Shanti
Shanti asked Roshani Chokshi:

I'm Indian and I'm so excited to read the Star Touched Queen. I was wondering what your go to recommendations are for South Asian YA? I really want to read more books from my country.

Roshani Chokshi Hi Shanti! I'm glad you're excited to read The Star-Touched Queen! Here's a couple of my favorite South Asian YA tales!

1. Shiva's Fire by Suzanne Fisher Staples. I was classically trained in bharatnatyam for almost ten years, so this story struck a very personal chord with me. It was magical, dangerous and raised all kinds of questions about destiny and agency.

2. The Iron Ring by Lloyd Alexander. I thought this was a beautiful adventure story. I also appreciated the Indian female heroine. She was clever and caring, plus I loved how Alexander incorporated talking animals. This was something I had always loved from other Indian texts, such as the Jataka tales.

3. Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier. This is a wonderful examination of the growing pains for first generation Indian Americans, and particularly resonated with me when I was growing up.

4. Climbing The Stairs by Padma Venkatraman. A lovely examination of life under colonial rule and how a young woman exercises her own independence in the face of that.

I would also recommend checking out this list from sci-fi/fantasy author Shveta Thakrar for more recommendations!

http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2...


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