Dig Deeper: When Archaeology Meets AI
by Ishaan Pokhriyal, Grade 7 When Devika Cariapa said, “It’s not surprising that these two fit together,” I couldn’t quite comprehend the connection. Archaeology is all about piecing together our past, while AI is rooted in the future. But as her session progressed, it became clearer how these two seemingly opposite worlds are beginning to […]
Bee-Safe Future
by Tysha Raheja, Grade 7 Not all ideas for novel-writing come from tedious planning, research, and brainstorming—they could just be ordinary events in our daily lives, as well as unique observations from the environment around us. Pablo Cartaya got the idea for his book The Last Beekeeper while trying to focus on ideating concepts for […]
STEM Poetry
by Vihaan Agarwal, Grade 7 A masterful fusion of scientific insight seamlessly integrated with captivating poetic expression was delivered in the session on STEM Poetry by Newbery Honoree Rajani LaRocca. The talk introduced us to her book Your One and Only Heart, which simplifies complex anatomical explanations of the human heart through lyrical poetry, displayed […]
Left, Right, Left
by Disha Suresh, Grade 5, and Dayita Raju, Grade 10 At the Neev Literature Festival, Bijal Vachharajani spoke about her book, Left-Out Paru, illustrated by Rajiv Eipe, which explores the life of a left-handed girl who feels isolated in a world where most of those around her are right-handed. She began by asking the audience […]
Finding the Past in the Present
by Amishi Daga, Grade 9 When history recalls events, it typically emphasises on the number of people who were displaced, the manner in which borders were drawn and how history shifted overnight. However, numbers alone are unable to capture the human experience of living through and after a significant moment. Narratives provide a shape to […]
NLF Reading Challenge 2026 – Grand Finale Quiz
by Ruel Khadilkar, Grade 9 The crowd and atmosphere at the NLF Reading Challenge Finale 2025 was exhilarating, with the audience waiting in silence as teams came up with their answer, followed by deafening roars when they got the answers right. Along with showcasing the teams’ immense motivation and commitment to actively take part in […]
Wordless Warmth
by Ira S Kapany, Grade 6, and Riddhi Mantri, Grade 7 In the Masterclass ‘Wordless Warmth,’ author-illustrator Ogin Nayam introduced the audience to his wordless picture book When the Sun Sets, shortlisted for the 2025 Neev Book Award. He noted how everything was left to the reader’s interpretation in wordless picture books, how the ideas […]
Crafting Books that Pop, Sing & Glow
by Shivank Singh, Grade 8 Pratyush Gupta’s session ‘Crafting Books that Pop, Sing & Glow’ was an extraordinary dive into the fusion of Indian classical music and interactive storytelling. Through his book Master of the 7 Swars, he showed how creativity can transform reading into a whole new experience including a new visual and auditory […]
Bringing History Alive
by Adarshini Chandrakanth, Grade 11 Currently, studies in archeology are as close as we can get to a time machine, the only scientific discipline that can whiz us back to the past. Prolific science writer Sam Kean agrees… but also disagrees. To set the stage, Mr. Kean candidly expressed his opinion that archeologists are the […]
Feeling Shy, Feeling Brave
by Pranat Jain, Grade 12 In the session ‘Feeling Shy, Feeling Brave,’ Rishita Loitongbam engaged with audiences ranging from 6-year-old students to teachers and fellow authors. In her own language of visual metaphors and imagery, Ms. Rishita explained how pictures and colors can be used to depict one’s sentiments. The book Thoithoi Feels Shy is […]