Manya Learns to Roar by Shruthi Rao is the first book I’m repeating at my book club. We read it at the very first edition of my reading programme, when I tentatively started out in 2020, wondering if I would be able to sustain an online book club for children. All those who read it with me then are now too old to be part of the book club, so it’s time to reintroduce a book I love!
Banyan High School, is going to present a play based on Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, and Manya wants the role of Shere Khan. She knows it is the first step towards winning an Oscar, and she’s already writing her acceptance speech for that.
I loved Manya Learns to Roar because of how true it is to childhood dreams and the way each child is such a charming mixture of supreme confidence and deep vulnerability.
Before I even read the book, I was drawn to the idea of a child with a stammer determined to take part in a school play. Once I read it, I knew I had to work with it because there’s just so much you can do with a book like this!
Codes
When I started reading Manya Learns to Roar, I didn’t notice that the chapter numbers were written in the special code that Manya and her best friend Ankita share. I think I was on chapter six when my eyes widened. Ooh! The chapter names are in code! And as Manya and Ankita know, the very fact that it is bound to be dismissed as random doodling makes it the perfect kind of code. Codes, puzzles and cryptograms are thrilling, and I know that the children at the reading programme will enjoy them as much as I do!
Speaking
Did you know that tongue twisters are said to be a great way to overcome a stutter? Manya Learns to Roar provides the perfect opportunity to work on speech and recitation. Reading aloud is one aspect of the programme, and tongue twisters will make a fun addition to all the speaking we do.
Drama
As a book that revolves around the production of a play, it’s ideal for my ‘come as a character‘ activity! While I hope that children will come as one of the characters from the books we read together, I don’t mind if they choose someone else altogether. The element of surprise makes everything fun!
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