The last book we will be reading at the next edition of my book club is Nami and Jhalak: Stinkypur Guardians! It's just a few months old, and I can't wait to share it with my book clubbers. Here's what we'll do as we read. Bird Quiz Nami and Jhalak get inspired to act when they find a lapwing stuck to a bucket of paint in the canal. Do you know what a lapwing is? What regular birds can you identify? Let's find out! Write a Poem! When we provide children with the right scaffolding, they write much better! Together, we'll work on a poem inspired by nature. Picture Postcards Nami and Jhalak send picture postcards to convince the authorities to save Town Park. I'll introduce my book clubbers to picture postcards and then we'll make our own! Join a programme! I'm always nervous about reading my own books with … [Read more...]
Banian Buddies
Banian Buddies has all the ingredients of a story my book clubbers will love--humour, quirky characters, and a big mission. It also provides the perfect opportunity for all kinds of discussions. Do we think of the environment as more important than people? How much do we trust celebrities who champion products and ideas? Waiting to see what my book clubbers think! Making an Ad I love working with ads because every child has come across them in some form or the other! The children in the story see Sa Ni Dha Pa Sundari's face plastered all over the city, urging viewers to conserve nature. When I give them my book clubbers a product to advertise, what will their catchphrase be? What kind of character would be the face of their ad? Trees Several books have allowed us to explore animals and birds around us. What about trees? What trees … [Read more...]
Mercy Watson to the Rescue
Three years ago, we read Because of Winn-Dixie at my book club, and we loved it. I've been mulling over Mercy Watson since even before that. It's shorter than most of the other books we read at my book club. Would it be challenging enough? Or too childish?Finally, I decided I would give it a shot next month. Shorter books give us the time to do more activities! Plus, especially as most of my book clubbers have not encountered Kate DiCamillo's work, what better place to introduce a wonderful writer to them? Pig or Dog? The best thing about using a well known book at my book club is the range of resources I can find online! Before we read the book, we will discuss what my book clubbers think will happen in the story, based on what they see on the cover. And then, we'll have a debate--pig or dog? Which makes for a better pet and why? Let's try to … [Read more...]
The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips
I read The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips several years ago. And like most of Michael Morpurgo's books, it's a classic. In the cruellest, most inhuman of times, we find stories of courage and love - Morpurgo never fails to remind us of that.Through a series of diary entries, we learn about 11-year-old Lily, who lives in Slapton in 1943. The war seems very far away, even though several "townies" now study in the same school as Lily. Life goes on as usual--until the people of Slapton are told they must evacuate in seven weeks. Lily's grandfather refuses to move, but the time comes when he accepts that he will help the war effort by moving, so he does. The problem is that Lily's precious cat, Tips, goes missing, and everyone begins to hunt for her, including the Yankee soldiers who are now in Slapton.As the hunt for Tips goes on, relationships are formed, and these relationships drive the … [Read more...]
The Impossible Pet
I loved The Impossible Pet by Jane De Suza! It's a delightful story--the perfect blend of laughter and seriousness. Here's what we'll do as we read it at my book club next month. An Impossible Pet Look at the cover. Which of the animals featured there would be an impossible pet? And if one of them came into your life, how would you deal with it? What would you name it, and what do you think would make the pet fun? An Essay Essays are boring--at least, most children think so. But what about an opening paragraph like this?What I like most in the world is my pet. My pet's name is Silent Sunny Gekkonidae. And he is the only crocodile which can climb walls.I'd love to see where my book clubbers take the story from here! Sharing I love using whiteboards and sticky notes in class. As we read the book, we'll take a look at … [Read more...]
Sneaker Paati
Sneaker Paati is an engaging book that I read a few months ago. Even as I read it, I thought about the fact that it would make for a quick, easy read for middle-grade readers who want something lighthearted and fun. That's why we'll be reading it at my book club next month! Here's what we'll do as we read. Grandparents Grandparents in stories often knit, crochet, make delicious food, and pamper their grandchildren. Have you read about a grandmother who is different? What about your grandparents? I would love for the children at my book club to talk about grandparents who fit the mould or break the mould. At my book club, I will ask each child to tell me a story about a grandparent. Any sort of story will do--one that features their grandparents as children, or one that involves the book clubbers too! Sport Sneaker Paati can do … [Read more...]
My Year in Workshops – 2025
Teacher training programmes often take me all over the country, but this time, author interactions did that for me! My teacher training was restricted to Pune, Goa and Nagpur, which gave me the time to do a lot of other things (including write!).Online workshops continue to have my heart. I love the fact that I can conduct them from anywhere, whether I'm travelling or at home. This academic year, I discontinued my writers' club at St. Mary's School for precisely this reason---in-person sessions don't allow for the flexibility my other work demands. I did create the next issue of THE WRITE PLACE for my young students, but subsequent issues are on hold, at least for the time being.At my book clubs, we read 42 books in 2025. I had enough registrations to go ahead with each batch I planned! I invited six wonderful guests to conduct sessions for my writing programmes, all of which were … [Read more...]
Gobi Goes Viral
Gobi Goes Viral by Vibha Batra is funny, heart-warming, and altogether believable. We've read and loved Kolam Kanna and Pinkoo Shergill at my book club, and I'm happy to introduce yet another book by the same writer to the children I meet. Here's what we'll do as we read this story! Talent Show How can we read a book about a talent show without having a talent show of our own? Over time, I've had children recite poetry, play musical instruments, draw and solve a Rubik's Cube during our book club. It's always lovely to see a side of children that I wouldn't otherwise get to see if we stuck to just reading in class! Similes Gopi (aka Gobi) uses very interesting similes! Starting with an example from the text, we will explore funny similes, coming up with imaginative comparisons for a range of humorous … [Read more...]
The Mystery of the Disappearing Drone
A few months ago, when I read The Mystery of the Disappearing Drone, I knew I would eventually introduce this AKA Mystery to my book clubbers. Some of them have read The Mystery of the Missing Geometry Boxes with me; I look forward to introducing this one to them! Detective Notebook As we read The Mystery of the Disappearing Drone, we'll write detective notes. Whom do we suspect and why? What evidence do we have so far? How can we evaluate the evidence and reach a conclusion? Mystery Game I've played this game in the past, and it's good fun! I will give my book clubbers a set of clues, based on which we will try to figure out who the murderer is! Satisfying Conclusions Does a cliffhanger make for a satisfying conclusion? Why, or why not? The writing exercise we do for The Mystery of the Disappearing Drone will focus … [Read more...]
Amelia Bedelia Goes Wild
We read our first Amelia Bedelia (Amelia Bedelia Means Business) at the second edition of my reading programme, and what fun we had with it! Even though there were children who didn't understand much of the word play, the humour came through, and we enjoyed the book thoroughly.Amelia Bedelia Goes Wild promises to be just as much fun. Amelia is "sick as a dog", and she can't go to the zoo with the rest of her class. But it isn't like Amelia to give up and give in. Oh, no. If she can't go to the zoo, she must make one of her own!Powered by her optimism and bursting with ideas, Amelia can do anything, as she shows us in this humorous chapter book that I'm waiting to share with my book club. Wordplay How can we read an Amelia Bedelia and not engage in wordplay? From idioms to homophones, this series explores the madness of the English language, … [Read more...]