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Varsha Seshan

House of Uncommons

August 31, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

We all know about the House of Commons. What could the House of Uncommons be? I didn’t want to read up about the book to find out, so I picked […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: Chapter Book, House of Uncommons, Karadi Tales, PARI, reading, review, Vishaka George

Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flame

August 10, 2021 by Varsha Seshan 2 Comments

Ahimsa by Supriya Kelkar left its mark on me. But Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flame was something else altogether. I devoured the book. Each chapter made me read just […]

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: Middle Grade, reading, review, Strong as Fire Fierce as Flame, Supriya Kelkar, Young Adult

Pinkoo Shergill – Pastry Chef

August 7, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Two days ago, at my reading programme, we discussed portmanteau words – words created by combining existing words. The children came up with words like roli (a rose and a […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: books for ages nine and ten, books for ages seven and eight, Chapter Book, Pinkoo Shergill Pastry Chef, reading, review, Vibha Batra

Smash It, Butterfingers!

August 6, 2021 by Varsha Seshan 1 Comment

I love it when you can begin a series with absolutely any book! I have been eyeing the Butterfingers series for a long time, but I somehow never got around […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: book series, Khyrunnisa A, Middle Grade Book, reading, review, Smash It Butterfingers

The Great Big Lion

August 3, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

I work with young writers all the time. Sure, not with children as young as Chryseis Knight when she wrote The Great Big Lion, but seven and eight-year-olds often send me […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: board book, Chryseis Knight, reading, review, The Great Big Lion

Dreamers

August 2, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Dreamers. What a beautiful title for a series of illustrated stories about children who dared to dream and then dared to live their dream. The first two books in the […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: books for ages seven and eight, Dreamers, Lavanya Karthik, non-fiction, reading, review, The Boy Who Played with Light, The Girl Who Loved to Sing

The Hodgeheg

July 19, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

I love Dick King-Smith‘s work. There was a time when I read nothing except his books. I devoured story after story, the way children do when they get hooked on […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: books for ages nine and ten, Dick King-Smith, online reading programme, reading, review, The Hodgeheg

Karma Meets a Zombie

July 14, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Karma Meets a Zombie is probably the most ambitious book I’ve chosen for my reading programme for ages nine and ten. I read Karma Fights a Monster some time ago and I […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages nine and ten, Evan Purcell, Karma Meets a Zombie, online reading programme, reading, review

The Absolutely True Adventures of Daydreamer Dev

July 13, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Daydreaming! Sigh. You can be what you want to be. You can do what you want to do. And Dev is the ace daydreamer.  In The Absolutely True Adventures of Daydreamer […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: books for ages seven and eight, Ken Spillman, online reading programme, reading, review, The Absolutely True Adventures of Daydreamer Dev

Sandy to the Rescue

July 6, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Another reading programme, another delightful hOle book! I remember reading a YA book by Rupa Gulab, Daddy Come Lately, and I enjoyed it. How would a chapter book be?The answer? Lovely. […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: books for ages seven and eight, hOle books, online reading programme, reading, review, Rupa Gulab, Sandy to the Rescue

A Pinch of Magic

June 25, 2021 by Varsha Seshan 2 Comments

Asha Nehemiah’s Trouble with Magic was the very first book we read at my very first reading programme. And I loved it. So, when I learned that after all these […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: A Pinch of Magic, Asha Nehemiah, books for ages seven and eight, Chapter Book, hOle books, reading, review

Nida Finds a Way

June 23, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

I stare at my laptop screen, wondering how to write about Nida Finds a Way. It’s such an important book. A book that makes me oh-so-curious about how a child […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: books for ages seven and eight, Chapter Book, hOle books, reading, review

Five Picture Books I Recently Loved

June 12, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Once more, I’ve been so busy with so many things that I haven’t had the time to read much or write. Each day, I spend such a large chunk of […]

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: Bear Snores On, My No No No Day, One Ted Falls Out of Bed, picture books, reading, review, Sadiq Wants to Stitch, The Night Monster

What I’ve Been Reading on StoryWeaver

June 6, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Every so often, I write about books I’ve read on StoryWeaver that have left an impression on me in one way or another. Free books are precious! And over 30,000 […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: A Dog Called Shoo, Goplu's Train Ride, I Want to Ride a Motorbike, On Mondays I Want to Hide, picture books, Pratham Books, reading, review, Storyweaver, Sweet Memories of Gutar Goo, The Birthday Cake, You Won't Believe Me

The Tigers in the Tower

June 5, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve written about Julia Golding’s books – the Cat Royal series, the Peril trilogy, the Dragonfly trilogy, the Darcie Lock series … […]

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: historical fiction, Julia Golding, Middle Grade Book, reading, review, The Tigers in the Tower

Mirror, Mirror

May 31, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Fat shaming. It’s so rooted in society and family that it often goes unnoticed. Sometimes, it wears the garb of concern – oh, you’ve put on so much weight; is […]

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: Andaleeb Wajid, Mirror Mirror, reading, review, Young Adult

Queen of Fire

May 27, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

When I started reading Queen of Fire, I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy it. I expected to read something new and captivating, even though I knew that the […]

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: Devika Rangachari, historical fiction, Queen of Fire, reading, review, Young Adult

Maya Saves the Day

April 27, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Earlier this month, we read Maya in a Mess at my reading programme, and one child volunteered, “I’ve read the book that comes before Maya in a Mess.”“Did you like […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: books for ages seven and eight, Chapter Books, hOle books, Maya Saves the Day, Meera Nair, reading, review

The Very Glum Life of Tootoolu Toop

April 9, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

A fully trained ten-year-old witch chooses to live with regular human beings. The premise itself is delightful. Sure, you want to be a witch or a wizard. You want to […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: Middle Grade Book, reading, review, Stuti Agarwal, The Very Glum Life of Tootoolu Toop

Once Upon an Alphabet

April 3, 2021 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Stories are made of words and words are made of the alphabet. What if there was a special story for each letter of the alphabet?That’s the premise of this zany, […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: Oliver Jeffers, Once Upon an Alphabet, Picture Book, reading, review

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