Thirst

By Varsha Bajaj

Informational Resources:

Author Information:

Author Website: 

https://www.varshabajaj.com/

Activities & Resources:

Activities:

Random House Book Guide:

http://images.randomhouse.com/teachers_guides/9780593354391.pdf

Geography

How many miles from Mumbai to New Delhi

https://www.distancefromto.net/

Learn About India:

https://www.google.com/earth/education/india/

The city where Minni lives:

Google Earth

Mumbai:

What is Mumbai like (00:59):

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=Nx8M8yXaf8s&ab_channel=J.Flecha

Roti:

How to make Roti (2:13):

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=C-WYjMNZW0Q&t=69s&ab_channel=Recipe30

Poetry: 

Write a poem about water. Use each letter of water to describe in a poem.

Poetry and Coding:

https://studio.code.org/s/poem-art-2021/lessons/1/levels/1

Namaste:

Minni used breathing exercises to help her with her stress (2:05):

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=2PcCmxEW5WA&ab_channel=Fablefy-TheWholeChild

Deep Breathing (2:05):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXa2x3_yHBc&t=3s&ab_channel=MoshiKids

12 Breathing Techniques to do with kids:

https://www.moshikids.com/articles/deep-breathing-exercises-for-kids/

MakerSpace Activities:

DIY Water Filters

https://extension.usu.edu/waterquality/files-ou/Lesson-Plans/Homemade-water-purifier.pdf

Cooking

Roti is very important in Minni’s story:

https://www.cookwithmanali.com/roti-recipe/

Desalination Science Project:

Minni talked a lot about turning the Arabian Sea into drinking water.

https://www.education.com/science-fair/article/fresh-water-salt-water/

Coding

Hour of Code: 

https://hourofcode.com/us/learn

Coding Game on Paper:

https://www.fractuslearning.com/coding-with-paper-printable-game/

Links to Handouts: Grid and Blocks

Discussion Questions:

Where do you think your water comes from? When you turn on the faucet where do you think the water comes from? How does Minni’s water and your water differ?

When Minni’s mom gets water in their drum, why does she have to boil it?

How would you describe Minni’s neighborhood?

What kind of relationship does she have with her brother Sanjay?

Why did Sanjay and Amit have to leave their neighborhood?

Minni’s dad always spoke about inviting trouble, what do you think he meant by that?

Math was one of Minni’s strengths: Can you solve her time problem: If a train leaves Mumbai, travels at 1-5 kilometers an hour, and goes north toward Delhi, which is 1,421 kilometers away, how long will it take to reach Delhi?  Use the formula Time= Distance/ Speed

Minni studies a lot for her exam. How do you study for an exam? 

How do you feel we could help provide more clean water to countries that need it?

What are some of the jobs Minni has to do that her mom has always found time to do?

What are some things you take for granted that your parents, grandparents or siblings do for you?

Who was Moti in the story? What was his importance?

Why did Sanjay enjoy living near the farm near New Delhi?

What type of scholarship did Minni receive? Who signed her up in the raffle?

The computer teacher, Priya, would like her “sisters” to help her improve on something at the end of class. What is the one thing she needs to improve on?

How would you describe Pinky? If Pinky would have lived in Minni’s neighborhood, do you think they would have been friends? Why or why not?

When Minni sells magazines one day after missing school, what does she learn? 

One day, Minni meets Pinky’s father.  What happened while she served them lunch?

Minni has to use her wits to win an unequal battle. What stories have you read that have a similar battle in them, where a less powerful character wins a battle? How did they win?

The computer class would like for the students to think of a common problem and create an app for it. Do you know of any apps that already exist that help with common problems in America?

There were many characters in the story that helped Minni during her time of struggle. Which character do you feel was Minni’s biggest supporter and why?

Book Talk Teasers:

Read the reader's theater for Thirst.

Watch the book trailer for Thirst on the Texas Bluebonnet Award YouTube channel.

Watch the author's interview on the Texas Bluebonnet Award YouTube channel.

First Chapter Reading: Teaching Books

https://www.teachingbooks.net/ql5t3d9

Read Alikes: 

India

Venkatraman, Padma. Born behind bars. In Chennai, India, after spending his whole life in jail with his mother, who is serving time for a crime she did not commit, nine-year-old Kabir is suddenly released and has to figure out how to survive on his own in the outside world. (NoveList)

Venkatraman, Padma. A bridge home. Four determined homeless children make a life for themselves in Chennai, India.(NoveList)

Finding Water

Park, Linda Sue. A long walk to water. When the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, eleven-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family and must walk with other Dinka tribe members through southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya in search of safe haven. Based on the life of Salva Dut, who, after emigrating to America in 1996, began a project to dig water wells in Sudan.(NoveList)

Adventure in India

Farook, Nizrana. The boy who met a whale. Sri Lankan fisherboy Raz and his sister are swept into a high-seas adventure when they meet Zheng, who has escaped a shipwreck and is full of tales of sea monsters and missing treasure. (NoveList)

Reviews:

Bajaj, Varsha. Thirst. Penguin Random House/Nancy Paulsen Books. 2022.

Booklist

Thirst.

By Varsha Bajaj (author) 

July 2022. 192p. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books, $15.99 (9780593354391) Grades 5-7.

REVIEW: First Published April 15, 2022 (Vol. 118, No. 16) (Booklist). 

For Minni, Sanjay, and their friends, life is a daily balance of chores, school, and trips to the community tap for water. They live in a poor part of Mumbai, in the shadow of gleaming high-rises, where their realities could not be further removed from those of the rich. The kids are smart and savvy, and their friendship is strong, so when a series of calamities adds layers of danger, they support one another through the worst of it. This fast-paced adventure story includes a vivid portrayal of life in a place where income disparities are glaring, education is a hard-won privilege, and a lot hangs in the balance when you take a risk. The main plot involves the kids’ accidental encounter with the water mafia, thieves who steal and sell fresh water illegally. This is a real and perilous fact in Mumbai and, despite some improbable events, is convincingly portrayed. There’s a lot to learn about and to like here: the characters, the humor, the emotional roller-coaster ride, and more. —Amina Chaudhri

Used with the permission of Booklist  https://www.booklistonline.com/

School Library Journal starred (May 1, 2022) 

Gr 3-5-When moths, the ocean, and a wereduck-all things impacted by the moon-start exhibiting strange behaviors, a scientist working at an observatory notices something incredible: the moon is being eaten by intergalactic rats! When officials at the military headquarters in the Hexagon learn they only have three days to stop the rats or else the moon will be lost altogether, they prepare to send in Project 47: a cat enhanced with microchips in its brain, a cybernetic biotech space suit, and a penchant for pizza. Running gags that manage to stay fresh, clever panel-crossings, and fourth wall-breaking book references are all part of the charming humor of this online experience turned graphic novel. The art is simple but sophisticated, with a rough chalk texture giving it a childlike appearance. The dominant colors of black and cornflower blue are used to represent outer space, but other colors are present-notably warm reds, yellows, and oranges. Many of the characters are anthropomorphic animals; protagonist First Cat never speaks beyond saying "Meow," but meaning is mostly explained via context. Of the humans, there is a mixture of white and BIPOC representation; the General and the scientist appear to be Black. Footnotes are left for readers on where to find music from the story online. VERDICT Readers looking for the outer space high jinks and gentle humor of Brockington's Catstronauts and the imaginative and fantastical worldbuilding of Andrews's This Was Our Pact need look no further than this laugh-out-loud tale of the first cat in space.-Alea Perez © Copyright 2022. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Reprinted with permission from School Library Journal ©2022

Additional Reviews Available

• Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 07/01/22

• Horn Book Magazine, 11/01/22

• Kirkus Reviews, 06/01/22

• Publishers Weekly, 06/13/22

• School Library Connection starred, 08/01/22