It’s been such a long time since I read a collection of short stories! Hey Sis! Hey Bro! by Deepa Agarwal was a fun read, bringing together a range of stories featuring brothers and sisters, or, as the subtitle says, celebrating the sibling bond. From mythology to historical fiction and realistic fiction, I enjoyed the […]
What’s the Point of Kiki?
The name of the book itself makes me chuckle. It makes one think of big philosophical questions like What’s the point of life? or Why are we here? And yet, there’s a simplicity to the question that I love–what’s the point of a pet that does not show you any love, that you cannot cuddle? […]
ZardoZi
ZardoZi by Debasmita Dasgupta is a gentle, deceptively simple book. In just a few words, accompanied by powerful pictures, it tells a rich story–one that, as the subtitle says, is stitched with love. ZardoZi begins with a dream. Zi feels like he has found a treasure, but he doesn’t know what it is. When he […]
A Patch of Sun, A Patch of Shade
A Patch of Sun, A Patch of Shade is an endearing story, one that I read for the first time as a manuscript that was shortlisted for the Scholastic Asian Book Award 2023, when I served as chief judge. I was curious to read it again, curious to see how the story had grown and […]
Trouble in the Tea Gardens
When I started reading Trouble in the Tea Gardens by Mitali Perkins, I was struck by how similar several elements were to Tiger Boy. An intelligent small-town child capable of winning a scholarship to get a better education, a teacher with the child’s best interests at heart, a power-hungry, avaricious person in authority … I […]
Prabir’s New Flute
I love Asha Nehemiah’s stories, and I love Rajiv Eipe’s artwork. How could I not read a Hook Book created by the two of them? Prabir’s New Flute is a lovely, gentle story about a gifted boy, whose music is part of every happy event in Munshipara. When his flute breaks, however, Prabir realises that […]
The Impossible Pet
The Impossible Pet by Jane De Suza is such a fun book! I laughed out loud more than once as the hapless Tarun tries one thing after another to get a pet of his own–whether his parents like it or not. Just like when I read Puppy Trouble, what drew me first into the story […]
Sea ice? Now you don’t!
I’ve been a fan of Green Humour aka Rohan Chakravarty for so long that I’ve been wanting to read Sea ice? Now you don’t! ever since it was published. It was as delightful as I expected! I found myself reading page after page, alternating between laughter and despair even as I admired the depth and […]
Top 3 Young Adult Books -2025
I can’t remember how many young adult books I read in 2025, but there were just three books that stood out to me. The White Lotus I’ve recommended The White Lotus to more readers than I can count! A powerful work of historical fiction, what makes it stand out is the way in which the feisty protagonist […]
Top 16 Middle-Grade Books – 2025
SIXTEEN middle-grade books stood out to me last year! When I looked at my list, I did a quick count of how many books I read in all. I lost count at sixty! Of course, that includes picture books and chapter books that make for quicker reads. Here’s my list, beginning with the books I […]
Top 3 Chapter Books – 2025
I read dozens of chapter books each year, both because publishers send me review copies and because of my book clubs. Somehow, though, only three books really stood out to me! I’ve introduced all three to my book clubbers (aged nine and ten), and perhaps it’s more significant that they enjoyed these books than that […]
Top 8 Picture Books – 2025
I’m not much of a picture book reader, but every year, some gems come my way, gems that I love revisiting before I start a new year of reading. Most of these books were sent to me as review copies, but of course, that doesn’t affect my opinion in any way. In fact, if a […]
Help, My Aai Wants to Eat Me!
Yes, Help, My Aai Wants to Eat Me! is as mad and fun as it sounds. I know LOTS of people who express affection by saying they want to eat people up. People like Avi’s Aai who thinks Avi is so adorable that she wants to eat him. The problem is that Avi thinks she’s for real. […]
A Drop of Golden Sun
I remember reading Five Children on the Western Front several years ago, and if I remember right, I enjoyed it. The idea of writing about characters I had encountered in another book was fascinating, and perhaps that was what drew me into the book in the first place. With A Drop of Golden Sun, I […]
Doubles: Peace Pulao/The Forbidden Snacks Society
After Flipped, which you can read both ways, HarperCollins brings you Doubles–two stories written by two authors, based on one theme–food. Quite apart from the joy of the format, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the stories! Peace Pulao Peace Pulao by Vibha Batra is set in the fictitious city of Pasinabad. It tells an age-old story […]
Merci Suárez Changes Gears
Merci is the only one in her class who lives with her whole family. Grandparents, parents, brother, cousins, aunt–they all live together. They aren’t poor, perhaps, but they definitely don’t go vacationing in fancy places, unlike her classmate, the popular Edna. Almost against her will, though, Merci wants Edna to like her. She wants to […]
No Matter the Distance
No Matter the Distance by Cindy Baldwin left me with such a mix of emotions! I almost didn’t finish the book because the middle was a little draggy. But verse tends to keep me reading, and the burgeoning relationship between a girl and a dolphin was promising, so I persevered … and I really liked […]
The Battle for Baramulla
The Battle for Baramulla, the latest book in the Songs of Freedom series takes us to 1947 Kashmir. The maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir wants his kingdom to remain independent. But when there are attacks from the northwest frontier, is staying independent really an option? The Battle for Baramulla begins slowly. I took a while […]
Rosa in a Rush
Pai’s purple dahlias are missing! Of course Rosa is in a rush–she must find out who stole them. Was it Dona Sylvia de Braganza, who won second-best garden when Pai won the prize for best garden? Or was it Cousin Mario who recently turned his house into a hotel? Rosa must find out! It’s quite […]
What Could It Be?
Bapu is scared of something in the bathroom! What could it be? A gang of ghosts in a giggling gather? Scary skeletons covered in lather? When Diya discovers it’s none of the things her imagination leads her to believe but just a lizard, she knows that she must save her father. Even if her Bapu […]