Book club opportunity

Consider joining parents Leela Sami and Subramanian Venkataraman and Ms. Martindale in October as they host a parent-student in-person book club meeting to discuss Cobra’s Song and/or Strong As Fire, Fierce as Flame. A special virtual visit author visit from Supriyar Kelkar will happen with a possible sneak preview of her new book about colonization and the Kapoor Diamond.

The Cobra’s Song by Supriya Kelkar
A story exploring family, friendship, and facing your fears. Soon-to-be sixth grader Geetanjali has grown up in the shadow of her mother and grandmother, who were famous Hindustani classical singers back in India. But every time she has to sing publicly, she finds herself besieged with anxiety. And it all starts to snowball: Geetanjali’s meant to sing at a public event in her Michigan hometown alongside bestie Penn, a White American boy, but she doesn’t feel ready. She’s hoping Aaji’s visit from Pune will make her feel less anxious, but her grandmother doesn’t seem like herself. Nor does their neighbor, recently widowed Heena Mavshi, who is behaving most unusually. Could it have something to do with mysterious new arrival Lata Auntie, who keeps pestering Aaji to sing Raag Naagshakti, a melody said to attract cobras? What about the dead mouse in the backyard with bite marks like those of a snake’s fangs? The book digs into changing family dynamics, grief and healing, tween fears, and culture and belonging, among other topics. There’s also a mystery connected to snake-related curses and folk beliefs around naagmanis, stones supposedly formed by cobras… An absorbing story that has music at its heart.
Realistic fiction
Fifth to sixth

Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flame by Supriya Kekar 2022 Global Read Aloud Book
On the eve of Meera’s thirteenth birthday, when she is to move into the home of her husband’s family, frustrated sepoys mutiny against their British commanders, and in the subsequent rioting, Meera’s husband is killed. It’s 1857 India, and her father is trying to force Meera to commit sati—to willingly throw herself on her husband’s funeral pyre. Instead, Meera flees and meets another fiery girl and follows her, only to be subjected to serving a captain of the British East India Company. When Meera chances upon stockpiled ammunition symbolizing prolonged British rule, she must decide if she will protect her country or have her fate continue to be decided for her. Child marriages, sexist ideologies, and the terrors of colonialism are just a handful of subjects Kelkar, scrutinizes through the lens of a teenager in the thick of it. Meera’s transformation from a complacent girl to embracing her spirited convictions is nothing short of inspiring. Back matter, including an author’s note, historical note, timeline, and glossary are an integral enrichment to this novel.
Historical fiction
Fifth to eighth grade