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Varsha Seshan

Dum Dum to the Rescue & Yet More Adventures of Little Shambu

August 11, 2023 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

I just finished reading book 3 of the Little Shambu series, and it’s just as enjoyable as the others! We meet all the familiar characters–Little Shambu and family, the dog Dum Dum, Little Shambu’s neighbour Shanti, the class bully JJ–as well as several new characters with names that made me chuckle. The drama teacher, for […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: books for ages seven and eight, Dum Dum to the Rescue, Little Shambu, reading, review, Short Stories, Tinkle

In the Bear’s Den & More Adventures of Little Shambu

July 30, 2023 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Life is never humdrum with Little Shambu around, and I loved this next set of adventures too!  I remember reading about how the non-violence policy of Shikari Shambu ensured that he never fired a single shot. In fact, he is more a forest ranger than a hunter, and these stories about Little Shambu set the […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: books for ages seven and eight, In the Bear's Den and More Adventures of Little Shambu, Little Shambu, reading, review, Short Stories, Tinkle

Dungeon Tales

March 6, 2023 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

We read Dungeon Tales II in September last year and loved it. In fact, it was everyone’s favourite read from the August-September selection, even though it competed with Paati Vs UNCLE and Frindle. So how can we not read Dungeon Tales, or, as the children at my book club call it, ungeon ales? A brilliantly crafted collection of stories, this book takes us […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages nine and ten, Dungeon Tales, online reading programme, Short Stories, Venita Coelho

The Lizard of Oz and Other Stories

March 3, 2023 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

As a child, I adored animal stories. Dick King-Smith was a favourite, and I scoured the British Library for his books. Another favourite was the Animal Ark series – completely different in the sense that the animals aren’t anthropomorphic, but fun, all the same. That’s one of the reasons we’re reading The Lizard of Oz at my […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages seven and eight, Khyrunnisa A, online reading programme, reading, review, Short Stories, The Lizard of Oz and Other Stories

My Year in Writing: 2022

January 7, 2023 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

What can I say about a year when I FINALLY managed to take my books to audiences? At lit fests in Gurugram, Vadodara, Jaipur and Pune, I shared my books, interacted with children, and did school visits once more. Almost all through 2022, I was on a high! And yet, the true highlight of the […]

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: Flipped, How Big Is a Whale Shark, middle-grade, Picture Book, Red Eyes, Short Stories

Flipped – Mystery Stories and Sci-Fi Stories

November 7, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

With Flipped – Mystery Stories and Sci-Fi Stories, we have another first at my book club – an anthology! Full disclosure – I have a story in Flipped too, but we won’t be reading that one. I love the idea of the Flipped books. You read a few stories, then decide you want another kind of story, […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages nine and ten, Flipped, online reading programme, reading, Short Stories

Dragonflies, Jigsaws and Seashells

September 9, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

For the first time ever, we’re going to read one of my books at my book club! I am in equal parts nervous and excited. Yes, Dragonflies, Jigsaws and Seashells was shortlisted for the Scholastic Asian Book Award. Yes, it’s been published both by Scholastic Asia  and Scholastic India. Yes, it was shortlisted for the Singapore […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages nine and ten, Dragonflies Jigsaws and Seashells, online reading programme, reading, Short Stories, varsha seshan

Dungeon Tales II

April 11, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Munni finds an old book in her Mamaji’s shop. What does it say? ungeon ales? What could that possibly be? There’s only one way to find out – Munni must learn how to read, and properly. There’s a tiny problem – girls are forbidden to read in her village. But can that little detail stop […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: Dungeon Tales II, early middle grade, reading, review, Short Stories, Venita Coelho

Mostly Ghostly Stories

February 21, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

If you want to start a conversation with her, send her an email here and she promises to reply I paused and sighed. That’s how Subhadra Sen Gupta’s bio note ends, and even though I never knew or even met her, that line right there warms me up. And even if she cannot reply now, […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: Middle Grade, Mostly Ghostly Stories, Short Stories, Subhadra Sen Gupta, Talking Cub

No Ticket, Will Travel

September 7, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

For ever so long, I didn’t even know what the general compartment of a train was. When I saw people lining on station platforms, I assumed that they couldn’t plan their travel in advance and so, they didn’t get tickets. I knew all about not getting tickets because each year, we would stand in line […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: Karadi Tales, No Ticket Will Travel, PARI, reading, review, Short Stories, Subuhi Jiwan