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Varsha Seshan

I Survived the California Wildfires, 2018

September 4, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

During my first two writing programmes in 2020-21, one participant (who wrote this poem) recommended the I Survived series. She spoke about it time and again, and somehow, I never ended up […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages nine and ten, I Survived the California Wildfires 2018, Lauren Tarshis, online reading programme, reading, review

A Cello on the Wall

September 3, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

War is a difficult subject to introduce to children, and I’m often unsure of whether it should be introduced at all. Yet, most children are exposed to so much media […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: A Cello on the Wall, Adele Tariel, book club, bookish activities, books for ages seven and eight, online reading programme, reading, review

The Shy Supergirl

September 1, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

When I launched my book club in December 2020, I began with a hOle book, Trouble with Magic by Asha Nehemiah, and somehow, that became a tradition. During each edition of […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages seven and eight, Chapter Book, hOle books, online reading programme, reading, review, Shabnam Minwalla, The Shy Supergirl

Two Hook Books

August 30, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Somewhere between picture books and chapter books are the Hook Books, and books for this age-group are so important! One step up from the ‘Read It Yourself’ series, they are […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: A Birthday Present for Aaji, Aindri C, Chatura Rao, Hook Books, Parinita Shetty, Rajiv Eipe, reading, review, The Sweet Shop Wars

Ritu Weds Chandni

August 29, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

I’ve been wanting to read Ritu Weds Chandni ever since I saw posts by Yali Books two years ago. It seemed like such an important book – a picture book […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: Ameya Narvankar, Picture Book, reading, review, Ritu Weds Chandni

The Best At It

August 25, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Rahul Kapoor wants to be the best at it. The best at what? Honestly, anything. Football, acting … anything except Maths. He doesn’t want to fit into the stereotype of […]

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: Maulik Pancholy, Middle Grade, reading, review, The Best At It

Born Behind Bars

August 23, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Just like Fish in a Tree and Counting by 7s, I got around to reading Born Behind Bars by Padma Venkatraman thanks to the NLF Reading Challenge. There’s just so […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: Born Behind Bars, Middle-Grade Fiction, Padma Venkatraman, reading, review

That Year at Manikoil

August 15, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

I couldn’t have read That Year at Manikoil on a better day if I’d planned it. I don’t even remember how long ago I bought my copy, but it was […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: Aditi Krishnakumar, historical fiction, Middle Grade, reading, review, Songs of Freedom, That Year at Manikoil

Love That Dog

July 29, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Last month, I had the opportunity to pitch a middle-grade verse novel to an editor, and as these things sometimes happen, the pitch turned into a conversation. We spoke about […]

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: early middle grade, Love That Dog, reading, review, Sharon Creech

Clap When You Land

July 19, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

A YA verse novel told from two points of view? Yes, please. And one with a secret at its core? Always. Clap When You Land was a stunning read, one […]

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: Clap When You Land, Elizabeth Acevedo, reading, review, Young Adult

Help, My Aai Wants to Eat Me!

July 6, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

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. […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: Bijal Vachharajani, book club, bookish activities, books for ages seven and eight, Help My Aai Wants to Eat Me, online reading programme, online workshops for children, reading, review

Ivy + Bean

July 4, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Every so often, at my book club, I choose a popular, internationally loved book. We’ve read The Rise of the Earth Dragon, The Absent Author, The Sheep-Pig … and now, we’ll read Ivy + Bean. […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: Annie Barrows, book club, bookish activities, books for ages seven and eight, Ivy and Bean, online reading programme, reading, review, Sophie Blackall

Frindle

July 3, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

I read Frindle quite a long time ago, and it’s EXACTLY my kind of book. I didn’t end up reviewing it on my blog because I kept waiting for a time when […]

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

The Great River Magic

July 2, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

The Great River Magic by Nandini Nayar is one of those books with a message, not usually an obvious choice for me to read at my book club. Yet, as I […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages seven and eight, Nandini Nayar, online reading programme, online workshops for children, reading, review, The Great River Magic

Petu Pumpkin – Tiffin Thief

June 30, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

We’ve read Bookasura and Koobandhee; we’re all set for yet another book by Arundhati Venkatesh – Petu Pumpkin: Tiffin Thief. Petu Pumpkin. Isn’t it a fun name? And doesn’t it seem apt that he […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: Arundhati Venkatesh, book club, bookish activities, books for ages seven and eight, Chapter Book, hOle books, online reading programme, online workshops for children, Petu Pumpkin: Tiffin Thief, reading, review

Dreamers – Lavanya Karthik

June 22, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

I finally read the next two books in Lavanya Karthik’s series, Dreamers. I read the first two nearly a year ago! Once more, the visuals are gorgeous. And the stories? Simple and […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: Chapter Book, Dreamers, Lavanya Karthik, reading, review, The Boys Who Created Malgudi, The Girl Who Was a Forest

Fish in a Tree

June 20, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Just like with Counting in 7s, I ended up reading Fish in a Tree because of the Neev Literature Festival Reading Challenge. I loved listening to Lynda Mullaly Hunt speak. […]

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: Fish in a Tree, Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Middle Grade, reading, review

Counting by 7s

June 4, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

As part of the Neev Literature Festival’s reading challenge, I’ve been attending as many author interactions as I can. I love them! One session I attended last month was with […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: Counting by 7s, Holly Goldberg Sloan, Middle-Grade Fiction, reading, review

My Grandmother’s Masterpiece

May 25, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

So often, we think of our grandparents simply as grandparents. We are the centre of the universe after all, aren’t we? But Nini discovers that there is more to her […]

Filed Under: Books, Children, Workshops Tagged With: book club, bookish activities, books for ages seven and eight, Madhurima Vidyarthi, My Grandmother's Masterpiece, online reading programme, reading, review

The Chowpatty Cooking Club

April 13, 2022 by Varsha Seshan Leave a Comment

Who didn’t want to be a freedom fighter while studying about the independence movement? I know I dreamt of being a heroine – just like Sakina in The Chowpatty Cooking […]

Filed Under: Books, Children Tagged With: historical fiction, Lubaina Bandukwala, Middle Grade, reading, review, Songs of Freedom, The Chowpatty Cooking Club

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