Jalebi Jingles - Sakshi Singh
Sakshi Singh’s book of poems, Jalebi Jingles, appears to have been inspired by Shel Silverstein’s anthologies of verse for children. Or maybe it wasn’t – it’s quite tiresome for writers to create something that they believe is original, only to be told that they sound ‘inspired’. It isn’t our fault […]

Jalebi Jingles – Sakshi Singh

Worth a read Children Poems by


Monster Garden - Jerry Pinto 2
Jerry Pinto’s Monster Garden is a difficult to classify book, being a mix of Nonsense verses and a D(raw)IY  Picture Book. Starting with a physical description of who Jerry Pinto is, in the same nonsensical verse, the book heads into a garden which monsters inhabit. Monsters, did I say? Well […]

Monster Garden – Jerry Pinto

Must-Read DIY book Picture Book by
Tania Casts a Spell - Kanika G
I saw the link to “Tania Casts a Spell” by Kanika G posted by an FB friend. I vaguely remembered that another book (Tania Has an Idea)  by Kanika G was reviewed on this site. Recalling that I was intrigued about the ending of that book, I downloaded this book. […]

Tania Casts a Spell – Kanika G

Must-Read Children by


The Sire of Humellis – Aditya Prakash
The Sire of Humellis by Aditya Prakash takes us to the world of Adam, a young racing enthusiast, whose passion is mountain biking.   Adam is introduced to the world of racing at quite a young age by his father. His father, an enthusiast himself, is a maker of a […]

The Sire of Humellis – Aditya Prakash

Readable Fantasy by
When She Went Away - Andaleeb Wajid
Sixteen-year-old Maria Sulaiman has a nasty shock when she wakes up one morning and finds her mother gone. There’s a brief note on the fridge: ‘Leaving you and the kids. Khudahafiz.’ And thus begins a tumultuous year in her life, when everything she knew, everything she took for granted, is […]

When She Went Away – Andaleeb Wajid

Must-Read Young Adult by
Dear Mrs Naidu - Mathangi Subramanian
My scepticism-meter goes through the roof whenever I hear about children’s novels about the ‘underprivileged’ written by authors who have lived and worked in the first world, even if they’re of Indian origin. The exoticization of India’s ‘great unwashed’ has unfortunately found its way into children’s literature, and lately into […]

Dear Mrs Naidu – Mathangi Subramanian

Worth a read Middle Grade by


Smitten - Ranjit Lal
If you’re looking for a light, frothy young adult novel, Ranjit Lal’s Smitten isn’t it. This is a novel that will leave you disgusted, enraged and saddened. The reason is simple: child sexual abuse  (CSA) is a disturbing subject and, unfortunately, we live in a world where it is a […]

Smitten – Ranjit Lal

Worth a read Young Adult by
The Eight FBian Hearts - Harsha Shastry
The Eight FBian Hearts by Harsha Shastry narrates the story of eight people of different age groups and backgrounds finding the love of their lives on Facebook. The 32-year-old Bhaskar — a content writer and a divorcee — ventures into Facebook, posting an old photo of his as the profile […]

The Eight FBian Hearts – Harsha Shastry

Worth a read Romance by
Caravan to Tibet – Deepa Agarwal
Caravan to Tibet by Deepa Agarwal is an adventure story based on the annual journeys of Indian traders in the Himalayan hills to Tibet. Fourteen-year-old Debu lives with his mother and his younger brother Hayat in Milam, a small village in the Himalayan hills of Kumaon, India. During the trip […]

Caravan to Tibet – Deepa Agarwal

Must-Read Adventure Children by




Horrid High - Payal Kapadia 1
Horrid High by Payal Kapadia is about young Ferg Gottin, who has mean and uncaring parents. Ferg and his best friend, Ace, go to Sunnyvale School. Ferg’s parents, who want to get rid of him, decide to send him to a place where they can abandon him forever. They send him to […]

Horrid High – Payal Kapadia

Worth a read Children by