Writing for reluctant readers, or for those who struggle, Sea to Sky author Mahtab Narsimhan publishes books she hopes pre-teens can relate to.
Getting the kids off their screens can be tricky, especially for those who have fallen out of love with reading, or simply struggle in the first place.
“Give a kid a synopsis, then end it with a question,” Sea to Sky author Mahtab Narsimhan suggests.
This is handy, she explained, for the parents and kids for whom time is “a premium,” and may not have a chance to read the books themselves.
Narsimhan, who lives near Squamish and to date has 25 books published, has specialized in high interest-low readability (hi-lo) books—or “high interest-low pressure” as she prefers to say—since she began working with Vancouver Island publisher Orca Books.
Hi-lo level readers usually have lower levels of reading typical of their age, but maintain an interest in age-appropriate material. This means they can typically have, say, highly engaging and fast-moving plots, with more simple vocabulary.
Narsimhan said she likes to engage kids mostly between the ages of nine and 12, or pre-teens, with horror stories to help them explore a sense of identity through a “non-judgmental venue.”
The Squamish Chief spoke with Narsimhan about her motives behind the themes and genres of her writing, and how she is encouraging kids to pick up books this summer, in the midst of a phone-obsessed era in which we are all “lonelier than ever.”
What follows is a version of that conversation edited for length and clarity.
The Squamish Chief: What do you think is so appealing about horror stories for kids, as opposed to adults?
Mahtab Narsimhan: Kids love horror; you see the popularity of the Goosebumpsseries. One of the things kids actually love is experiencing scares in a very safe environment, and learning how to cope with scary situations or challenges.
They get inspiration from the main characters, and know how to dig deep for courage. These are skills that really teach them how to handle real life situations, which is why I always say, “If you know how to scare your kids, they’re gonna thank you for it one day.” I’m sure my mother would probably say the same.
Kids still have not developed their support systems or have the life experience to handle various challenges. I think adults are scared too, but it’s just that a totally different set of problems scare them.
Q: How do you think reading as a venue can make kids feel safe? If the genre is horror, does that not seem a tad ironic?
A: If kids turn to books, at least that is something that is a non-judgmental venue for getting inspiration or getting ideas. A lot of kids find solace in books when they are not able to, or if they’re not able to socialize.
This venue is something no one can take away, and they can access on their own.
Q: What is the relevance of the hi-lo reading format when a lot of people, including kids, are only interested in “doom-scrolling” on their phones?
A: People’s attention spans are very, very short, not just kids but adults too, which is why a lot of my books are hi-lo. It basically means you can pick them up, read them in one sitting, and have the sense of accomplishment for having finished those books,
[One of my biggest fears] is being lonely and not finding my tribe or my people, so to speak, and one of the things that really bothers me about this day and age is that we have so many people around us, and we are connected with so many people on social media, yet so many of us are lonelier than ever.
Q: Is that fear a motive or inspiration in your writing?
A: A lot of my stories are about identity because I was an immigrant (from Mumbai, India.) I’ve been in Canada now for about 25 to 30 years, so for me it’s always been about a kind of desire to fit in, in whatever place you are and making it home and belonging. Once you have done that, you help others do the same.
My book Careful What You Wish For, is about a social misfit who goes online and finds this website that grants wishes, except they all come at a cost. And Ghost Queen is about two people doing something extremely dangerous to get “likes,” and earn money on their vlog.
Q: How and why did you get into writing?
A: Writing has been my fifth career, it’s an ongoing passion; I’ve done everything from hotel management to credit card sales.
Whenever I was upset about something (in the past), my panacea for anything was books. I’ve always been an avid reader, I just started a little diary of life back home and things about the family I didn’t want to forget, and somehow that morphed into writing about fantasy and adventure, and Indian mythology. I started writing in 2004, and published my first book in 2007. I had no previous experience, I hadn’t taken any classes in writing.
Q: What keeps you in the Sea to Sky specifically?
A: The Sea to Sky is such a “zen” place, because I have always lived in very large, busy cities. This is really a nice little oasis.
Q: So, how do you plan to get kids into books this summer and away from their screens?
A: I have developed a Pro-D Day presentation for teachers which includes a short book formula they can use to match the right book with the right reader.
Give a kid a synopsis, then end it with a question; by encouraging a reader to pick up a book this way, they can even engage if they’ve not read the book.
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Narsimhan said she also teaches workshops on how to write “spooky stories.”
Folks may contact her on her website for writing workshops, and for tips on how to encourage their child into reading, particularly if they have a short attention span.
Narsimhan’s latest book Not Myself Today—a Freaky Friday-inspired novel with a “South Asian twist,” which takes place in Burnaby—is now available to pre-order, and will be available online this August.
Ina Pace is The Squamish Chief’s Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) reporter.
This reporting was produced through the LJI, which supports original civic journalism across Canada.
By Ina Pace, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Jun 01, 2026 at 17:56
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