Varsha Seshan's Official Website

  • Home
  • Published Work
    • Books for Ages <5
    • Books for Ages 7-10
    • Books for Ages 10+
    • Reviews
    • Learning Resources
  • Workshops
    • Book Clubs
    • Creative Writing Programmes
    • School Visits
    • Workshops for Adults
  • About
    • About Me
    • Recognition
  • Blog
  • Contact

© Copyright 2013 - 2025
Varsha Seshan

The Stories Grandma Forgot (and How I Found Them)

December 11, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

How are such few people reading verse novels? They’re so lovely, so full of emotion and magic! My latest read was The Stories Grandma Forgot (and How I Found Them), a beautiful middle-grade book about love, stories, and friendship. Nyla Elachi is of mixed heritage, and she’s bullied for it. But in some ways, that’s […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: Middle Grade, Nadine Aisha Jassat, novel in verse, reading, review, The Stories Grandma Forgot

Odder

October 9, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

I love Katherine Applegate, and I’ve been meaning to read Odder ever since it came out. Finally, I borrowed it from Kahaani Box and devoured it. It’s such a lovely book! Odder is the story of a sea otter, an irrepressible character, who swirls and dances and leaps out of the pages. She is larger […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: Katherine Applegate, Middle Grade, novel in verse, Odder, reading, review

Other Words for Home

August 23, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Search for ‘verse novels for middle-grade readers’, and Other Words for Home is bound to come up. It’s a Newbery Honor Book and a New York Times bestseller. However, just like I said when I reviewed Red, White and Whole, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read yet another immigration story. And perhaps that […]

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: books for tweens, Jasmine Warga, Middle Grade, novel in verse, Other Words for Home, reading, review

Mirror to Mirror

August 20, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Stories about sisters are incredibly special. And sisters who would do anything to win each other’s heart? You have me with the premise itself. I read Mirror to Mirror only because I attended an author talk that Rajani LaRocca gave for the Neev Literature Festival Reading Challenge. Listening to her read from the book and […]

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: Middle Grade, Mirror to Mirror, novel in verse, Rajani LaRocca, reading, review

Mascot

August 19, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorell is the third and last book I read because it’s on the required reading list for an online workshop on revising your verse novel that I will be attending later this year thanks to my Highlights Foundation scholarship. A nuanced story in verse exploring multiple perspectives, Mascot reminds us that activism must […]

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: books for tweens, Charles Waters, Mascot, Middle Grade, novel in verse, reading, review, Traci Sorell

Spin

August 12, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

What if the gods didn’t bless Arachne after all? What if, like all mortals, she had to toil, ignored by the gods until she, through her own hard work, achieved a kind of immortality, the only kind that is granted to us? Spin by Rebecca Caprara is the second book I read because it’s on […]

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: novel in verse, reading, Rebecca Caprara, review, Spin, Young Adult

Red, White and Whole

May 20, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Red, White and Whole has been on my wishlist for ever so long. I kept dithering. Would I enjoy the book? Would I not? I honestly wasn’t sure I wanted to read yet another immigration story. Yes, a sense of identity is important. Yes, many of us struggle with it; I know I do too. […]

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: Middle Grade, novel in verse, Rajani LaRocca, reading, Red White and Whole, review

Starfish

May 14, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

On nearly any list of “must-read” verse novels for middle-graders, I come across Starfish. I finally read it, and I completely understand why it’s on so many lists. There are so many things — some small, some big — that make this book special. Twelve-year-old Ellie has Fat Girl Rules to protect herself. She must […]

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: books for tweens, Lisa Fipps, Middle Grade, novel in verse, reading, review, Starfish

Where the Heart Should Be

May 10, 2024 by Varsha Seshan 2 Comments

I love historical fiction, and I love novels in verse. And I love Sarah Crossan’s books. When all three come together, the chances of my not liking the book are very low! I’ve read two books (that I remember) about the potato famine in Ireland – Esty’s Gold and Twist of Gold. They were both […]

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: books for tweens, novel in verse, reading, review, Sarah Crossan, Where the Heart Should Be, Young Adult

In the Beautiful Country

May 9, 2024 by Varsha Seshan 2 Comments

Verse novels are beautiful. I love how sparse and hard-hitting they are, and I’ve been reading them all the more because I’ve been writing verse too. Uncontrollable came out last year, and Fishbowl will be out later this year. But I read In the Beautiful Country by Jane Kuo because it’s on the required reading […]

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: books for tweens, In the Beautiful Country, Jane Kuo, Middle Grade, novel in verse, reading, review

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 reader knows nothing about? And that’s why I’ve written a post like this for three of my books: Sisters at New Dawn Dragonflies, Jigsaws and […]

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 say about Uncontrollable, my first verse novel? ‘Addictive.”Unputdownable.”Ambitious and original.’I keep going back and reading all these heart-warming emails I’ve received about it.Yes, it is ambitious. […]

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