The South Asia Book Award, administered by the South Asia National Outreach Consortium, is given annually for up to three outstanding works of literature, from picture books to young adult novels, which accurately and skillfully portray the experience of individuals living in South Asia, or of South Asians living in other parts of the world. The following selections range from 2015-2024.

A day in the life of an Afghan refugee child and their family, where every moment revolves around love, family, and the carpet that connects them to home.

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.

"On the outskirts of the red-light area in Bihar, India, Heera is living on borrowed time until the day her father decides to sell her into the sex trade to repay his loans. It is, as she's been told, the fate of all women in Girls Bazaar to end up there. But what if she can learn to fight back against 'fate'? When a local hostel owner presents her with the opportunity to practice kung fu, Heera begins to learn that her body isn't an object to be preyed upon, but a vessel through which she can protect herself. She will face unimaginable barriers -- expulsion from school, the unapologetic forces of nature, and a local trafficker who won't take his sights off her. But fate can change, and heroics are contagious. As Heera starts to piece together the whereabouts of a missing friend through a pen pal in the United States, and a competition takes her to New York, the desire to ensure her friend's survival might just lead her to make the ultimate risk" -- Page 2 of cover.

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.

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.

Ajay is a Mumbai railway kid, a newspaper seller, but his great dream is to be a journalist. His dream comes true when he and a gang of friends create their own newspaper, but what is the cost of uncovering the truth?

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.