04 September,2026 10:14 AM IST | Mumbai | Nandini Varma
ER Braithwaite’s novel, To Sir, With Love, was adapted into a movie, with Sidney Poitier essaying the lead role. Pic Courtesy/YouTube
Set in the East end of London, ER Braithwaite's novel follows the life of Ricky Braithwaite, a black engineer, who teaches at a secondary school. His students are disruptive and conduct ugly pranks in the classroom. When he changes his approach towards them, he slowly begins to win their hearts over.
Mitch Albom reconnects with his old sociology professor Morrie Schwartz in West Newton in the last months of the latter's life. As Morrie's body gets weaker, Albom visits him every Tuesday in his study, and learns some final lessons from him about living a good life.
Matilda is born with telekinetic powers. At home, her parents Mr and Mrs Wormwood don't think much of her. At school, the headmistress Miss Trunchbull uses inventive and cruel ways to punish students. When Miss Honey enters Matilda's life, she feels seen and together they teach Trunchbull a much-deserved lesson.
Thirteen-year-old Jamie wants to build a Perpetual Motion Machine and connect with his dead mother in this Booker Prize-longlisted novel by Elaine Fleeney. Because of his curiosity and his intelligence, he also becomes a subject of bullying. When he meets two teachers in his school, the world shifts, not just for Jamie, who begins to feel less lonely, but also for the teachers.
RK Narayan's novel is a meditation on the life of an English teacher, Krishna, a character inspired by Narayan's wife Rajam. After losing his wife, Krishna is on a path to finding a way to communicate with her, while also learning to be a good father to their daughter Leela. He takes on a journey that leads to self-discovery and a quest for inner peace.
Auggie Pullman is a boy with facial differences in RJ Palacio's novel. He is treated unkindly by the students in his new school, but meets Mr Browne, an inspiring teacher, whose precepts give him the confidence to stand up to his bullies.
In Yoko Ogawa's novel, a former mathematician has suffered brain damage and can remember new memories for only 80 minutes. The narrator, a housekeeper, is sent to his home, and, along with her son, begins to learn number theory and solves problems every day under the guidance of the professor. Their days spent together transform the lives of the housekeeper and the son.
Kabir the Weaver Poet: Jaya Madhavan narrates the tale of Kabir, the mystic poet, best known for his âdohas' (couplets). Kabir has been a teacher for all generations and through his verse, has left radical lessons to deal with the troubled times we live in.
Kabir: Tulika Books (Rs 275)
