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© Copyright 2013 - 2025
Varsha Seshan

The Monster Hunters

May 1, 2025 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

We’re rereading The Monster Hunters by Parinita Shetty at my book club in June 2025! Abhay is convinced that his mother has eyes at the back of her head. She […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages seven and eight, Chapter Book, hOle books, online reading programme, online workshops for children, Parinita Shetty, reading, reading workshop, The Monster Hunters

Bookasura

November 3, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Some books demand to be read at reading programmes. Lucky Girl, with its exploration of poetry. Chitti’s Travelling Book Box with its message of spreading the love for reading. Book Uncle […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: Arundhati Venkatesh, Bookasura, books for ages seven and eight, online reading programme, reading, reading workshop

Why I Think Online Workshops Are More Effective than Offline Ones

April 12, 2024 by Varsha Seshan 4 Comments

A Little History I started conducting reading and writing workshops for children in 2013 at the British Library, Pune. It was fun, and the library space was exciting. Both as […]

Filed Under: Workshops Tagged With: creative writing, creative writing with children, online workshops for children, reading, reading programme, reading workshop

The Very Glum Life of Tootoolu Toop

January 7, 2024 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

We’ve read The Very Glum Life of Tootoolu Toop before and I can’t wait to read it again! I know it’s longer than the books I usually choose, plus every batch […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: bookish activities, books for ages nine and ten, online reading programme, online workshops for children, reading, reading workshop, Stuti Agarwal, The Very Glum Life of Tootoolu Toop

Moin and the Monster

July 6, 2023 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

I’m rereading Moin and the Monster with my book club! I read it in June 2021, and all those who read it with me are now too old to be part […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: Anushka Ravishankar, books for ages nine and ten, Moin and the Monster, online reading programme, reading, reading workshop

About Average

January 13, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

I read Frindle some time ago and loved it. I considered using it for my online reading programme, but it’s so well known that I figured that many children would have read […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: About Average, Andrew Clements, book club, bookish activities, books for ages nine and ten, online reading programme, reading, reading workshop, review

Manolita

November 2, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

In many ways, Manolita is a simple, old-fashioned tale. For a generation that’s immersed in mythology – from the retelling of Indian myths to all the popular books that have their foundation […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, books for ages nine and ten, creative writing, online reading programme, reading, reading workshop, review

Four Workshop Anecdotes

October 7, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

So many tiny things happen during workshops! Here’s a quick roundup of things that make me smile. Whispering During one of my sessions, a child raised his hand. I quickly […]

Filed Under: Children, Workshops Tagged With: online reading programme, online workshops for children, reading, reading workshop, The Chocolate Touch, The Vampire Boy, workshop anecdotes

Rattu & Poorie’s Adventures in History: 1857

September 17, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

A book about a pair of sisters, where the protagonist is the younger sister … of course I was intrigued! Additionally, historical fiction has attracted me for a while, and […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, books for ages seven and eight, Chapter Book, online reading programme, Parvati Sharma, Rattu & Poorie's Adventures in History 1857, reading, reading workshop, review

Reading, Reading, and Reading Some More

September 15, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Yesterday, we came to the end of yet another batch of my reading programme for ages nine and ten. I wrote about our ‘raise hand‘ anecdote, and thinking about that […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Resources, Workshops Tagged With: book club, books for ages nine and ten, online reading programme, reading, reading activities, reading workshop, resources

Rise of the Earth Dragon (Dragon Masters #1)

September 14, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

I love introducing children to book series. It’s heartwarming to see children come back to a subsequent edition of my reading programme bursting with excitement because they’re reading the next […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages seven and eight, Chapter Book, Dragon Masters, online reading programme, reading, reading workshop, review, Rise of the Earth Dragon, Tracey West

Cricket for the Crocodile

September 11, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

I launched my online reading programme for ages seven and eight in December last year, which means that this is the sixth edition of the programme. Each time, I’ve focused […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages seven and eight, Chapter Book, Cricket for the Crocodile, online reading programme, online workshops for children, reading, reading workshop, review, Ruskin Bond

The Vampire Boy

September 8, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

The Vampire Boy by Sharanya Deepak is another delightful hOle book – quirky and unique. The government has decided that all children – including young vampires – must go to school. […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, books for ages seven and eight, Chapter Book, hOle books, online reading programme, reading, reading workshop, review, Sharanya Deepak, The Vampire Boy

Raise Hand

August 21, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Children will be mischievous. They will always, always try to find ways to fool their teachers. The most common excuse during virtual sessions? “I lost connection.” Much as children like […]

Filed Under: Children, Workshops Tagged With: online reading programme, reading workshop, workshop anecdotes, workshops for children

My June Reading Programmes – An Overview

July 18, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

“Ooh! I see something suspicious!” one child cried out, holding up her copy of The Monster Hunters. “Look! A monster at the window! Page 2!”  “On page 33 of Bookasura, Bakasura […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: At Least a Fish, Bookasura, Esio Trot, online reading programme, reading, reading workshop, The Monster Hunters

Online Reading Programme (Ages 9 and 10) August 21

July 1, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

My regular reading programme for ages nine and ten goes on! This programme combines the concept of a book club with an introduction to creative writing. During the 12 online interactions, we read excerpts from three books and do activities of all kinds. Every two weeks, one class is devoted to creative writing.
This time’s books are – Karma Meets a Zombie, The Hodgeheg, and When the World Went Dark.

Tagged With: book club, online reading programme, reading, reading programme, reading workshop

Online Reading Programme (Ages 7 and 8) – Weekday Batch August 21

July 1, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

REGISTRATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR THIS BATCH.
My regular reading programme for ages seven and eight goes on! During this programme, we have 12 online interactions, during which we read excerpts from five books. We also do activities around reading, creative writing, and life skills.
This time, we will read five books – Sandy to the Rescue, The Chocolate Touch, and a three-in-one collection, The Absolutely True Adventures of Daydreamer Dev.

Tagged With: book club, online reading programme, reading, reading programme, reading workshop

Online Reading Programme (Ages 7 and 8) – Weekend Batch August 21

July 1, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

The special weekend batch of my online reading programme for ages seven and eight is back! In this programme, we have eight online interactions, during which we read excerpts from five books. We also do activities based on reading, creative writing, and linking books to life skills.
This time, we will read five books – Sandy to the Rescue, The Chocolate Touch, and a three-in-one collection, The Absolutely True Adventures of Daydreamer Dev.

Tagged With: book club, online reading programme, reading, reading programme, reading workshop

Fantastic Mr Fox

May 12, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Fantastic Mr Fox is a classic. And the combination of Roald Dahl and Sir Quentin Blake is magic. I’ve never yet chosen a Roald Dahl for my reading programme because […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: books for ages nine and ten, Fantastic Mr Fox, online reading programme, reading, reading workshop, Roald Dahl

Online Reading Programme (Ages 7 to 8) – Weekend Batch May 2021

May 8, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

This is a special weekend batch of my online reading programme for ages 7 and 8. The four books we will read are The Monster Hunters, Bookasura, Esio Trot and At Least a Fish (Zain & Ana Book 1).

Tagged With: book club, online reading programme, reading, reading workshop

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