A twelve-year-old Indian immigrant in New York City and a Kentucky coal miner’s son become pen pals, and eventually best friends, through a series of revealing letters exploring such topics as environmental activism, immigration, and racism. (Grades 4-7)
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The Elephant’s Friend and Other Tales from Ancient India
Drawing from three books of best-loved Indian folktales — Hitopadesha Tales, Jataka Tales, and Panchantra Tales — this graphic storybook collection, alive with kid-friendly illustrations, is infused with humor and warmth. (Grades K-4)
Chained
To work off a family debt, ten-year-old Hastin leaves his desert village in India to work as a circus elephant keeper but many challenges await him, including trying to keep Nadita, a sweet elephant, safe from the cruel circus owner. (Grades 4-7).
Mother Teresa: Angel of the Slums
Mother Teresa knew from a young age that she wanted to become a nun. What she could not envision was where that service to God would take her, until she was sent to Calcutta to teach. (Grades 6 and up)
The Garden of My Imaan
The arrival of a new student, Marwa, a fellow fifth-grader who is a strict Muslim, helps Aliya come to terms with her own lukewarm practice of the faith and her embarrassment of others’ reactions to their beliefs. (Grades 4-7)
Gandhi: A March to the Sea
Mohandas Gandhi’s 24-day March to the Sea, from March 12 to April 5, 1930, was a pivotal moment in India’s quest to become an independent country no longer ruled by Great Britain. (Grades 3 and up)
The Library Bus
Pari, a young Afghan girl, hits the road with her mother, who operates the only library bus in Kabul. Together, they travel through the countryside, lending books to girls along the way. This book captures the excitement and feeling of freedom of a child learning how to read.
American as Paneer Pie
Lekha, the only Indian American kid in her small town, feels like she must be two versions of herself. At school she is embarrassed by her Indian culture and tries to avoid hurtful comments from classmates. But when a new Indian family moves into town, Lekha rethinks her approach.
untold: defining moments of the uprooted
Editors Gabrielle Deonath and Kamini Ramdeen have curated a brave and beautiful anthology filled with Brown Girls’ voices telling their personal stories of discovery, self-love, mental health, and more across the South Asian diaspora.
Piece by Piece: The Story of Nisrin’s Hijab
In this beautiful graphic novel, Bangladeshi-American Nisrin, a traumatized victim of a hate crime, emerges from her home for her freshman year, having decided to wear the hijab at her new school. What follows leads to Nisrin’s discovery of her complex family history with both Islam and Bangladesh.