I’ve been reading so many lovely books that I think it’s finally time to write about them. When I am on a train with co-passengers I don’t want to talk to (which is 99.999% of the time), I end up reading almost throughout the journey. And when it’s a 20-hour journey … Aubrey and the […]
Reading Challenge Workshops at MIT Gurukul
Six workshops with six different batches. Six hours of workshopping, one session after another. And it was so much fun! MIT Gurukul is using a mixed bunch of reading challenge books this year. Some children are reading Space Hop, some Creepy House, and some The Big Friendly Read. So, beginning with Grade V, I decided […]
Reading Challenge at Indus International School
“The circus has come to Pune!”“Yes, and it can fly!”“Yes, and there are gymnasts jumping from the ceiling!”“Yes, and there is a flying unicorn!”“Yes, and there are singing koalas!”“Yes, and the tiger can bark!”“Yes, and the dogs are miaowing!” I love playing ‘Yes, and …’ with children. They are just so imaginative. We created a […]
What animal are you?
Have you ever played Chinese Pictionary? I used it as part of my junior workshop for the British Library’s Reading Challenge this year. It’s a combination of Chinese Whispers and Pictionary, and it promises to be hilarious. Especially with young children, or people who cannot draw, it becomes a crazy game that is loads of […]
Solve the Mystery!
Of all the workshops I conduct, the ones at the British Library remain special. Maybe it’s because that’s where it all began. For the Animal Agents Reading Challenge, I conducted my first pair of workshops at the new premises. Logic, imagination and laughter are such a delicious combination! For the seniors, I conducted a session […]
Reading Challenge at the British Library
I can’t believe that this is the fifth year that I’m conducting workshops for the British Library’s Reading Challenge! I began with … Then came the challenge that probably has my favourite set of books: I thoroughly enjoyed the workshops in my third year with the Reading Challenge: With Dahl, you can’t go wrong, so […]
Reading Workshop at JustBooks Baner
New characters, new stories and comics – today’s session at JustBooks Baner was lovely! During the ice-breaker, I met all kinds of new characters. I usually encounter only Geronimo Stilton, Thea, Greg and Harry Potter. Today, I met Xan, Rafe and Joe, whom I don’t know at all! And I was also delighted to find […]
Smart
How do you write a modern novel with a child detective? Famous Five and Secret Seven aren’t really believable anymore because now, everyone thinks of the tape that cordons areas off, and the fact that clues simply aren’t that easy to find. Smart by Kim Slater shows you how it’s still possible to write a mystery […]
An Eagle in the Snow
Every book by Michael Morpurgo that I’ve read so far has been gripping from the very first chapter. When I saw An Eagle in the Snow at the library yesterday, I snatched it up, thinking of a lovely weekend with a wonderful book for company. And then I had nothing to read while I waited for […]
Little Bits of Sky
The cover of the edition of Little Bits of Sky that I read is absolutely gorgeous. I felt like a child when I looked at it. I stared and stared. And then I played with the dust jacket a little bit. And then, just like a child, I was afraid I would damage it or something, so […]
Dreaming the Bear
Dreaming the Bear reminded me, in some ways, of White Dolphin. I loved it and I hated it. Because the story took the turn it had to take, and what ‘should’ happen did. Read the story to figure out what I mean. An intriguing story, Dreaming the Bear took me into minds that are distant from me. The […]
The Fastest Boy in the World
Four years ago, I read Elizabeth Laird’s Oranges in No Man’s Land, and was deeply moved. Then, two years ago, I read The Witching Hour, and loved it. And now, her The Fastest Boy in the World did not let me down. Eleven-year-old Solomon lives in a small village in Ethiopia. When his grandfather announces that he will take […]
Mayil Will Not Be Quiet!
I woke up in the middle of the night, frowning. I had a bit of a story in my head, and I could not remember who had written it. It was one of the Mary’s girls, I thought … A young writer, I was sure. Maybe one of the sixth standard girls? And then I […]
Queen of Ice
Didda knew that a grand destiny awaited her. She sometimes wondered whether her mother had bribed the astrologer to predict greatness and fortune so that Didda, who was not just a girl, but also lame, would not be killed at birth. But the prediction was made, and Didda was determined to fulfil her destiny. Queen […]
Talking of Muskaan
Talking of Muskaan has been on my to-read list for a long time, and I finally bought it, read it and loved it. It was everything it promised to be – moving, relatable and real. Muskaan knows herself better than a lot of others her age. That does not make life easier for her; in fact, […]
I love limericks!
Limericks are fun! Very often, during a short session on creative writing, we work with limericks. They’re good fun, sparking much conversation and laughter. Many, many children love limericks too – one of my students even wrote a short story in limericks, which is part of Flickering Flames – An Anthology of Poems and Short Stories. […]
Reading Challenge at Clover Dale, Aurangabad
I put a ten-rupee coin into the bubblegum machine Soon, bubblegums flew out and hit my head! For a moment, I wondered; then I realised That I’d put a hundred-rupee coin into the machine instead! – adapted from a poem written in about seven minutes by one of the participants at yesterday’s workshop.* *If anyone […]
The Emily Series
If I wanted to make friends with Anne Shirley, I was Emily. I deliberately use the italics Emily loves; Mr Carpenter isn’t here to censure! With a pang that borders on envy, I wonder, how could L.M. Montgomery create so many wonderful characters? Emily of New Moon tells the story of a sensitive young girl who cannot choose […]
The Anne of Green Gables Series
Pictureskew. Kindred spirits. The Lake of Shining Waters. Carrots! Rilla-my-Rilla. Puffed sleeves. The first time I read Anne of Green Gables, I felt the queer ache that Anne describes when she comes across something beautiful. Beauty that is intangible, almost unknowable. If I’d known the word ‘sublime’, I would have used it. Of course there were […]
Books and Travelling Go Together!
I’ve had a lot of work to do, so I’ve obviously been avoiding it by reading everything I can. I read a few old favourites, swallowing them whole as comfort reading as I postponed all the work that lay pending. I returned to Georgetter Heyer after a long time, rereading Venetia and These Old Shades … Ah, how I enjoyed […]