Searching for her buried friend after the mines collapse, twelve-year-old Pakistani mica miner Nura finds herself at the Sijj Palace, a luxury hotel for the dangerous and deceitful jinn, where she must discover the truth beneath the glitter or be trapped forever.
Asia
Materials from Asia
I Remember
A recognition of Muslim loyalty and sacrifice during WW1 portrayed through a letter between a Muslim grandchild to his/her war hero great-grandpa to reassure him that his story and bravery will never be forgotten.
A Garden In My Hands
A mother shares family memories and stories with her daughter as she applies henna to the young girl’s hands.
A Sari For Ammi
Ammi weaves the most beautiful saris but never gets to wear any of them. Her two little daughters decide to do something about it—break their piggy bank! But when there isn’t enough money to buy Ammi a sari, the two girls must work together to find a solution. Will they be able to buy Ammi the gift she so deserves? With a text full of heart, and bright, cheerful artwork, this story brings readers into the home of a weaver’s family in Kaithoon, India, where the creation of saris is an art form. The book includes a glossary of Indian terms and a note about the saris made in this region.
Where Butterflies Fill The Sky: A Story Of Immigration, Family, And Finding Home
An evocative picture book that tells the true story of the author’s immigration from Kuwait to the United States.
Chirri & Chirra, In The Night (Chirri & Chirra, 8)
With the light of their trusty bicycles and a glorious full moon illuminating the darkness, Chirri and Chirra take on the night, accompanied by their new cat friends.
Chirri and Chirra in the Night is a WOW Recommends: Book of the Month for March 2023.
Berani
In Berani, Governor General’s Award finalist Michelle Kadarusman spins together three perspectives: Malia, who is prepared to risk anything for her activism, Ari, who knows the right path but fears what it will cost, and Ginger Juice, the caged orangutan who still remembers the forest and her mother. The choices the young people make will have consequences for themselves, for Ginger Juice, and for others, if they are brave enough or reckless enough to choose.
Dragonfly Eyes
Ah-Mei and her French grandmother, Nainai, share a rare bond. Maybe it’s because Ah-Mei is the only girl grandchild. Or maybe it’s because the pair look so much alike and neither resembles the rest of their Chinese family. Politics and war make 1960s Shanghai a hard place to grow up, especially when racism and bigotry are rife, and everyone seems suspicious of Nainai’s European heritage and interracial marriage. In this time of political upheaval, Ah-Mei and her family suffer much-and when the family silk business falters, they are left with almost nothing. Ah-Mei and her grandmother are resourceful, but will the tender connection they share bring them enough strength to carry through? This multigenerational saga by one of China’s most esteemed children’s authors takes the reader from 1920s France to a ravaged postwar Shanghai and through the convulsions of the Cultural Revolution.
Sato The Rabbit, A Sea Of Tea (Sato The Rabbit, 3)
Sato continues his adventures, exploring both expansive landscapes–snowy fields, forests, oceans made of tea–and tiny microcosms of worlds, all found in unlikely places–like within a freshly-baked pie.
The Musician
In ancient China, a young musician named Yu Boya gained fame for his talents. On the night of the Moon Festival, he encounters a mysterious woodcutter who is also a musician and admires Boya’s most famous song: Lofty Mountains and Flowing Water. Their friendship deepens and Boya vows to play the song for his new friend every year on the festival night. But the next year, upon hearing of his friend’s death, Boya smashes his instrument and never plays again. To this day, the word for “close friendship” means “understanding the music.”