Book Covers – Reimagined
Our second guest session of the season–and my thirty-fifth guest session in all–was such a visual treat! We haven’t ever had a cover design workshop before and I enjoyed this one, particularly as Isha Nagar, who conducted the session, designed two of my book covers (Fishbowl and Uncontrollable), both of which I love!
Through the course of an hour, Isha guided us through the process of redesigning covers for our favourite books. We began by writing down the main characters and theme of the story. Then, Isha explained the three essential elements of a book cover – title, the main illustration, and author name. She showed us multiple examples, demonstrating various design approaches from her own work as well as famous titles by other illustrators. She spoke about Fishbowl, The Ghost of Malabar, Banian Buddies, and several more. It was wonderful to see the range of covers she shared with us, from classics like The Tiger Who Came to Tea to funky covers like that of Loki.
She then took us through the process of design, beginning with thumbnail sketches, moving on to colour, and then lettering. She answered questions about how we can incorporate themes, characters, and visual elements effectively.
Right through, what I loved was that Isha focused on the creative process rather than strict rules. What a fun session it was!
The Adventures of Mooli and the Bully on Wheels
We’re rereading The Adventures of Mooli and the Bully on Wheels at my book club! The book features characters some of my book clubbers have read about before. We’ve read both The Adventures of Mooli and the Sticker Trickster and The Adventures of Mooli and the Blue-Legged Alien. It’s time to meet Mooli again!
Mooli and his friend Soups are fun, enterprising characters, itching to try something new. After all, they want to win a prize on WAYOUTS – World’s As Yet Original Untried Tricks and Stunts. Toothpaste art sounds like a good idea–or not.
Funny, silly and full of wacky ideas, Mooli is a character with whom book clubs are fun!
Art Explorations
Mooli tries to create art using a tube of toothpaste. We’re not going to waste toothpaste, but we are going to have fun with art! Can the children draw with their eyes closed? Or with their non-dominant hand? Or without lifting their pencil from the paper? Let’s find out!
WAYOUTS
We discussed this during my December book club, and we’re going to discuss it again. What unusual and untried ideas can my book clubbers come up with for a fictitious WAYOUTS entry? What can they do that has never been done before?
Dear Team Wayouts
This time, we’ll take our WAYOUTS ideas one step further, working with a little writing too. I’d like the children to imagine that they’ve created something they would like to send for the WAYOUTS competition. We’ll work on a cover letter that they could write to accompany their entry. Letter-writing is always enjoyable!
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The June 2026 edition is sold out! New batches begin every alternate month. Join my mailing list if you would like to receive email notifications about my programmes. Alternatively, follow me on social media – Facebook and Instagram – for regular updates.
Alternatively, if you would like to sign up and read just this book with us, I have one spot open!
Tara and the Friendship Theorem
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
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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Ada Lace, On the Case
Most of my book clubbers love mystery stories, and that’s why the A to Z Mysteries are a great favourite. It’s time to introduce another series–Ada Lace, On the Case! Like Maya from Maya and the Robot, Ada Lace is a scientist and inventor. How does she solve the mystery of a dog that has suddenly gone missing?
As we find out, here’s what we’ll do!
Picture Description
Let’s begin by looking at the cover of Ada Lace, On the Case. What do we learn about the protagonist just from the picture?What, in your opinion, is Ada most interested in?
Field Journal
The cover of Ada Lace, On the Case has the protagonist holding a field guide. What is a field guide, and what is a field journal? I will ask my book clubbers to keep a field journal for ten days, as we read this book. During the last class, each of them will share what they jotted down!
Gadgets
Ada Lace has all kinds of gadgets that she uses during her investigation. What kinds of gadgets would you like to have? What would you use them for?
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Book clubs are a space to share ideas and develop skills like critical thinking and communication. Over the last six years, I’ve seen marked differences in the ways in which children express themselves before and after reading together. Plus, the sooner they begin to develop a love for books, the likelier they are to become lifelong readers!
The June 2026 edition is sold out! New batches begin every alternate month. Join my mailing list if you would like to receive email notifications about my programmes. Alternatively, follow me on social media – Facebook and Instagram – for regular updates.
Maya and the Robot
Maya and the Robot by Eve L. Ewing is a heart-warming story about a girl and a robot. It is the story of being lonely, finding community. and discovering what it is to be human. Particularly in an age when AI has found its way into so much of our lives, it’s a relevant read while also being a timeless one. Here’s what we’ll do as we read it at my book club.
Book Discussion
What, according to you, makes a human different from a robot? At my book club, we’ll have a mini-debate on the topic: A robot would make an excellent friend.
I’m curious about what my book clubbers will come up with!
Vocabulary Games
Maya and the Robot is one of those books for which I found tons of resources online–though mostly related to vocabulary. Let’s do criss-cross puzzles, word games, and more!
Science Fiction
For the creative writing element of this book, we’ll write a little science fiction. A robot as a friend–what could go wrong?
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I love reading with children! When we read together, we share more than just stories. Join us as we read, write and explore!
Song of the Asunam
Song of the Asunam is a stunning book. Just like when we read Chris Riddell’s Ottoline series, we’re going to spend a lot of time looking at the pictures of this gorgeous graphic novel as we read it together at my book club! Here’s what else we’ll do as we read.
Fantastical Creatures
Can you create a fantastical creature? And no, I don’t mean a unicorn with wings or a three-headed dog. Can you come up with something unlike anything you’ve ever read about or seen? At my book club, we’ll describe and draw creatures that would belong to the world of the Asunam!
Monster
I love playing monster games because they give so much scope to the imagination! Together, we’ll create a monster and like Vetri in the story, we’ll figure out whether the monster is truly wicked or just sad and misunderstood.
Heroes and Villains
What characteristics must a hero have? How does a hero look? At my book club, we’ll do a brief exercise on creating a character with either a unique skill or a superpower. What problem would they face, and how would they overcome the problem?
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Too many children (and parents!) feel that reading a graphic novel isn’t “real” reading, but I disagree! Every page of Song of the Asunam is a treat, and I can’t wait to read it with my book club.
The June 2026 edition is sold out! New batches begin every alternate month. Join my mailing list if you would like to receive email notifications about my programmes. Alternatively, follow me on social media – Facebook and Instagram – for regular updates.
Rocket Champs
Rocket Champs by Niyatee Sharma is perfect for young readers who enjoy stories about STEM. It follows the timeless enemies-to-friends trope in a fun, believable way. I look forward to introducing this quick read to my book clubbers! Here’s what we’ll do as we read.
Things Going Wrong
Arjun feels like everything’s going wrong. His mother has banned experiments at home. Worse, he has to team up with the most annoying girl in school for a science project!
At my book club, we’ll use this as the prompt for a couple of exercises. One – how many synonyms do you know for the word “annoying”? And two, what does the most annoying day in the world look like to you? Write a journal entry!
Experiments
While I would have loved to make a rocket with my book clubbers, it’s challenging to do it online! I can’t monitor their experiments well, and I don’t want to imagine the kind of havoc it could create! Instead, we’ll try to do a couple of simple things. We’ll make a paper boat, and I’ll ask the children to see how it floats. I’d love also to see if my book clubbers can demonstrate something easy and safe!
Enemies to Friends
What is a trope? How can we use one when we write?
As creative writing is an integral part of Read, Write, Explore, we will spend one class exploring the enemies-to-friends trope and writing a story of our own following it!
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Read, Write, Explore is an ongoing reading programme that combines the joy of a book club with an introduction to creative writing. Join us as we read three more books over the course of six weeks!
The Pink Dress
The Pink Dress is such a delightful book! Just like so many other books I’ve read by Shabnam Minwalla, it is hilarious and fun, while also addressing bigger themes, including class divides and education.
Here’s what we’ll do as we read this book at my book club next month!
Presents
As The Pink Dress is the first book we will be reading next month, it will be a good time to get to know one another. Let’s talk about presents! What is the best gift you have ever received? Who gave it to you? And is there something that you want that your parents refuse to get for you?
Word Games
There are lots of words in the book that my book clubbers may not know. So, I’ll ask them to look through the book and play a little game. Find three words you don’t know and ask someone else to spell them. A little competition always creates a fun way to pay attention to words and how they’re written.
Role Play
Kanmani wants to call Diva … but she ends up calling someone else altogether! I will rewrite a small section of the story as a play and we’ll act it out together, noticing how hilarious the situation becomes when we think we’re talking to someone but we’re actually talking to someone else!
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We’ve read several of Shabnam Minwalla’s books at my book clubs! Take a look:
- Jumble Sale
- When Jiya Met Urmila
- The Shy Supergirl
- Lucky Girl
- Nimmi’s Dreadtastic Detective Days
- Nimmi’s Bizuper Birthday
The June 2026 edition is sold out! New batches begin every alternate month. Join my mailing list if you would like to receive email notifications about my programmes. Alternatively, follow me on social media – Facebook and Instagram – for regular updates.
The Poetry Playground with Yashasvi Vachhani
Rhymes are fun, and we explored them to the fullest at Yashasvi Vachhani’s workshop, The Poetry Playground.
From shedding our serious skins and getting silly to creating word clouds and writing poetry, we did so much that the chat was buzzing with activity last evening. We worked with simple, silly rhymes, but noticed how something happens even in the simplest and silliest of poems. Sometimes, logic drives the poem; at other times, it’s sounds and shapes.
In the course of one hour, we read poetry by Sampurna Chattarji, Laura Elizabeth Richards, Sukumar Ray and Alok Bhalla, and more! We made up words, wrote rhymes, and all in all, had loads of fun.
A workshop with a guest is a wonderful way to keep the energy high at my writing programme, and a workshop on poetry while we’re doing our poetry module is just perfect. The next guest session is a little over a month away. Watch this space for more details, coming very soon!
Nami and Jhalak: Stinkypur Guardians
The last book we will be reading at the next edition of my book club is Nami and Jhalak: Stinkypur Guardians! It’s just a few months old, and I can’t wait to share it with my book clubbers. Here’s what we’ll do as we read.
Bird Quiz
Nami and Jhalak get inspired to act when they find a lapwing stuck to a bucket of paint in the canal. Do you know what a lapwing is? What regular birds can you identify? Let’s find out!
Write a Poem!
When we provide children with the right scaffolding, they write much better! Together, we’ll work on a poem inspired by nature.
Picture Postcards
Nami and Jhalak send picture postcards to convince the authorities to save Town Park. I’ll introduce my book clubbers to picture postcards and then we’ll make our own!
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I’m always nervous about reading my own books with my book clubbers, but over time, we’ve read quite a few! Take a look at what we did as we read:
- The Clockwala’s Clues
- The Prophecy of Rasphora
- Dhara’s Revolution
- Dragonflies, Jigsaws and Seashells
- The Best Idea of All
- The Wall Friends Club
The April 2026 edition is sold out! New batches begin every alternate month. Join my mailing list if you would like to receive email notifications about my programmes. Alternatively, follow me on social media – Facebook and Instagram – for regular updates.
Banian Buddies
Banian Buddies has all the ingredients of a story my book clubbers will love–humour, quirky characters, and a big mission. It also provides the perfect opportunity for all kinds of discussions. Do we think of the environment as more important than people? How much do we trust celebrities who champion products and ideas? Waiting to see what my book clubbers think!
Making an Ad
I love working with ads because every child has come across them in some form or the other! The children in the story see Sa Ni Dha Pa Sundari’s face plastered all over the city, urging viewers to conserve nature. When I give them my book clubbers a product to advertise, what will their catchphrase be? What kind of character would be the face of their ad?
Trees
Several books have allowed us to explore animals and birds around us. What about trees? What trees do we know, and what makes them special? This time, as we read Banian Buddies, I will ask each of my book clubbers to make a presentation about a tree they can identify! I’m sure we’ll all learn something in the process.
Letter
Venky’s Thatha loves writing letters to The Grouchy Times. If you had to write a letter to the newspaper, what would you write about and why? How would you phrase your letter?
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The April 2026 edition of Read, Write, Explore is sold out! New batches begin every alternate month. Join my mailing list if you would like to receive email notifications about my programmes. Alternatively, follow me on social media – Facebook and Instagram – for regular updates.
We’ve read four of Vibha Batra’s books at my book club, and some of them more than once! You could explore:
Mercy Watson to the Rescue
Three years ago, we read Because of Winn-Dixie at my book club, and we loved it. I’ve been mulling over Mercy Watson since even before that. It’s shorter than most of the other books we read at my book club. Would it be challenging enough? Or too childish?
Finally, I decided I would give it a shot next month. Shorter books give us the time to do more activities! Plus, especially as most of my book clubbers have not encountered Kate DiCamillo’s work, what better place to introduce a wonderful writer to them?
Pig or Dog?
The best thing about using a well known book at my book club is the range of resources I can find online! Before we read the book, we will discuss what my book clubbers think will happen in the story, based on what they see on the cover. And then, we’ll have a debate–pig or dog? Which makes for a better pet and why? Let’s try to find at least five reasons supporting each animal!
Fact or Opinion?
Evelyn Lincoln has a lot of opinions. What is an opinion and what is a fact? I will give my book clubbers a set of sentences about pigs, and they will determine whether each one is a fact or an opinion. From there, I’ll ask them to make two sentences about themselves–one fact and one opinion!
Oink!
Mercy Watson mostly says just one thing – “oink!” But does it mean the same thing in different contexts? We’ll read sections of the story written as simple dialogue, bringing expression into the way we read aloud–especially when it comes to the word oink!
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Book clubs give children the opportunity to read books they might not otherwise read. At my book club, I steer clear of books the children are already reading–whether it’s Bad Guys or Goosebumps. Introducing children to a new series they may love is such a joy!
The April 2026 edition is sold out! New batches begin every alternate month. Join my mailing list if you would like to receive email notifications about my programmes. Alternatively, follow me on social media – Facebook and Instagram – for regular updates.
Although the April edition is sold out, if you would like to try out this programme and read just one book with us, I have one seat open for each book we will be reading!
The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips
I read The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips several years ago. And like most of Michael Morpurgo’s books, it’s a classic. In the cruellest, most inhuman of times, we find stories of courage and love – Morpurgo never fails to remind us of that.
Through a series of diary entries, we learn about 11-year-old Lily, who lives in Slapton in 1943. The war seems very far away, even though several “townies” now study in the same school as Lily. Life goes on as usual–until the people of Slapton are told they must evacuate in seven weeks. Lily’s grandfather refuses to move, but the time comes when he accepts that he will help the war effort by moving, so he does. The problem is that Lily’s precious cat, Tips, goes missing, and everyone begins to hunt for her, including the Yankee soldiers who are now in Slapton.
As the hunt for Tips goes on, relationships are formed, and these relationships drive the story, leading to the astonishing end of the book, one that fills us up and makes us rejoice.
The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips is a beautiful, heartwarming story – I can’t wait to share it with my book club again!
Adolphus Tips
Lily renames her cat Adolphus Tips after the soldier Adolphus, whom she meets in Slapton. Whom would you name an animal after, and why? What about toys? Have you ever named a toy after someone?
Journalling
The story of Adolphus Tips is revealed to us through Lily’s diary, the perfect prompt for us to write a journal entry or two. We will begin by writing a little about ourselves – our day, and what makes it special. We will then move on to a more imaginative entry–about a day when we have to move out of our home to a new place.
Autobiography
We learn about Tips’s adventures through Lily, but what if Tips could write for herself? What would her diary look like?
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The April 2026 edition of Read, Write, Explore is sold out! New batches begin every alternate month. Join my mailing list if you would like to receive email notifications about my programmes. Alternatively, follow me on social media – Facebook and Instagram – for regular updates.
I love Michael Morpurgo’s work! We read The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips at my book club for the first time in February 2023; I’m looking forward to rereading it with a new set of book clubbers. Meanwhile, if you’d like to explore some of his other work, here are a few books I’ve reviewed on my blog:
The Impossible Pet
I loved The Impossible Pet by Jane De Suza! It’s a delightful story–the perfect blend of laughter and seriousness. Here’s what we’ll do as we read it at my book club next month.
An Impossible Pet
Look at the cover. Which of the animals featured there would be an impossible pet? And if one of them came into your life, how would you deal with it? What would you name it, and what do you think would make the pet fun?
An Essay
Essays are boring–at least, most children think so. But what about an opening paragraph like this?
What I like most in the world is my pet. My pet’s name is Silent Sunny Gekkonidae. And he is the only crocodile which can climb walls.
I’d love to see where my book clubbers take the story from here!
Sharing
I love using whiteboards and sticky notes in class. As we read the book, we’ll take a look at what we’re willing to share, what we’re not willing to share, and what we’re sometimes willing to share. I’d love to see what the children add to the list I create!
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I love reading with children and setting them off on their own individual reading journeys! The younger they are when they develop a love for reading, the likelier they are to continue to read even as they grow older.
The April 2026 edition is sold out! New batches begin every alternate month. Join my mailing list if you would like to receive email notifications about my programmes. Alternatively, follow me on social media – Facebook and Instagram – for regular updates.
Sneaker Paati
Sneaker Paati is an engaging book that I read a few months ago. Even as I read it, I thought about the fact that it would make for a quick, easy read for middle-grade readers who want something lighthearted and fun. That’s why we’ll be reading it at my book club next month! Here’s what we’ll do as we read.
Grandparents
Grandparents in stories often knit, crochet, make delicious food, and pamper their grandchildren. Have you read about a grandmother who is different? What about your grandparents? I would love for the children at my book club to talk about grandparents who fit the mould or break the mould. At my book club, I will ask each child to tell me a story about a grandparent. Any sort of story will do–one that features their grandparents as children, or one that involves the book clubbers too!
Sport
Sneaker Paati can do karate and headstands. She encourages her grandson Kittu to swim. As we read the book, I would like my book clubbers to tell me about a sport of their choice. What draws them to the sport, or what makes them not want to play it? What can they tell me about the sport that the rest of us might not know?
Unconventional Characters
Creating unique characters is an important part of creating a story. What will make your character stand out? During the class reserved for writing, we will attempt to create a character who challenges our expectations in some way–either through their personality or through a superpower they may have!
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Read, Write, Explore is an online reading programme that combines the joy of reading with an introduction to creative writing. It is perfect for children who enjoy reading but aren’t yet committed to the discipline required for writing.
The April 2026 edition is sold out! New batches begin every alternate month. Join my mailing list if you would like to receive email notifications about my programmes. Alternatively, follow me on social media – Facebook and Instagram – for regular updates.
Trouble with Magic
The name itself makes my eyes sparkle. Trouble with magic? That sounds promising! And it is. I giggled my way through the book, chuckling at the hapless Aunt Malu and charmed by the enterprising Veena. Aunt Malu should have known better, but … therein lies the tale!
Trouble with Magic was the very first book we read at the very first edition of my book club over five years ago! We’re rereading it next month!
Inventions
What would you invent if you could invent anything in the world? Do you think that invention of yours is scientific or magical?
Children at my workshops have invented all kinds of things from time machines to superfast shoes and robots that do their homework for them. Aunt Malu is a delightful mix of magician and scientist – neither real nor fantastic – and so, she provides the perfect balance for children who want both realistic fiction and magic. Children are free to imagine anything at all in this realm and I’m waiting to see everything they create!
Here’s one of the creations from 2020!
Sense Perception
Paying attention to the world around us is the first step towards making sense of it. What happens to snow in the heat? What happens to leaves in the wind? How do we link these sounds to our emotions? With its effusion of colour and sound, Trouble with Magic allows for much sensitivity to the world around us.
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The April 2026 edition is sold out! New batches begin every alternate month. Join my mailing list if you would like to receive email notifications about my programmes. Alternatively, follow me on social media – Facebook and Instagram – for regular updates.
My Year in Workshops – 2025
Teacher training programmes often take me all over the country, but this time, author interactions did that for me! My teacher training was restricted to Pune, Goa and Nagpur, which gave me the time to do a lot of other things (including write!).
Online workshops continue to have my heart. I love the fact that I can conduct them from anywhere, whether I’m travelling or at home. This academic year, I discontinued my writers’ club at St. Mary’s School for precisely this reason—in-person sessions don’t allow for the flexibility my other work demands. I did create the next issue of THE WRITE PLACE for my young students, but subsequent issues are on hold, at least for the time being.
At my book clubs, we read 42 books in 2025. I had enough registrations to go ahead with each batch I planned! I invited six wonderful guests to conduct sessions for my writing programmes, all of which were engaging. Many students who joined me in 2020 are slowly outgrowing my writing programmes, bittersweet moments for all of us.
In 2025, I also launched online teacher training workshops for the first time, and they’ve been so rewarding! Here’s a little about each.
Book Clubs
Reading with children is a joy. I love listening to their points of view, paying attention to what catches their attention and what leaves them bored. As always, though, what works brilliantly with one batch may fail miserably with another!
Even with all the stress of whether the books will reach my students in time, I continue to source my books from independent bookstores, as far as possible. Additionally, I continue to focus on Indian books, in the hope that eventually, names of Indian authors will become as familiar to parents and children as all the big foreign ones they continue to read.
Creative Writing
Teaching creative writing online is something I never thought I would enjoy so much. Summer 2025 was quite hectic because I had so many students that instead of running two batches as usual, I had four! Reading their work, giving them feedback, working with edits and rewrites … it was exhausting, but fun, nonetheless. I taught new forms of poetry, and worked with drama, nonfiction and fiction in new ways. More than once, I stepped out of my comfort zone to teach genres I don’t normally teach.
Winter 2025 saw me teach two full batches, and for the guest sessions, I had to juggle three time zones because I had a student from Dubai, one from Taiwan, and one from Singapore!
In 2025, we created issue 6 and issue 7 of WORDS, our e-magazine. The next issue will be out very soon!
Our guest sessions are always special. Here are the experts who visited us last year!
I also conducted workshops for Joykidz and SkilLit Readers, working on concrete poetry, cinquains and free verse with the former, and two of my books with the latter – The Clockwala’s Clues and Dhara’s Revolution. These were fun too!
Teacher Training
Since I enjoy teaching creative writing so much, I decided to see whether I could help other teachers work with it too. I’ve conducted four workshops so far, and the response I received for each one has been heart-warming. In 2026, I hope to continue to conduct these sessions, perhaps once in two months, or once every quarter!
New online workshops begin every alternate month, and I’m always open to looking at offline workshops should schools require them. If you would like to receive email notifications about my programmes, please fill this form. Alternatively, follow me on social media – Facebook and Instagram – for regular updates.
Meanwhile, a new year of workshops has already begun!
Gobi Goes Viral
Gobi Goes Viral by Vibha Batra is funny, heart-warming, and altogether believable. We’ve read and loved Kolam Kanna and Pinkoo Shergill at my book club, and I’m happy to introduce yet another book by the same writer to the children I meet. Here’s what we’ll do as we read this story!
Talent Show
How can we read a book about a talent show without having a talent show of our own? Over time, I’ve had children recite poetry, play musical instruments, draw and solve a Rubik’s Cube during our book club. It’s always lovely to see a side of children that I wouldn’t otherwise get to see if we stuck to just reading in class!
Similes
Gopi (aka Gobi) uses very interesting similes! Starting with an example from the text, we will explore funny similes, coming up with imaginative comparisons for a range of humorous things.
Vegetables
Whenever Gopi meets someone, he is reminded of a vegetable. This led to a fun conversation about what vegetables we’re like and why!
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We’re rereading this book by Vibha Batra at my book club because it was so much fun when we read it for the first time! We rapped, spoke about differences we see between people, and even invited author Vibha Batra to talk to us!
This edition of my book club is sold out!
New batches begin every alternate month. Join my mailing list if you would like to receive email notifications about my programmes. Alternatively, follow me on social media – Facebook and Instagram – for regular updates.
The Mystery of the Disappearing Drone
A few months ago, when I read The Mystery of the Disappearing Drone, I knew I would eventually introduce this AKA Mystery to my book clubbers. Some of them have read The Mystery of the Missing Geometry Boxes with me; I look forward to introducing this one to them!
Detective Notebook
As we read The Mystery of the Disappearing Drone, we’ll write detective notes. Whom do we suspect and why? What evidence do we have so far? How can we evaluate the evidence and reach a conclusion?
Mystery Game
I’ve played this game in the past, and it’s good fun! I will give my book clubbers a set of clues, based on which we will try to figure out who the murderer is!
Satisfying Conclusions
Does a cliffhanger make for a satisfying conclusion? Why, or why not? The writing exercise we do for The Mystery of the Disappearing Drone will focus on how to end a story.
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Registrations are now closed for this edition of Read, Write, Explore. New batches begin every alternate month. Join my mailing list if you would like to receive email notifications about my programmes. Alternatively, follow me on social media – Facebook and Instagram – for regular updates.
Amelia Bedelia Goes Wild
We read our first Amelia Bedelia (Amelia Bedelia Means Business) at the second edition of my reading programme, and what fun we had with it! Even though there were children who didn’t understand much of the word play, the humour came through, and we enjoyed the book thoroughly.
Amelia Bedelia Goes Wild promises to be just as much fun. Amelia is “sick as a dog”, and she can’t go to the zoo with the rest of her class. But it isn’t like Amelia to give up and give in. Oh, no. If she can’t go to the zoo, she must make one of her own!
Powered by her optimism and bursting with ideas, Amelia can do anything, as she shows us in this humorous chapter book that I’m waiting to share with my book club.
Wordplay
How can we read an Amelia Bedelia and not engage in wordplay? From idioms to homophones, this series explores the madness of the English language, delighting in the confusion its oddities create. We’ll go wild with a quiz on animal idioms, exploring how language can make you go bananas.
Animals
There exists a very special relationship between animals and children, and a book like Amelia Bedelia is perfect to explore this relationship. What strange animal facts do you know? What is your favourite animal and why? And most importantly, do you think it’s right to keep an animal in a zoo?
Figures of Speech
Amelia is sick as a dog. Are dogs always sick? And yet, the phrase sick as a dog exists. What other similes can we explore? Amelia Bedelia Goes Wild is perfect to (re)introduce similes, metaphors and hyperbole.
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Often, when I read a well-known book like Amelia Bedelia, a few children have already read it. It doesn’t matter in the least – they enjoy rereading it and laughing aloud once more. And the fun of a book club is that it’s not just about reading; it’s also about all the activities we do side by side.
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A Boy Called Bat
What does it mean to be autistic? What exactly does the word inclusive mean?
I think these are conversations we must keep having, and the earlier we have them with children, the more likely it is that they will be sensitive to neurodiversity, and the fact that we can look at things from other points of view.
For me, the best way to have these conversations is through books – books like A Boy Called Bat.
Bat, aka Bixby Alexander Tam, is an unforgettable character, and his story is both funny and lovely. Bat may be autistic, but the truth is that all of us – neurotypical or neurodiverse – know what it is like to want something with all our heart.
And what does Bat want?
To convince his mother that a skunk kit is the perfect pet.
A story about friendship, sibling rivalry, and being different, A Boy Called Bat is another book we’re rereading at my book club because it’s such a rewarding, lovely story..
Our Five Senses
I’ve read so much about needing to rethink how we teach the senses. When we’re hungry, for instance, isn’t that a sense? Sure, we stub our toes and hit our elbows once in a while, but what sense prevents us from doing this all the time?
Understanding autism is also about understanding our senses and how they work. We’ll talk about the five senses we study at school, explore sights and sounds we like, and then move on to discussing what senses we have but take for granted.
Animals
Thanks to A Boy Called Bat, I learned that the young one of a skunk is called a kit! It’s a good time to explore a few others – foxes, wolves, kangaroos, and maybe a few unusual ones too.
Points of View
Bat’s mom thinks his dresser drawers are a mess. Bat thinks they’re organised. Janie is upset about her unicorn pajama top, even though Bat has a very logical explanation as to why he gave it to the skunk.
This is the perfect time to write two diary entries – one from Janie’s point of view and one from Bat’s. What would make them different? Which of them is in the wrong?
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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. And when his Aai is ill, he’s sure that he is being fattened up for her, rather like the story of Hansel and Gretel, where the witch fattens children up to eat them …
It’s humorously horrifying, but also sweet and charming; we’re definitely going to enjoy reading Help, My Aai Wants to Eat Me! at my book club.
Pros and Cons
Avi looks at the pros and cons of everything, and we’re going to use this idea in class. What are the pros and cons of reading in a group? What about of online book clubs? Schools reopening?
Notes
Each day that his mother is sick, Avi writes a little note, just like his Aai would do. The notes are no more than a few sentences long, the perfect way to take our journalling journeys forward! We’ll take ten days to read Help, My Aai Wants to Eat Me! at my book club, and during these ten days, I’ll ask the children to write a little note to themselves every day. At our last class, we’ll share the most interesting ones with the others.
Food Idioms
A cup of tea. A piece of cake. You’re toast. A lemon (we came across this when we read Amelia Bedelia Means Business too!). What else? We’re going to be reading yet another book about food, so we’ll take our food explorations one step further by exploring the ways in which food finds its way into the English language.
I’ve chosen this book for my book club for the second time because we enjoyed it so much the first time we read it! Here’s some of what we did!
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Tiger Boy
Sometimes, it takes a while to get to a book, even though you come across it everywhere. Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins was like that for me. I knew it was set in the Sunderbans, and that it has sold over a lakh copies. I bought a copy, and yet, it sat unread on my shelf for months. I finally read it, and I’m looking forward to introducing it to my book clubbers! It’s a story about being true to yourself, making difficult decisions, and persevering even when it feels like the world is against you. Another book that reminded me of Red Eyes, I loved venturing with the protagonist Neel deep into the forest, as he struggles to balance what he wants with what he must do.
Imagery
As someone who loves visiting jungles, a book set in a forest opens up all kinds of possibilities. As we read Tiger Boy, we will work on bringing all five senses alive through a short description. What sights, sounds and smells would we encounter in a forest? How would our experience be different from that of another creature, perhaps one that lives in the forest?
Convincing Language
Neel must convince his parents that saving the tiger cub is the right thing to do. How do we convince people? Let’s play a game to find out!
A Difficult Decision
Often, children struggle with writing conflict, especially internal conflict. Once we finish reading Tiger Boy, we will work on a short story about a difficult decision. Step by step, I will lead the children through the process of writing a story so that we create a full-fledged, believable character in a story that shies away from teaching you a lesson.
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Mahalaxmi Will Go to Mysore
In some ways, Mahalaxmi Will Go to Mysore is a difficult read when it comes to my book club. A lot of children grow up in bubbles, unaware of what it means to be poor, oblivious to privilege and prejudice. I don’t know how effective our conversations will be, but I said it even when I reviewed the book–this book is a conversation starter. It needs to find its way into school libraries and from there into children’s hands. Hoping to make a tiny beginning with my book club, although I have no idea where our discussions will lead!
Friends
Most of our friends come from similar backgrounds because we meet them at school or at one of the many classes we go to. Do you have friends who are different from you? What would you do if your friend could not come on a class trip with you?
Holidays
Since Mahalaxmi Will Go to Mysore is all about a class trip to Mysore, I’ll ask my book clubbers to tell me about a place they recently visited. I would love it if they showed me a picture (or five!) and told me about what they enjoyed most and why. Let’s see if we can write a very brief journal entry or travelogue!
Crafts Fair
Mahalaxmi has a crafts fair at her school, so we’ll have one at our book club! If the children can show me something they have made, that would be wonderful. If not, we’ll make something together–either some origami or a collage!
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Thrills and Chills – A Horror Writing Workshop with Shabnam Minwalla
What a thrilling, chilling session we had with Shabnam Minwalla! It was interactive and fun, full of creepy examples and wonderful ideas.
Shabnam began by telling us what inspired her book Saira Zariwala Is Afraid–mysterious messages on her daughter’s phone. From there, we explored all kinds of things, from settings, to concepts for horror stories. I loved how many participants shared examples of regular places that become sinister! Playgrounds, people who are a little too sweet, mysterious lights … Even ordinary places like schools and malls have so much potential for horror!
One big takeaway for me was the idea that what we imagine is far more frightening than what is written. As a result, an unreliable narrator who makes us feel uncertain works perfectly for horror!
Beginning with a setting that has potential, moving to a “what-if” sentence, and then creating a sense of suspicion, where we wonder whom to trust–these are the makings of a great horror story!
I can’t believe that this was my thirty-third guest! We’ve explored so many genres and worked on so many different styles. I’m grateful to each guest who’s added a spark to my writing programmes. This one was the last of the season; look out for the next guest session in April 2026!
Delightfully True – A Workshop on Writing Creative Nonfiction
What is creative nonfiction? What makes it different from regular nonfiction?
Award-winning author Mallika Ravikumar led us through the second guest session of the season, teaching students what makes creative nonfiction engaging. From techniques of writing–like showing instead of telling–to research methodology, Mallika helped students understand how to go about writing credible creative nonfiction.
An important aspect of writing about true events is perspective. The same incidents can be viewed from multiple points of view. How do we choose a point of view? And what is our responsibility as writers once we’ve chosen a viewpoint?
At the end of the session, lots of participants who had read Mallika’s books had questions for her, which was heartwarming! She left them with an exercise that explores perspective and technique, which I hope will give them firsthand experience of how engaging creative nonfiction can be!
Manya Learns to Roar
We’re rereading Manya Learns to Roar by Shruthi Rao at my book club! We read it at the very first edition of my reading programme, when I tentatively started out in 2020, wondering if I would be able to sustain an online book club for children. All those who read it with me then are now too old to be part of the book club, so it’s time to reintroduce a book I love!
Banyan High School, is going to present a play based on Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, and Manya wants the role of Shere Khan. She knows it is the first step towards winning an Oscar, and she’s already writing her acceptance speech for that.
I loved Manya Learns to Roar because of how true it is to childhood dreams and the way each child is such a charming mixture of supreme confidence and deep vulnerability.
Before I even read the book, I was drawn to the idea of a child with a stammer determined to take part in a school play. Once I read it, I knew I had to work with it because there’s just so much you can do with a book like this!
Codes
When I started reading Manya Learns to Roar, I didn’t notice that the chapter numbers were written in the special code that Manya and her best friend Ankita share. I think I was on chapter six when my eyes widened. Ooh! The chapter names are in code! And as Manya and Ankita know, the very fact that it is bound to be dismissed as random doodling makes it the perfect kind of code. Codes, puzzles and cryptograms are thrilling, and I know that the children at the reading programme will enjoy them as much as I do!
Speaking
Did you know that tongue twisters are said to be a great way to overcome a stutter? Manya Learns to Roar provides the perfect opportunity to work on speech and recitation. Reading aloud is one aspect of the programme, and tongue twisters will make a fun addition to all the speaking we do.
Drama
As a book that revolves around the production of a play, it’s ideal for my ‘come as a character‘ activity! While I hope that children will come as one of the characters from the books we read together, I don’t mind if they choose someone else altogether. The element of surprise makes everything fun!
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The Wall Friends Club
The Wall Friends Club won the Crossword Book Award 2025! I’m so excited to be introducing this book of mine to young readers!
In this book, Anandi, a soon-to-be 10-year-old leaves a letter in a gap in the wall for someone else to find. When Sriya finds the letter, they begin to write to each other regularly. Old-fashioned letter-writing will be fun to explore with my book clubbers!
Clubs
Have you read books about clubs? What do the clubs do? If you set up a club, what would you call it? Who would be part of it? What would you do together?
Writing Letters
Anandi and Sriya are becoming the best of friends, but they have never met! What would you write to a stranger? Let’s write a letter together!
Code-Making and Code-Breaking
Sriya is a master code-maker! What about you? Can you solve a cryptogram? Write and decipher messages in code as you explore the book!
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Over the years, I’ve introduced several of my books to my book clubbers!
- The Clockwala’s Clues
- Dragonflies, Jigsaws and Seashells
- Dhara’s Revolution
- The Best Idea of All
- The Prophecy of Rasphora
Looking forward to reading another one with them!
Registrations are now closed for the December 25 – January 26 edition of Read, Write, Explore. New batches begin every alternate month. Join my mailing list if you would like to receive email notifications about my programmes. Alternatively, follow me on social media – Facebook and Instagram – for regular updates.
The Kingdom of Wrenly: Adventures in Flatfrost
Fantasy is almost always guaranteed to appeal to my book clubbers! And that’s why we’re reading two works of fantasy this time–The Vampire Boy and Adventures in Flatfrost. The latter is part of a well-loved series too, making it all the more exciting for my book clubbers. Just like when we read a couple of books from The Dragon Masters series, I’m sure that at least some of my book clubbers will end up reading several other books in the set!
A Pet Dragon
If you had a pet dragon, how do you think you would train it? We’ll work on creating a dragon character with a human friend. How does the dragon look? Where does it live? Let’s draw a picture!
I would also love to see if we can invert the idea. What if you were a dragon’s pet? How would you need to be trained?
World Building
Several years ago, when we read Paati Goes Viral, we worked on world building with a fun activity involving beans, pencils and a map! I’m looking forward to repeating this with a new set of book clubbers.
Magical Adventures
A story needs a problem and a solution, so we will work on an elementary understanding of this idea. What is the problem in the story and how do Lucas, Carla and Ruskin find a solution? Once we have worked on this idea, we’ll come up with other problems the characters in Wrenly could face, and how they would find imaginative solutions!
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I love to see my regulars slowly building their own libraries! As they outgrow books and pass them on to new readers, they discover new favourites. It’s heart-warming!
Registrations are now closed for the December 25 – January 26 edition of my book club. New batches begin every alternate month. Join my mailing list if you would like to receive email notifications about my programmes. Alternatively, follow me on social media – Facebook and Instagram – for regular updates.
Frindle
We’re rereading Frindle at my book club! I read it quite a long time ago, and it’s EXACTLY my kind of book.
Nick Allen isn’t really a troublemaker. He just likes to have fun. And where’s the harm in making up a new word?
Pen. Quite a boring, mundane word. Why not call it a frindle instead?
And that’s the premise of this delightful, fun story that keeps you reading page after page. I love how the book is plotted as well as how the characters develop as the story proceeds. Finally, a book about words is perfect for a book club!
The Question
As so many children have just come back after their Christmas break, chapter three is perfect! Following Nick Allen’s school system, we’ll talk about our holidays, do a quick vocabulary quiz, and then come to the most fun thing of all – the time-wasting question. I know that this part will make the children giggle, and I can’t wait to see what mischievous, fun ideas they come up with when we discuss what they do to postpone a lesson just a little bit!
Making Up Words
When we read Paati Goes Viral, we spoke about how words are created, and how their meaning changes. We then made up words of our own, which we promised to use right through that edition of my reading programme. I remember at least three words the children created – sclem (which was to substitute ma’am), electric (to use instead of viral) and trook (for book). It was such fun!
With Frindle, I look forward to doing something similar. We’ll create new words and see how successful we are in making them common parlance.
A Letter from Ten Years Ago
No spoilers here, but Mrs. Granger writes a letter to Nick and sends it to him ten years later. He knows it’s the same letter because he wrote his name on the envelope. The letter itself turns out to be the most brilliant surprise ever.
We’re going to work with this idea in two phases. Phase 1 is where the children will make a little time capsule for themselves. Time capsules get lost, though. So, I’m also going to ask them to write notes to one another, which they will send to me privately in the chat box. Ten years later, if I can get in touch with them again, I will send them their letters. They’ll be adults by then!
From the last time I read this book, I have two letters I’ve promised to send in 2032!
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I love Andrew Clements’s books, and I’ve read so many of them!
Here are a few:
Registrations are now closed for the December 25 – January 26 edition of Read, Write, Explore. New batches begin every alternate month. Join my mailing list if you would like to receive email notifications about my programmes. Alternatively, follow me on social media – Facebook and Instagram – for regular updates.