A Project of the South Asia National Outreach Consortium
Fitting Indian, A Graphic Novel Written by Jyoti Chand. Illustrated by Tara Anand. (HarperAlley, 2025) Join Nitasha, a South Asian American teenager, as she navigates the complex expectations of family, friendship, identity, and belonging while trying to find her place in both her community and the wider world. Set against the backdrop of high school …
The Freedom Seeker by Ruchira Gupta (Scholastic Press, 2025) The story of Simi begins in the northwest Punjab region of India and ends in the Bronx neighborhood of New York. Her story takes the reader through the emotions of an international immigrant. Simi’s experience of migrating to the US via Mexico sheds light on the …
Midnight Motorbike Written by Maureen Shay Tajsar. Illustrated by Ishita Jain. (Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, 2025) Join a young girl and her Amma on a magical moonlit motorbike ride through the villages, roads, and landscapes of South India on a night too warm for sleep. Through richly sensory storytelling, Tajsar invites readers to experience the …
My Big, Fat Desi Wedding by Prerna Pickett (Page Street Publishing, 2024) This YA romance anthology, featuring eight different Desi authors, contains the spectrum of stories one expects from an anthology – it runs the gamut from a “family curse” that turns speech to truth, to a vampiric marriage, to the ever-beloved trope of one’s soulmate’s …
I’m From Here Too by Kashmira Sheth (Peachtree Books, 2024) Eighth grader Anoop has a lot on his plate – a new classroom without his best friend, his grandfather in India is sick and possibly dying, and attacks on American Sikhs are increasing. Anoop’s only respite is the poetry that he writes, but as he tries …
Amil and the After by Veera Hiranandani (Kokila/Penguin Random House, 2024) In Amil and the After, Veera Hiranandani continues the story from The Night Diary, following 12-year-old Amil as he adjusts to life in Bombay after the Partition of India. Struggling with loss, trauma, and identity, Amil finds healing through drawing, friendship, and small acts of …
Yasmeen Lari, Green Architect, written by Marzieh Abbas, illustrated by Hoda Hadadi (Clarion Books, 2024) Yasmeen Lari has shattered multiple glass ceilings—not only as Pakistan’s first woman architect but also as a passionate activist and community organizer dedicated to preserving the country’s historic architecture and heritage sites. She has led humanitarian efforts that empower local …
My Mother’s Tongues, written by Uma Menon, illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell (Candlewick Press, 2024) Sumi is in awe of her mother’s superpower: her mom can speak two languages- Malayalam and English. Through beautiful mixed media images, the author and illustrator invites the readers to join a story that highlights the importance of communicating through multilingualism …
Asha the Auto-Driver, written by Aruna Shekar, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat (Tulika Books, 2024) Follow Asha as she drives in the beautiful, bustling streets of Chennai from dawn to dusk. Her green-and-yellow auto is more than just a ride — it’s a moving sanctuary where stories bloom like the jasmine strings she sells. (Grades PK-2) Award …
Four Eids and Funeralby Faridah Abikke-Iyimide and Adiba Jaigirdar (Macmillan, 2024) Four Eids and a Funeral is a heartfelt, humorous, and community-rooted love story co-written by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar. When Said Hossain returns to his small Vermont hometown for the funeral of a beloved librarian, he finds himself face-to-face with his former best friend, …
