South Asia Book Award

In the jungle outside the growing city of Chandigarh, twelve-year-old street child Ram discovers a hidden rock garden, befriends its creator--a factory worker named Nek--and tries to save Nek's garden when it is threatened with destruction.

In the threatened jungle of the Borderlands between Nepal and India during the 1970s, an orphaned boy discovers his fate as a great elephant driver.

Chandra and her sister Deena see a demonstration of a "magic light," a solar-powered lantern, at a market near their home in Nepal and are determined to buy one, knowing it will help their little brother's cough to stop using kerosene lamps. Includes facts about Nepal and a DIY solar energy project.

"The electricity in Maya's house has gone out again. Worse, she is afraid of the dark -- and her fear has been even worse since her father died. Now it feels as if the darkness will never go away. Maya's mother distracts her with a legend about the banyan tree, which saved the world from the first monsoon by drinking up the floodwaters, and growing tall and strong. Later that night, unsettled by the noises around her, Maya revisits the story in her imagination. She ventures deep into the banyan tree, where she discovers not darkness but life: snakes slither, monkeys laugh, and elephants dance. Maya pushes her imagination even further to call up memories of her father, helping to soothe her fear and grief."--front jacket flap.

Priya lives in the United States and her family is from India. She feels the magic of the place her family comes from through her Babi Ba's colorful descriptions of India--from the warm smell of spices to the swish-swish sound of a rustling sari. Together, Priya and Babi Ba make their heritage live on through the traditions that they infuse into their everyday lives.

A tiger cub's escaped from a reserve in the Sunderbans in West Bengal, India, and Neel, a poor boy from the islands, is determined to find her in order to save her from being captured and sold on the black market by Mr. Gupta and his men.

The incredible story of the world's largest visionary environment: the Rock Garden of Chandigarh, kept secret by outsider artist Nek Chand for fifteen years.

In Pakistan, Amal holds on to her dream of being a teacher even after becoming an indentured servant to pay off her families debt to the wealthy and corrupt Khan family.

A young girl leaves her beloved doll behind when she must make the journey from India to Pakistan in the aftermath of their partition by the British government.

A young girl explores the vibrant rainbow of items for sale in a southern Indian street market as she searches for a gift for her mother. Includes facts about the items mentioned and markets around the world, as well as photographs taken by the author in her hometown of Chennai, India.

Varun is fascinated when he watches his sister's dancing class, where she learns bharatanatyam, a dance from India. He tries out some moves at home in secret since he is convinced dancing is not for boys. His grandfather tries to convince him otherwise.

In Chennai, india, after spending his whole life in jail with his mother, who is serving time for a crime she did not commit, nine-year-old Kabir is suddenly released and has to figure out how to survive on his own in the outside world.

Four determined homeless children make a life for themselves in Chennai, India.