Even when I read and reviewed Trunk Call for Ajju in June 2023, I knew it would be one of my book club reads soon enough. A book about children and animals always holds a special place in my heart, and elephants are extra special. It worked perfectly with my book club the first time I read it--over two years ago. I'm looking forward to reading it again! Here's what we'll do as we read. Money-Making Ideas Children's business ideas are fascinating! If you had to raise money for a cause you believed in, what would you do? How do you think you could make money?Just like Making Millions and Amelia Bedelia Means Business, Trunk Call for Ajju is the perfect book to explore entrepreneurship! Talent Show Ajju and his best friend Karthik take part in a talent competition that they're determined to win. What would you do to win a talent … [Read more...]
Moin and the Monkey Monster
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...]
Dory Fantasmagory – The Real True Friend
I love hugely imaginative children, who are utterly serious about their wackiness. From a monster under her bed to a fairy godmother (called Mr. Nuggy), Dory Fantasmagory is an utterly delightful character who makes wild and wonderful things happen in her life.Here's what we'll do as we read the book! Imagine! With Dory Fantasmagory, the possibilities are limitless! What do you imagine lemon juice could do for you? What do you think would be fun to pack in your bag on the first day of school? If you had an imaginary best friend, how would they look?For this exercise, I'll give each of my book clubbers a different imaginative question. I'm sure the results will be wacky! Banana Phone Dory speaks to her fairy godmother using a banana phone. It's your turn! Pick up something perfectly ordinary and pretend that it is something else. … [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...]
The Egghead Detective Agency
What child has never dreamed of being a detective?The Egghead Detective Agency is perfect for my book club in so many ways. For one, there are clues to solve within each story. For another, the characters are young children, accompanied by a friendly ghost, making the book fun to read. I enjoyed the cases too - raining cupcakes, a missing chicken, a pink pool and more!Here's what we'll do as we read the book together. Solve It Yourself! Can we all become detectives? We'll begin by trying to solve the clues in the stories, but we'll move on to observing the world around us. What unusual things do we notice the moment we pay attention? A mark on the wall? A strange smell? Good detectives are, first, good observers! Magical Chairs Many children are familiar with Enid Blyton's wishing chair. Here, in The Egghead Detective Agency, we … [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...]
Think Big!
I love the hOle books, and it's a joy to have two books of my own in the series--The Clockwala's Clues and Think Big! We read The Clockwala's Clues at my book club some time ago, and I'm all set to read this one! Here's what we'll do as we read. The October Bazaar We're reading this in October, so let's recreate an October Bazaar! Imagine that you have to set up a stall in your school. What would you do? How would you go about setting up a stall that is creative and attractive? Yucky Recipes Poetry Pastries, Puzzle Pizzas and Sudoku Snacks ... What could these be? Use your imagination to come up with new and innovative kinds of food. For instance, what would you put together to create the most disgusting juice, sandwich or cake in the world? A Recipe for a Best Friend Geet and Rima try all kinds of wacky, imaginative … [Read more...]
At Least a Fish
I love Anushka Ravishankar's books. Whether it's Moin and the Monster or Captain Coconut or At Least a Fish, I find myself chuckling as I read, shaking my head at her wacky humour.Ana, the protagonist of At Least a Fish, wants a dog. She really wants a dog. But her parents go and get her fish instead - not one, but three! Ana's friend Zain would call them Fishyone, Fishytwo and Fishythree, but Ana being Ana calls them Socrates, Aristotle (Totty for short) and Plato.That's just one of the dozens of crazy things in the story. From a dragon in a filthy pool to a dog who thinks he's a fish, At Least a Fish brims over with humour and madness. I can't wait to read it at my reading programme! Differences At Least a Fish is such a wonderful book to talk about differences - both obvious ones and not-so-obvious ones. There's one hilarious page in the … [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...]
Poseidon and the Sea of Fury
We've read Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom twice at my book club; it's the first of the Heroes in Training series. With older kids reading Heroes of Olympus and other books based on Greek and Roman mythology, I find that the younger ones are excited by the same themes too. This series serves as the perfect introduction! I'm looking forward to reading this story about young Poseidon with my young book clubbers! Here's what we'll do as we read. Mythology The scope of mythology is limitless! Storytelling is an important part of my book club, and I will ask each child to tell me a myth that they know, focusing on keeping it clear and brief! What if ...? An unusual "what-if" question makes for an unusual story! Poseidon and the Sea of Fury features a young Poseidon who is terrified of water, and here, we have a fun, imaginative idea. … [Read more...]