Varsha Seshan's Official Website

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© Copyright 2013 - 2025
Varsha Seshan

Willodeen

August 5, 2025 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Screechers. Hummingbears. Peacock snails.  I’m always amazed when writers seem to effortlessly bring a fantastical world to life, and Katherine Applegate is a master at it. I came across it […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: books for ages nine and ten, books for tweens, fantasy, Katherine Applegate, Middle Grade, reading, review, Willodeen

The Upside Down River: Hannah’s Story

August 4, 2025 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Sometimes, you read a charming story, almost old-fashioned in its telling, and you don’t quite know why you like it so much. My Father’s Dragon was a book like that; […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: adventure, books for ages nine and ten, early middle grade, fantasy, Hannah's Journey, Jean-Claude Mourlevat, reading, review, The Upside Down River

Circus Mirandus

June 21, 2025 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

I remember the first time I came across the idea that you have to believe in magic for it to be real. I remember my skin tingling, and a kind […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: books for tweens, Cassie Beasley, Circus Mirandus, fantasy, Middle Grade, reading, review

Echo

February 5, 2025 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Do you ever read the author’s note and acknowledgements? I love reading them! For example, at the end of Echo, author Pam Muñoz Ryan writes: It was [in the German […]

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: books for tweens, Echo, fantasy, historical fiction, Middle Grade, Pam Muñoz Ryan, reading, review

The Last Windwitch

September 19, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

It’s been a while since I read fantasy! I often find it hard to get into fantasy because of the detailed world-building that it demands. I think that’s one of […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: books for tweens, fantasy, Jennifer Adam, Middle Grade, reading, review, The Last Windwitch

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

April 6, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Recently, I reread The Girl Who Drank the Moon and then looked through my blog to see what I’d written about it the first time I read it. That’s when […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: books for tweens, fantasy, Kelly Barnhill, Middle Grade, reading, review, The Girl Who Drank the Moon

Uncontrollable – The Story Behind the Story

February 16, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

I love to read about how a book that I’m reading came into being. What made the writer write this particular book? What are some of those little stories the […]

Filed Under: Books, Writing Tagged With: fantasy, Middle Grade, novel in verse, Uncontrollable

My Year in Writing: 2023

January 15, 2024 by Varsha Seshan 2 Comments

The year 2023 was remarkably kind to me as an author. It was a year full of lit fests, school visits, and, most importantly, new stories! Uncontrollable What can I […]

Filed Under: Books, Writing Tagged With: Chapter Book, Dance Nani Dance, Dharas Revolution, fantasy, Making a Clone, Middle Grade, Nail Tree, novel in verse, picture books, short story, Uncontrollable

The Lie Tree

May 7, 2018 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

The Lie Tree looked fascinating, but I wondered if it was my kind of book. Everyone who was quoted on the cover said it was ‘dark’ and compelling, and I cannot […]

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: fantasy, Frances Hardinge, murder, mystery, reading, review, YA

Faerie Heart

May 27, 2013 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Incredible. As a child, I did not like novels that were not divided into chapters. I have no idea why. The only exception was Mary Poppins. I somehow think this […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: fantasy, imagination, review