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Varsha Seshan

Petu Pumpkin: Freedom Fighter

September 2, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

We need more books this length! Petu Pumpkin: Freedom Fighter is perfect for my book club for so many reasons! For one, it’s a book about agency and creating change, while […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: Arundhati Venkatesh, book club, bookish activities, books for ages nine and ten, online reading programme, Petu Pumpkin: Freedom Fighter, reading

Susie Will Not Speak

September 1, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Susie Will Not Speak by Shruthi Rao was one of the first hOle books I read, and it remains one of my favourites. Jahan and Susie leap out of the […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages seven and eight, hOle books, online book club, online reading programme, reading, review, Shruthi Rao, Susie Will Not Speak

Petu Pumpkin: Freedom Fighter

July 24, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

What would you do if your playground was going to be converted into a shopping mall? Would you be okay with your games period being cancelled indefinitely? Petu and his […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: Arundhati Venkatesh, books for ages nine and ten, Petu Pumpkin: Freedom Fighter, reading, review

Mini’s Books

July 7, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Books about books are always a joy to read at my book club! We’re reading In the Woof of Time at my reading programme for ages nine and ten and Mini’s Books at […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages five and six, books for ages seven and eight, Mini's Books, Nandini Nayar, online book club, online reading programme, online workshops for children, reading

In the Woof of Time

July 6, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

A book club mystery – of course I had to explore the possibility of introducing it to my book club! Samar and his friends find themselves in the middle of […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages nine and ten, In the Woof of Time, Monika Bhatkhande, online reading programme, online workshops for children, reading

The Perfect Present

July 5, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

We’ve read two books from the Ready, Freddy series at my book club, and I’m happy to read another! While I cannot say I love the books, I see how well they […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: Abby Klein, book club, bookish activities, books for ages seven and eight, online reading programme, online workshops for children, reading, The Perfect Present

The Worst Witch to the Rescue

July 4, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

I used to read The Worst Witch as a child! I had no idea whether I would still enjoy reading about the hapless Mildred Hubble, though. I picked up The Worst Witch […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages nine and ten, Jill Murphy, online book club, online reading programme, online workshops for children, reading, The Worst Witch to the Rescue

Sita’s Chitwan

July 3, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Last year, I invited Vaishali Shroff to conduct a workshop for my writing programme on nonfiction. It was aptly called ‘Non-Boring Nonfiction‘. I rarely read nonfiction, and I don’t think […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages seven and eight, online book club, online reading programme, online workshops for children, reading, Sita's Chitwan, Vaishali Shroff

Flyaway Boy

July 2, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

We’re going to read Flyaway Boy again at my book club! We’ve read and enjoyed When the World Went Dark by Jane de Suza twice, and I look forward to reading this […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages nine and ten, Flyaway Boy, Jane de Suza, online reading programme, reading, review

Puppy Trouble

June 4, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Amit wants a puppy. He wants a puppy. He wants a puppy. He wants a puppy. But his parents refuse. For me, that was the hook. And thanks to my […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: Bijal Vachharajani, books for ages five and six, Hook Books, Puppy Trouble, Rajiv Eipe, reading, review

The Golden Eagle

May 6, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Krishna Bala Shenoi’s artwork is stunning. From the black-headed stork to the green pigeon, the pelican to the doves – the illustrations leap off the pages making The Golden Eagle a visual […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages nine and ten, Deepak Dalal, Feather Tales, online reading programme, reading, review, The Golden Eagle

A Giant Leap

May 3, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

I read and reviewed A Giant Leap three years ago. Since then, I’ve been thinking about introducing it to my book club, but it’s shorter than the books I usually […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: A Giant Leap, book club, bookish activities, books for ages seven and eight, Nakashi Chowdhry, online reading programme, reading, review, Thomas Scotto Barroux

What Happened to Grandpa

April 11, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Books spark discussion. As a book club facilitator, I know only too well how a story can lead to conversations about fear, wonder, belonging and so much more. And that […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: Aditi Anand, books for ages five and six, books for ages seven and eight, Nandini Nayar, Picture Book, reading, review, What Happened to Grandpa

How to Win an Election: A Most Unreliable Guide

April 10, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

It’s voting season, the best time to read How to Win an Election: A Most Unreliable Guide! I would argue, however, that any time is a good time to read […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: books for tweens, How to Win an Election, Menaka Raman, Middle Grade, reading, review

Sky Hawk

April 7, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Even as a child, I loved stories about the environment, especially stories where children make difficult decisions to save an animal. So many books I’ve recently read fit the bill […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: books for ages nine and ten, Gill Lewis, Middle Grade, reading, review, Sky Hawk

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

April 6, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Recently, I reread The Girl Who Drank the Moon and then looked through my blog to see what I’d written about it the first time I read it. That’s when […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: books for tweens, fantasy, Kelly Barnhill, Middle Grade, reading, review, The Girl Who Drank the Moon

I Won’t Wash My Hair

April 4, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

What an utterly delightful book! I love books that make my jaw drop on the very last page, and I Won’t Wash My Hair by Aparna Kapur and Ogin Nayam […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: Aparna Kapur, books for ages five and six, Chapter Book, Hook Books, I Won't Wash My Hair, Ogin Nayam, Picture Book, reading, review

Ostrich Girl

April 2, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

How well can you imitate bird calls? I used to (and sometimes still do!) imitate cuckoos, parakeets, bulbuls, and lapwings. But would you mistake me for a bird? Probably not. […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: books for ages seven and eight, hOle books, Lesley D Biswas, Ostrich Girl, reading, review

Strangus Derangus

March 7, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Strangus Derangus & Other Adventures of Little Shambu is another book that I enjoyed hot off the press. It’s a collection of short stories, perfect for my book club because we […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, books for ages seven and eight, online reading programme, online workshops for children, reading, Reena I Puri, Strangus Derangus and Other Adventures of Little Shambu

By Royal Appointment

March 5, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Although I did read several books by Jeffrey Archer when I was in college, I never grew to be a fan the way so many of my friends were. Yet, […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages seven and eight, By Royal Appointment, Jeffrey Archer, online reading programme, online workshops for children, reading

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