King for a Day by Rukhsana Khan; illustrated by Christiane Krömer (Lee & Low Books Inc., 2014). Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Malik endeavors to capture the most kites during Basant, the spring festival of …
Highly Commended
Escape from Tibet: A True Story
Escape from Tibet: A True Story by Nick Gray with Laura Scandiffio (Annick Press, 2014). Based on a true story, two brothers from Tibet embark on a dangerous journey to India in search of a better …
A Tale of Highly Unusual Magic
A Tale of Highly Unusual Magic by Lisa Papademetriou (HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2015). In this contemporary mystery, two girls – Leila in Pakistan and Kai in Texas – are linked to each other through a magical …
Sona and the Wedding Game
Sona and the Wedding Game by Kashmira Sheth; illustrated by Yoshiko Jaeggi (Peachtree Publishers, 2015). Sona is excited about attending her first Indian wedding, particularly since her sister is the bride. She discovers tradition expects her …
My Friend is Hindu
My Friend is Hindu by Khadija Ejaz (Purple Toad Publishing, 2015) Most of us don’t have a friend like Arjun to explain to us about sanatana dharma, varnas, samskaras, and atman, but Cameron’s Hindu pal shows …
Crane Boy
Crane Boy by Diana Cohn; illustrated by Youme (Cinco Puntos Press, 2015). Every year Kinga waits for the black-necked cranes to return to his village in Bhutan. When he discovers they are endangered, he and his …
When the Rain Comes
When the Rain Comes by Alma Fullerton; illustrated by Kim LaFave (Pajama Press, 2017) A Sri Lankan girl is excited because today she will learn to plant rice seedlings that are essential to her family and …
When Dimple Met Rishi
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (Simon Pulse, 2017) Dimple is surprised when her parents allow her to attend a special summer coding camp before she heads off to Stanford. Then she finds out the …
Amina’s Voice
Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan (Salaam Reads, 2017) When shy Amina enters sixth grade, she faces many challenges: her best friend is thinking of changing her name to be more “American”, her strict uncle is visiting …
Room in Your Heart
Room in Your Heart by Kunzang Choden; illustrated by Pema Tshering (KitaabWorld, 2018). An old woman who lives in a tiny house in the mountains is hailed by many travelers who ask “Is there room for …