The Mystery of the Graveyard Gold
We've read The Mystery of the Missing Geometry Boxes and The Mystery of the Disappearing Drone, the other two books in the AKA Detective Club series. It's time to read the first of the series, The Mystery of the Graveyard Gold! It is an engaging mystery story that features three children on a backwards treasure hunt, which, in itself, is a fun premise. We start with the treasure and work out where it came from. Here's what we'll do as we read! Mystery Stories At my book club recently, a child told me that she usually loves mystery stories, but she hates those in which the detective reaches the wrong conclusion. While I devoured Enid Blyton's mystery stories, this was not a genre that I got drawn to as I grew older. I'd love to know from my book clubbers - what mystery stories have you read and loved? What do you find satisfying about a … [Read more...]
Poseidon and the Sea of Fury
We've read Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom twice at my book club; it's the first of the Heroes in Training series. With older kids reading Heroes of Olympus and other books based on Greek and Roman mythology, I find that the younger ones are excited by the same themes too. This series serves as the perfect introduction! I'm looking forward to reading this story about young Poseidon with my young book clubbers! Here's what we'll do as we read. Mythology The scope of mythology is limitless! Storytelling is an important part of my book club, and I will ask each child to tell me a myth that they know, focusing on keeping it clear and brief! What if ...? An unusual "what-if" question makes for an unusual story! Poseidon and the Sea of Fury features a young Poseidon who is terrified of water, and here, we have a fun, imaginative idea. … [Read more...]
Mac B Kid Spy: Mac Undercover
The silliness and drama of Mac B. Kid Spy: Mac Undercover make it a promisingly exciting read at my book club! Stories about spies, subterfuge and suspicion make for great book club reads, and I'm sure this one will be no different. Here's what we'll do as we read. I Spy Looking closely at the cover is a great way to predict what will happen in the story, and what better way to do it than through a game? We’ll play “I spy” with the details of the cover. I spy something beginning with c! I spy something beginning with s! What details do we then spot? Observation At the end of our first class, I will give every child an assignment. Draw the outlines of at least three feet of three different people on sheets of paper. If they can do five feet, even better! If they mix the papers up, can they tell which outline belongs to whom? What … [Read more...]
Slam Dunk!
The Silly Billy series, with its full colour illustrations, works well with two of my book clubs—the one for ages 7 and 8, as well as the one for ages 9 and 10. In August 2026, we’ll read Slam Dunk! by Vibha Batra, many of whose books we’ve read and enjoyed! Here’s what we’ll do as we read. Inclusion Look at the cover of the book. What do you notice? Do you think all the children on the cover could join your school? Why or why not?It’s never too early to start conversations about the differences amongst the words “inclusion”, “accommodation” and “charity”. As we discuss inclusion, I would love for the children to draw a picture of how they could make their schools a little more inclusive. Building a Team What are the characteristics of a strong team? Since Slam Dunk is about basketball, we’ll first discuss a few basic rules. How … [Read more...]