Library Research Guides: 2024 Summer Reading @ the Ed Lib: Read Around the World!: Asia (2024)

How the Mango Got Its Magic by Sudha Murty

ISBN: 9780143447078

Publication Date: 2022-11-25

We all love the sweetness of mango and how it quenches our thirst on a hot summer day, but have you ever wondered how the mango got its magical sweetness? The tale of how such sweetness came into existence is a fascinating one indeed.

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman

ISBN: 9781524738112

Publication Date: 2019-02-05

Life is harsh in Chennai's teeming streets, so when runaway sisters Viji and Rukku arrive, their prospects look grim. Very quickly, Viji discovers how vulnerable they are in this uncaring, dangerous world. Fortunately, the girls find shelter--and friendship--on an abandoned bridge. With two homeless boys, Muthi and Arul, the group forms a family of sorts. And while making a living scavenging the city's trash heaps is the pits, the kids find plenty to laugh about and take pride in too. After all, they are now the bosses of themselves and no longer dependent on untrustworthy adults. But when illness strikes, Viji must decide whether to risk seeking help from strangers or to keep holding on to their fragile, hard-fought freedom.

Sold by Patricia McCormick

ISBN: 0786851716

Publication Date: 2006-09-15

Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a small hut on a mountain in Nepal. But when the harsh Himalayan monsoons wash away all that remains of the family's crops, Lakshmi's stepfather says she must leave home and take a job to support her family. He introduces her to a glamorous stranger who tells her she will find her a job as a maid in the city. Glad to be able to help, Lakshmi journeys to India and arrives at "Happiness House" full of hope. But she soon learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution. Lakshmi's life becomes a nightmare from which she cannot escape. Still, she lives by her mother's words--Simply to endure is to triumph--and gradually, she forms friendships with the other girls that enable her to survive in this terrifying new world. Then the day comes when she must make a decision: will she risk everything for a chance to reclaim her life?

A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman

ISBN: 9780399257100

Publication Date: 2014-05-01

Veda, a classical dance prodigy in India, lives and breathes dance--so when an accident leaves her a below-knee amputee, her dreams are shattered. For a girl who's grown used to receiving applause for her dance prowess and flexibility, adjusting to a prosthetic leg is painful and humbling. But Veda refuses to let her disability rob her of her dreams, and she starts all over again, taking beginner classes with the youngest dancers. Then Veda meets Govinda, a young man who approaches dance as a spiritual pursuit. As their relationship deepens, Veda reconnects with the world around her, and begins to discover who she is and what dance truly means to her.

Ahimsa by Supriya Kelkar

ISBN: 9781620143568

Publication Date: 2017-10-02

In 1942, when Mahatma Gandhi asks Indians to give one family member to the freedom movement, ten-year-old Anjali is devastated to think of her father risking his life for the freedom struggle. But it turns out he isn't the one joining. Anjali's mother is. And with this change comes many more adjustments designed to improve their country and use "ahimsa"--non-violent resistance--to stand up to the British government. Her mother decides to reach out to the Dalit community, the "untouchables" of society. Anjali is forced to get over her past prejudices as her family becomes increasingly involved in the movement. When Anjali's mother is jailed, Anjali must step out of her comfort zone to take over her mother's work, ensuring that her part of the independence movement is completed.

Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins

ISBN: 9781580893282

Publication Date: 2010-07-01

Chiko isn't a fighter by nature. He's a book-loving Burmese boy whose father, a doctor, is in prison for resisting the government. Tu Reh, on the other hand, wants to fight for freedom after watching Burmese soldiers destroy his Karenni family's home and bamboo fields. When Chiko is forced into the Burmese army and subsequently injured on a mission, the boys' lives intersect. Timidity becomes courage and anger becomes compassion as both boys discover that everything is not as it seems.

Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins; Jamie Hogan (Illustrator)

ISBN: 9781580896603

Publication Date: 2015-04-14

When a tiger cub escapes from a nature reserve near Neel's island village, the rangers and villagers hurry to find her before the cub's anxious mother follows suit and endangers them all. Mr. Gupta, a rich newcomer to the island, is also searching-he wants to sell the cub's body parts on the black market. Neel and his sister, Rupa, resolve to find the cub first and bring her back to the reserve where she belongs. The hunt for the cub interrupts Neel's preparations for an exam to win a prestigious scholarship at a boarding school far from home. Neel doesn't mind-he dreads the exam and would rather stay on his beloved island in the Sunderbans of West Bengal with his family and friends. But through his encounter with the cub, Neil learns that sometimes you have to take risks to preserve what you love. And sometimes you have to sacrifice the present for the chance to improve the future.

Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan

ISBN: 9780060284541

Publication Date: 2000-03-31

Like many girls her age in India, thirteen-year-old Koly is getting married. When she discovers that the husband her parents have chosen for her is sickly boy with wicked parents, Koly wishes she could flee. According to tradition, though, she has no choice. On her wedding day, Koly's fate is sealed. In the wake of her marriage, however, Koly's life takes an unexpected turn, and she finds herself alone in a strange city of white-sari-clad windows. Her only choice seems to be to shed her name and her future and join the hopeless hordes who chant for food. Even then, cast out in a current of time-worn tradition, this rare young woman sets out to forge her own exceptional future. And a life, like a beautiful tapestry, comes together for Koly-- one stitch at a time.

No Ordinary Day by Deborah Ellis

ISBN: 9781554981342

Publication Date: 2011-09-20

Even though Valli spends her days picking coal and fighting with her cousins, life in the coal town of Jharia, India, is the only life she knows. The only sight that fills her with terror is the monsters who live on the other side of the train tracks -- the lepers. When Valli discovers that that her "aunt" is a stranger who was paid money to take Valli off her own family's hands, she leaves Jharia and begins a series of adventures that takes her to Kolkata, the city of the gods. Valli finds that she really doesn't need much to live and is very resourceful. But a chance encounter with a doctor reveals that she has leprosy. Unable to bear the thought that she is one of the monsters she has always feared, Valli rejects help and begins an uncertain life on the street.

Boys Without Names by Kashmira Sheth

ISBN: 9780061857621

Publication Date: 2011-05-24

For Gopal and his family, life in their rural Indian village is over. They flee to the big city of Mumbai in hopes of finding work and a brighter future. Gopal is eager to help support his struggling family, so when a stranger approaches him with the promise of a factory job, he jumps at the offer. But there is no factory, just a stuffy sweatshop where he and five other boys are forced to work for no money and little food. The boys are forbidden to talk or even to call one another by their real names. Locked away in a rundown building, Gopal despairs of ever seeing his family again. But late one night, when Gopal decides to share kahanis, or stories, he realizes that storytelling might be the boys' key to survival. If he can make them feel more like brothers than enemies, their lives will be more bearable in the shop--and they might even find a way to escape.

Keeping Corner by Kashmira Sheth

ISBN: 9780786838592

Publication Date: 2007-10-30

Twelve-year-old Leela has been spoiled all her life. She's never been interested in school and barely takes notice of the growing unrest between the British colonists and her own countrymen. Her future has been planned since her marriage at nine. But when Leela's husband dies, her life changes forever. She is is forced to shave her head and give away her beloved saris. Leela will have to stay confined to her house for a year in preparation for a life of mourning for a boy she barely knew. When her teacher hears of her fate, she offers to give Leela lessons at home, and Leela begins to open her eyes to the changing world around her. She learns about Gandhi, who starts a political movement and practices non-violent protest against the colonists as well as the caste system. The quiet strength of satyagraha may liberate her country. Could it be that she can use the same path to liberate herself?

Island's End by Padma Venkatraman

ISBN: 9780399250996

Publication Date: 2011-08-04

Uido is ecstatic about becoming her tribe's spiritual leader, but her new position brings her older brother's jealousy and her best friend's mistrust. And looming above these troubles are the recent visits of strangers from the mainland who have little regard for nature or the spirits, and tempt the tribe members with gifts, making them curious about modern life. When Uido's little brother falls deathly ill, she must cross the ocean and seek their help. Having now seen so many new things, will Uido have the strength to believe in herself and the old ways? And will her people trust her to lead them to safety when a catastrophic tsunami threatens? Uido must overcome everyone's doubts, including her own, if she is to keep her people safe and preserve the spirituality that has defined them.

Goodbye, Vietnam by Gloria Whelan

ISBN: 0679822631

Publication Date: 1992-07-07

Thirteen-year-old Mai and her family embark on a dangerous sea voyage from Vietnam to Hong Kong to escape the unpredictable and often brutal Vietnamese government.

A Moment Comes by Jennifer Bradbury

ISBN: 9781416978763

Publication Date: 2013-06-25

Tariq. Anupreet. Margaret. As different as their Muslim, Sikh, and British names. But in one moment, their futures become entirely dependent on one another's. While India awaits the upcoming partition that will divide the country into two religious states, eighteen-year-old Tariq focuses on his own goal: to study at Oxford. But for a Muslim born and raised in India, there is no obvious path to England--until Tariq is offered a job translating for one of the British cartographers stationed in India. Margaret, the cartographer's daughter, has only just arrived in India. But already she has discovered it to be hot, loud, and dull. She can't go anywhere alone for fear of the riots. Eager for a distraction, she finds one in Tariq. But it's Anupreet, another member of the staff, who has truly captured Tariq's eye. But she's a Sikh, so not someone Tariq should even be caught looking at. And yet he's compelled to...

The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

ISBN: 9780553535327

Publication Date: 2018-04-10

Ami lives on Culion, an island in the Philippines for people who have leprosy. Her mother is among the infected. Ami loves her home: with its blue seas and lush forests, Culion contains all she knows and loves. But the arrival of malicious government official Mr. Zamora changes her world forever. Islanders untouched by sickness are forced to leave for a neighboring island, where the children are placed in an orphanage. Banished across the sea, Ami is desperate to return to Culion before her mother's death. She finds a strange and fragile hope in a colony of butterflies. Can they lead her home before it's too late?

A Million Shades of Gray by Cynthia Kadohata

ISBN: 9781416918837

Publication Date: 2010-01-05

A boy and his elephant escape into the jungle when the Viet Cong attack his village immediately after the Vietnam war.

Queen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf

ISBN: 9781534494558

Publication Date: 2022-04-19

When Najwa Bakri walks into her first Scrabble competition since her best friend's death, it's with the intention to heal and move on with her life. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to choose the very same competition where said best friend, Trina Low, died. It seems that even though Najwa is trying to change, she's not ready to give up Trina just yet. But the same can't be said for all the other competitors. With Trina, the Scrabble Queen herself, gone, her friends are eager to be the next reigning champion. All's fair in love and Scrabble, but all bets are off when Trina's formerly inactive Instagram starts posting again, with cryptic messages suggesting that maybe Trina's death wasn't as straightforward as everyone thought. And maybe someone at the competition had something to do with it.

My Fate According to the Butterfly by Gail D. Villanueva

ISBN: 9781338310504

Publication Date: 2019-07-30

When superstitious Sab sees a giant black butterfly, an omen of death, she knows that she's doomed! According to legend, she has one week before her fate catches up with her -- on her 11th birthday. With her time running out, all she wants is to celebrate her birthday with her entire family. But her sister, Ate Nadine, stopped speaking to their father one year ago, and Sab doesn't even know why. If Sab's going to get Ate Nadine and their father to reconcile, she'll have to overcome her fears -- of her sister's anger, of leaving the bubble of her sheltered community, of her upcoming doom -- and figure out the cause of their rift. So Sab and her best friend Pepper start spying on Nadine and digging into their family's past to determine why, exactly, Nadine won't speak to their father. But Sab's adventures across Manila reveal truths about her family more difficult -- and dangerous -- than she ever anticipated.

Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet by Kashmira Sheth

ISBN: 9780786838578

Publication Date: 2006-03-20

Jeetas family is caught up in the whirlwind of arranging marriages for her two older sisters, but the drama and excitement leave Jeeta cold. She knows that tradition demands the parade of suitors, the marriage negotiations, the elaborate displays, the expensive wedding parties but where is the love and romance that the movies promise? She dreads her turn on the matrimonial circuit, especially since Mummy is always complaining about how difficult it will be to find Jeeta a good husband, with her dark skin and sharp tongue. As Jeeta spends more time with her new friend from school, Sarina, and Sarina's educated, liberal parents, she begins to question her tradition-bound familys expectations. And when she falls in love with Sarinas cousin Neel, Jeeta realizes that she must strike a balance between independence and duty and follow her own path.

Outside In by Jennifer Bradbury

ISBN: 9781442468276

Publication Date: 2017-06-06

Ram is living behind a sign on a building's rooftop, barely scraping by, winning games of gilli for money. But his prowess at gilli gets him into big trouble. One day, when he wins against some schoolboys, they chase Ram across town. He flings his sack of money over a factory gate where no one can get it, and disappears into the alleyways. But someone does get the money -- a man on a bike who also seems to be collecting...rocks? Ram follows the man into the jungle, where he finds statues, thousands of them! Gods and goddesses and buildings, all at half scale. And the rock collecting man, Nek, has built them all! When Nek discovers Ram, he has no choice but to let the boy stay and earn back the money Nek has spent. How else can he keep him quiet? For his creations lie on land that isn't technically his to build on. As Ram and Nek hesitantly become friends, Ram learns the true nature of this hidden village in the jungle, as well as the stories of Shiva and Lord Rama, stories of gods and goddesses that in strange ways seem to parallel Ram's...and Nek's.

Saraswati's Way by Monika Schröder

ISBN: 9780374364113

Publication Date: 2010-11-09

If the gods wanted Akash to have an education, he is told, they would give him one. But Akash has spent his entire twelve years poor and hungry. So he decides to take control of his own life and try for a scholarship to the city school where he can pursue his beloved math. But will challenging destiny prove to be more than he has bargained for?

Rice Without Rain by Minfong Ho (Illustrator)

ISBN: 0688063551

Publication Date: 1990-05-28

The parched yellow fields outside the village where seventeen-year-old Jinda lives are her family's only source of income. How can the rain-starved crop produce enough rice to feed them, much less pay the rent? Perhaps the recently arrived young strangers from the city are right about the need for centuries-old traditions to change. At least when she listens to their talk, she feels the stirrings of hope... Hesitantly, Jinga grows to trust the outsiders. There is Sri, who brings with her life-saving medicines and knowledge of how to use them. And there is Ned, who talks of taking charge of one's own destiny, and fighting those who would stand in the way. It is almost too late when Jinda realizes that her trust is misplaced -- that to Sri and Ned their cause is more important than the lives it would affect.

Shiva's Fire by Suzanne Fisher Staples

ISBN: 0374368244

Publication Date: 2000-04-12

On a day when fish leap among the stars and birds soar beneath the waters, a remarkable girl named Parvati is born in a village in the South of India. As she grows, she becomes known for the peculiar events that seem to spring from beneath her dancing feet, and is widely thought to have supernatural powers. When a great master of Indian classical dance comes to see for himself, he recognizes in Parvati a rare talent and invites her to study with him at his gurukulam in the city of Madras. There she commits herself to a rigorous and solitary program of study, dance, and devotion. But when she meets a boy with his own extraordinary powers, her life is turned upside down, and she must question the one thing of which she has always been most sure - that she was born to dance.

After the Ashes by Sara K. Joiner

ISBN: 9780823434411

Publication Date: 2015-07-20

In 1883, on the island of Java in the Dutch East Indies, thirteen-year-old Katrien Courtland is determined to prove Darwin's theory of natural selection. Unfortunately, nothing causes her Aunt Greet more angst than Katrien crawling around the muddy jungle collecting bugs in the name of science -- and in the company of a native boy, no less! If only Katrien would take an interest in running a household and making friends with other girls. But Katrien has no interest in changing, especially if it means socializing with the likes of mean Brigitta Burkhart. Then, one stifling afternoon, Katrien's world turns upside-down when the nearby volcano Krakatau erupts with a terrifying blast. For days, a deathly ash rains down on the Javan coast. Amidst the chaos, Katrien knows her only hope of survival is to flee the jungle with the one person she vowed she'd never befriend.