Moin is back at my book club! More importantly, the monster is back at my book club! We've read Moin and the Monster twice, and I can't wait to read Moin 3 with a new batch of book clubbers. Here's what we'll do as we read. Caution: Do not eat while reading this book. Why do you think the blurb would say this? What kind of book is it likely to be? What other notes of caution would you add to different books and why? Comparing Characters Compare yourself to a character in the story! In what ways are you similar to the character? What makes you different? I'm looking forward to seeing what the children think of! Creating a Monster Let's create a monster together! If you see something that looks like an eye under your bed, what could it be? We'll work with rhyme, figures of speech and a wacky imagination to create … [Read more...]
No Talking
No Talking is such a fun book! I'm often wary of 'Boys vs. Girls' stories because I don't like books that reinforce stereotypes. No Talking does the opposite; in fact, rather too explicitly so, for me. Despite that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I loved how a contest between the boys and the girls in a class slowly morphs into a team game, where the students overcome their differences and come together. What emerges is a school story that is utterly believable and good fun! Three Words at a Time I've lost count of the number of times I've played the one-word story and the one-phrase story. In No Talking, Mr Burton introduces the three-word story, and I love it! It's perfect for my book club too. Can we create a story together, three words at a time? I'm sure we can! Three Word Debate Mr Burton takes the three-word challenge … [Read more...]
Beautiful Leela
How many children grow up conscious of how they look? From colourism to fatphobia and gender stereotyping, social conditioning takes its toll in children in different ways. Some time ago, I read Unfair with my book club, which addresses the same theme as Beautiful Leela. For older readers, another book on the same theme is No. 9 on the Shade Card. Even as I get set to read this one with ages 9 and 10, I wonder--will we ever reach a stage when the book is no longer relevant? I certainly hope so!Meanwhile, here's what we will do as we read. Book Discussion Before we begin, let's look at the cover. What do we notice about it? What do we think about the name?When we move into the book, we'll talk about it again. What kinds of discrimination do you know about? How does discrimination take place? Uncomfortable conversations often spark … [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...]
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...]
On Air with RJ Rini
When I read this simple, heartwarming story a few months ago, I knew I wanted to read it with my book club soon, so here we are! In August 2026, my book club for ages 9 and 10, Read, Write, Explore, will read Sonia Mehta’s On Air with RJ Rini. This is what I hope to do with my book clubbers as we read! On Air with Varsha As On Air with RJ Rini is the first book we will be reading in August 2026, we’ll begin with a radio show of sorts (and this will link well with our next activity too)! I will ask each of my book clubbers to hold something that could be their pretend-mic (just like Rini on the book cover!) and I’ll ask each one a question, which they have to respond to quickly and clearly—as if they’re being interviewed on radio! Radio Show Let’s host a radio show! What are some things you should keep in mind when you are hosting … [Read more...]
Song of the River
I love Gill Lewis’s books, and when I saw Song of the River at Kahaani Box, I picked it up without a second thought. And even though I haven’t read any of Lewis’s books in a while, I wasn’t disappointed.When Cari’s father dies, her mother wants to start over. She wants to move out of the city and to a village where she can run a picture perfect café, complete with chequered tablecloths. For Cari, though, it feels like they’re deliberately leaving every memory of her father behind. They’re a half family now, and it seems as if her mother wants to forget. A river of rage surges within Cari, one that is echoed by the river outside their new cottage.When the river breaks its banks, Cari’s mother is heartbroken. Everything is destroyed, and she realises what a foolish ideal she was chasing. But perhaps it’s time to change the song of the river—both within Cari and in the physical … [Read more...]
On Air with RJ Rini
As a child, I was quite the chatterbox. I remember my cousin offering me five rupees if I could stay quiet for five minutes. I spent all of those five minutes asking if five minutes were over. Needless to say, I never earned those five rupees.And that’s why a character like Rini is particularly endearing. She isn’t just a chatterbox; she is a chatter-machine. But like so many other children who enjoy the sound of their own voice, she doesn’t quite remember to listen, to pay attention to what those around her might want.On Air with RJ Rini is a charming story about a girl who realises that becoming a radio jockey is the perfect career choice for her. When her best friend Uma isn’t nearly as excited about the prospect, Rini is confused. Why is Uma unhappy? It takes Gaga—aka Gayatri Aunty—to help her solve the mystery of the sulking best friend.I thoroughly enjoyed the … [Read more...]
Tara and the Friendship Theorem
Maths and Logic are fascinating. I remember when I studied Descartes, who tried to prove the existence of God using pure logic. I understand the drive to do that - just like I understand Tara's need to use a theorem to find friends. Can a foolproof Friendship Theorem exist? Can we actually use a Venn diagram to find friends? Tara and the Friendship Theorem is a lovely book about big changes and making friends. Like with Ramanujan, I enjoyed the facts at the head of each chapter; they help me get into Tara's very particular character. Just like Tara (and the author Chitra Soundar), I, too, played pallanguzhi as a child too, though my rules were a little different from the ones at the beginning of the book. But I played all things mathematics - Cheese Buzz, Magic Squares, even mental maths games. Unlike Tara, however, I never attempted to use Maths to find friends. And more importantly, I … [Read more...]
Maya and the Robot
Maya and the Robot by Eve L. Ewing is a heart-warming story about a girl and a robot. It is the story of being lonely, finding community. and discovering what it is to be human. Particularly in an age when AI has found its way into so much of our lives, it's a relevant read while also being a timeless one. Here's what we'll do as we read it at my book club. Book Discussion What, according to you, makes a human different from a robot? At my book club, we'll have a mini-debate on the topic: A robot would make an excellent friend.I'm curious about what my book clubbers will come up with! Vocabulary Games Maya and the Robot is one of those books for which I found tons of resources online--though mostly related to vocabulary. Let's do criss-cross puzzles, word games, and more! Science Fiction For the creative writing … [Read more...]