Uncontrollable
“True to its name, the book proved to be a riveting read. My 9.5 year old and I just couldn’t put it down and were drawn into the world of Ro and the uncontrollables. The book had a good mix of adventure, magic, fantasy and mystery. The verse format had us enthralled through the book. This was our first book in the format and we enjoyed it thoroughly.” – Roopa Baliga (House Full of Books)
““Uncontrollable” isn’t just the title of the book, its also the urge to finish the book once you pick it up! This was the first novel in verse I’ve read and am now in love with the genre! When I received the book from Penguinsters for review, I was unsure of what to expect. Will the verse format be able to do justice to a fantasy story? Was the big question in my mind. But Varsha Seshan just knocks it out of the park. So much detail in such few words!” – Apoorva B Ashok (Instagram)
“Uncontrollable by @varshaseshan a middle grade fantasy fiction book in verse and I must say that I was sucked into the vortex of a fantastical, mysterious world she has created.” – JoAnne Saldanha (mythaunty.com)
Dhara’s Revolution
“This book was unlike any other read she has read so far ..it was unique, intriguing and kept her excited all through. […] The themes of healthy and ethical election and competition was highlighted beautifully and the most important was the theme of friendship between the competitors […] We definitely need more such books for these young minds!!” – Nitisha (Instagram)
“I absolutely love this story where kids had freedom to share their thoughts and teachers were so supportive to listen to them. Teachers encouraged them to think out of the box, do voting and gave them liberty to decide what they wanted. Dhara and Carol’s friendship is so adorable.” – Shruti (Instagram)
Red Eyes
It’s got emotion, it’s got suspense, it’s got thrill, it’s got a forest and it’s got a boy who has run away from boarding school. […]
I absolutely love how the book deals with the theme of wildness. Right from a glimpse into man-eating tigers, to a standoff between a porcupine and tiger cubs and finally to the wildest animal of all, the humans. The book explores power and greed at the expense of nature and its harmony and man’s dangerous obsession of encroaching upon the forbidden, all in the name of science and money. The cruelty of man is well brought out in this book, not only by conspiracy and thirst for power but also by the instances of bullying in Veer’s school. – Samiksha (Treasury)
“The author’s writing captured my heart, from the moment she mentioned the rich brown earthen hues of the forest to the sweetness of the blue-white skies.” – adibah’s library life (Instagram)
The Best Idea of All
“A heart-warming and uplifting story […] The Best Idea of All by Varsha Seshan combines a familiar scenario with the feel of new-age childhood- where children want to reach beyond and make a difference to the world” – Poyani Mehta (Booked for Life)
“the way the author writes this delicate story is quite fascinating. Listen to this: instead of saying “it was a day to be lazy,” the author writes, “it was a day to laze and lounge and dream.” What a way to put it! I recommend this book for everyone because of its humour” – Neriya M. Venkat (Karadi Tales)
“My 8.5 year old loved reading the book with me. He could relate so well to the characters and the theme of the story. The topic is so contemporary and has been presented without being too preachy. There were moments of humour and anticipation as to what would happen next that kept us racing past the pages.” – Roopa Baliga (House Full of Books)
The Clockwala’s Clues
“A great mini-detective-ish story by Varsha Seshan, great for aspiring little Sherlocks. Or Sheerlucks. […] Incredibly entertaining” – Neil Binoy (Amazon)
“Loved how this was crafted and all the detailing that went into the story. […]. The illustrations complemented the world-building beautifully” – Suparna (Amazon)
“… the right mix of suspense, adventure, friendship and innocence.” – Samiksha (Amazon)
Sisters at New Dawn
“Varsha Seshan’s Sisters at New Dawn ingeniously normalizes adoption and presents it in a framework of parental and familial loving and cherishing. […] Sisters at New Dawn cleverly embeds the issue of adoption into a popular convention of children’s literature, the school story.” – Padma Baliga (Book Review Literary Trust)
“… a well-sketched story which quickly grips you.” – Shraddha on Goodreads
Dragonflies, Jigsaws, and Seashells
“When I first read this book, I was so engrossed in it that I took no notice as I kept turning the page. I was gobbling the stories up quickly, much like I gobble up food. ” – Sunandini (Amazon)
“These stories remind me of the simplicity and beauty of everyday life.” – Sophie on Goodreads
“This is a collection of charming children’s short stories of different hues […]. I think this would be a good read for slightly older children, say 9+.” – Arundhati Nath (Amazon)
The Prophecy of Rasphora
“Sure to tickle the imagination” – Bookedforlife
“Satisfying story with a beautiful end.” – JanuB (GetLitt)
“beautifully written” – Raghav (GetLitt)
The Story-Catcher
“The idea of a man sitting in mid-air and counting ideas is my favourite!” – Aarmita Khajenoori (11 years)
“Mesmerizing” – Arushi Upadhyaya (9 years)
