Maths and Logic are fascinating. I remember when I studied Descartes, who tried to prove the existence of God using pure logic. I understand the drive to do that – just like I understand Tara’s need to use a theorem to find friends. Can a foolproof Friendship Theorem exist? Can we actually use a Venn diagram to find friends?
Tara and the Friendship Theorem is a lovely book about big changes and making friends. Like with Ramanujan, I enjoyed the facts at the head of each chapter; they help me get into Tara’s very particular character. Just like Tara (and the author Chitra Soundar), I, too, played pallanguzhi as a child too, though my rules were a little different from the ones at the beginning of the book. But I played all things mathematics – Cheese Buzz, Magic Squares, even mental maths games.
Unlike Tara, however, I never attempted to use Maths to find friends. And more importantly, I loved the great outdoors as much as I loved Maths. But what can Tara do at a camp where no electronics are allowed at all?
Cheese Buzz
When we’re reading about a protagonist like Tara, how can we not play a maths game? Cheese Buzz and Magical Mathematical Squares promise to be fun. We’ll play one for sure, and the other if we have the time.
Skills
Part of the process of making friends is finding out what the others are good at. Kapil loves extreme sports. Millie loves to juggle, and is good at it too. What can my book clubbers do that they’re proud of? Solve a Rubik’s cube? Say the alphabet backwards? Fold their tongues? Let’s find out!
Change
Two books we’re reading this time are about big changes – shifting house. Lily in The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips has to move because of the war. Tara has to leave her best friend behind in Chennai and move to the UK for two years. Change is never easy, but it happens all around us. As creative writing is an integral part of Read, Write, Explore, we’ll look at changes around us and write a poem in free verse about change.
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