Some time ago, we read Nimmi’s Dreadtastic Detective Days, and although it is longer than most of the other books I choose for Read, Write, Explore, we enjoyed it. It’s funny and engaging, and there’s so much we can do with the book!Nimmi's Bizuper Birthday is no different. Like in Lucky Girl, Nimmi finds herself eating (and sharing) all kinds of ... interesting ... foods. How can she admit that the chocolate-like things she distributes are jowar banana bites?The hapless Nimmi finds herself in one coil after another as she navigates her way through a birthday that is nothing short of bizuper. Portmanteau Words I love portmanteau words! When we put two words together—like bizarre and super to get bizuper—we have a portmanteau word. We’ll do a quick quiz about words that have come into being in exactly this way, before we go on to invent a few … [Read more...]
The Chocolate Touch
The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling is an old book, unlike most of the others I select for my book clubs. Its copyright dates back to 1952! And that's not the only thing that makes it different from the books I usually choose. Another important distinction is that it has a clear moral, something I usually avoid. But the story is such fun! Plus, it's about chocolate, so it's already a win, isn't it?John Midas loves chocolate. He can eat it all the time. Or so he thinks. It is only when everything that touches his lips turns to chocolate that he begins to realise that there might just be a limit to the amount of chocolate he can eat.At first, no one believes him. How could they? He has to be lying. How can everything he puts in his mouth turn to chocolate? That's absurd!Eventually, however, everyone realises he is telling the truth. Even the doctor has no choice but to believe … [Read more...]
I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944
We’ve read one book from the I Survived series at Read, Write, Explore before—I Survived the California Wildfires, 2019. This one, I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944, was written way before that, and from what I can tell, it’s one of Lauren Tarshis’s most popular books. I thought long and hard before choosing to read this book with 9- and 10-year-olds. The horrific events of the second world war don’t make for easy reading, and like I’ve said before, it’s always more difficult to gauge the mood of my book clubbers online than offline.Yet, it’s an important story, and while I wonder what conversations will be triggered by the book, I’m looking forward to reading it at Read, Write, Explore. Symbols Different symbols mean different things. The star and the swastika on the cover, for instance, are relevant. What other symbols do we know, and what … [Read more...]
The Adventures of Mooli and the Blue-Legged Alien
We’ve read the other two Mooli books at my book club (although that was before my current book clubbers were old enough to join), and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed them! The Adventures of Mooli and the Blue-Legged Alien is just as much fun, or perhaps even more fun! A lovely combination of wacky adventures and a mystery, it’s a book that is imaginative and funny, in addition to being just the right length for my book club for ages seven and eight! Aliens How do you think an alien would look? Would it have blue legs? What powers would it have? Use your imagination to draw and describe an alien! WAYOUTS I’ve done this with my other Mooli books too; we’re going to do it again! If you were to take part in WAYOUTS—coming up with the best of the World’s As Yet Original and Untried Stunts—what would you do? What can you do that is completely … [Read more...]
The Paradise Flycatcher
It's impossible to write about The Paradise Flycatcher without mentioning the gorgeous illustrations. I felt the same way about The Golden Eagle, which we read at my book club some time ago. Krishna Bala Shenoi's art work, right through the book, is stunning, and if for nothing else, I would have picked The Paradise Flycatcher for one of my reading programmes just for the pictures! (On an aside, I loved his work in Friends Behind Walls too, which I used at another reading programme.)We read it a few years ago; we're rereading it in April 2025!Mitalee is distraught. Shikar, aka Snowdrop, a white-headed squirrel, has disappeared! She knows Chintu and Arjun are behind this disappearance, but knowing that is not enough. She must save Snowdrop before something dreadful happens. The good thing is that she has help from a bunch of feathered friends - Bongo, Blackpie, Senora, Kabul ... And the … [Read more...]
The Clockwala’s Clues
We're going to read my hOle book, The Clockwala's Clues at my book club in April 2025! I've done many author events based on the book, but they've all been in-person sessions. Looking forward to my first online session with the book. Puzzles Jasmine and Sheba love puzzles. Do you? Can you solve a set of puzzles about clocks and time? Tongue Twisters If two witches were watching two watches, which witch would watch which watch?How fast can you say that? Have fun with Clockwala Uncle’s tongue twisters, trying to say each tongue twister faster and faster every time you try! Idiom Quiz There are so many idioms about time! Let's race against time and try to beat the clock as we do a quiz on idioms related to watches, clocks and the time. Join a book club! The Clockwala's Clues is part of a lovely series of … [Read more...]
My Year in Workshops – 2024
As someone who loves routine and predictability, it's amazing how unpredictable my workshops are, each year! Teacher training workshops took me to Indapur, Goa, Satara, Talegaon, Nagpur and Beed, in addition to schools all over Pune. This also meant that I did multiple book club and writing sessions from hotel rooms and cafés, just like last year.I also continued to run my in-person writers' club at St. Mary's School, Pune, although I often have to run those sessions online too because I travel for work.With my book clubs, I read 39 books; with my writing courses, I created three e-magazines; it was quite a year! Book Clubs Most of the books we read in 2024 - they didn't all fit neatly in one image! My book clubs are always rewarding. Bringing books to children is such a joy! With the little ones, it's heart-warming to see how … [Read more...]
Boo-Boo the Eco-Warrior
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...]