The Summer 2009 issue of Multicultural Review included a great article by Sandhya Nankani called Rising Tide: The Boom in Historical Fiction About India and the Indian Diaspora. In the article Sandhya talks about the following books: Keeping Corner by Kashmira Sheth (about the rise of Gandhi); Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins (about the Indira Gandhi era); Anila’s Journey by Mary Finn (about 14th century India); Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman; and Child of Dandelions by Shenaaz Nanji (about the ethnic cleansing of Uganda’s Indian minority in 1972).

Sandhya’s blog, while not specifically about YA books, is chock-full of interesting and well-written content, such as this interview with Shenaaz Nanji about Child of Dandelions.

Here’s a little bit about the book, to peak your interest in Shenaaz, who grew up in Mombasa (during a time when Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika were one region called the East African Community), and the interview:

The story takes place in Uganda in 1972, when General Idi Amin, responding to the Indophobic social climate in the country and accusing the Indian minority of “milking” the Ugandan economy, gave all its 80,000 Indians 90 days to pack up and leave. Child of Dandelions is told from the point of view of fifteen-year-old Sabine, a Uganda-born Indian who must grow up quickly to try to make sense of the violence and upheaval around her. This wonderful and important book will help readers learn about the events that lead Ugandans of Indian heritage to flee their country. Now if only history could stop repeating itself…

Phew, just made it! Where have the last two weeks disappeared to? Anyway, I’ve made my nominations for the Cybils - and if you haven’t yet, you have until 11.59 p.m. tomorrow…

So here’s my list:

Fiction Picture Books:

I nominated Naomi’s Tree by Joy Kogawa

… on my list were also Erika-San by Allen Say (Houghton Mifflin, 2009) – nominated by Kara of Not Just for Kids;
and Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore, illustrated by Kristi Valiant (Shen’s Books, 2009) – nominated by Renee of Shen’s Blog;

…and I especially want to look out:
First Come the Zebra by Lynne Barasch (Lee & Low, 2009) – nominated by Hannah from the Lee & Low Blog
Hook by Ed Young (Roaring Book Press, 2009) – nominated by Susannah of Raab Associates
My African Bedtime Rhymes by Brettell Hone (Shamwari Publishing, 2009) – nominated by Ginger Nielson;
Crow Call by Lois Lowry – nominated by Kristine at The Best Book I Haven’t Read
My Abuelita by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Yuyi Morales (Harcourt Children’s Books, 2009) – nominated by Lynn E. Hazen
…and the list continues!

Middle Grade Fiction:

I nominated Wanting Mor by Rukhsana Khan (Groundwood, 2009)

…and must seek out Brushing Mom’s Hair by Andrea Cheng (Wordsong, 2009) – nominated by Linda at Swell Books
and Journey of Dreams by Marge Pellegrino (Frances Lincoln, 2009) – nominated by Janni… and more!

Non-fiction/Information Picture Books:

I nominated My Japan by Etsuko Watanabe

…and great to see already nominated:
Balarama: A Royal Elephant by Ted and Betsy Lewin (Lee and Low, 2009) – nominated by Miri at Wands and Worlds;
Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and Susan Roth, (Dial, 2009) – nominated by Maggi at Mama Librarian;
Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story by Paula Yoo (Lee & Low, 2009) – nominated by Jama at Jama Rattigan’s Alphabet Soup.

I want to read:
The East-West House: Noguchi’s Childhood in Japan by Christy Hale (Lee & Low, 2009);
The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews During the Holocaust by Karen Gray Ruelle and Deborah Durland Desaix (Holiday House, 2009);
Tarra & Bella: The Elephant and Dog Who Became Best Friends by Carol Buckley (Putnam Juvenile, 2009) – nominated by Elaine Magliaro at Wild Rose Reader;
Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan by Jeanette Winter – nominated by Sherry at Semicolon;
Cycle of Rice, Cycle of Life: A Story of Sustainable Farming by Jan Reynolds (Lee & Low, 2009).

Non-Fiction – middle/teen:

I nominated Let There Be Peace: Prayers from Around the World by Jeremy Brooks, illustrated by Jude Daly (Frances Lincoln, 2009)

…already nominated: After Gandhi: One Hundred Years of Nonviolent Resistance by Anne Sibley O’Brien and Perry Edmond O’Brien (Charlesbridge, 2009) – I’m in the process of writing a review for this superb book and will add a link soon…
and Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Journey to Change the World… One Child at a Time (The Young Reader’s Edition) by Greg Mortenson (Puffin Young Readers, 2009).

Grace Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Little, Brown and Company, 2009) has been nominated in the Fantasy/Science Fiction section by Emily Reads; and John Agard’s The Young Inferno would have been my poetry nomination but Sherry got there first!

I’ve realised that I have read very little newly-published YA fiction this year so I haven’t made a nomination there either – but it’s good to see Mitali Perkins’ Secret Keeper in there, nominated by Sarah at Archimedes Forgets (what a wonderful name for a blog!); and I do have a copy of Shine, Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger (Margaret K. McElderry, 2009) in my to-be-read pile (nominated by R. J. Anderson)…

So it looks like I’m going to be busy enough – I can’t imagine how the judges are going to manage to read all the nominees. And after tomorrow, we’ll be waiting with baited breath to find out the shortlists, published on 1st January…

The Children’s Book Council of Australia has just announced the winners of this year’s awards. I’ve spotted two of my favorite books of the past year among them: Shaun Tan’s Tales from Outer Suburbia (Winner, Older Readers Book of the Year) and Home and Away by John Marsden, illustrated by Matt Ottley (Honour, Picture Book of the Year). Read this rather sobering post from The Book Chook outlining the awards and highlighting possible changes afoot in Australian publishing and their potential effect on the many wonderful small independent publishers in Australia.

Just One More Book has this podcast about Ten Days and Nine Nights: An Adoption Story by Yumi Heo.

Shelf Elf has a review of Mitali Perkins‘ Secret Keeper (you can also read PaperTigers’ review here).

And read Chicken Spaghetti’s great post, “Neesha Meminger on Kids’ Books by South Asian Authors” – including Neesha’s South Asian selection of books she would add to the CCBC’s list of “50 Multicultural Books Every Child Should Know” – apparently soon to become 75… – Hmmm – take a look at the list and tell us what you would add…

Skipping Stones is an award-winning, nonprofit magazine for youth that encourages communication, cooperation, creativity and celebration of cultural and environmental richness. Founded in 1988 and published five times a year, Skipping Stones provides a forum for sharing ideas and experiences among youth from different countries and cultures. Art and original writings submissions in every language and from all ages are always welcomed.

Each year Skipping Stones recognizes outstanding authentic books and teaching resources with the Annual Skipping Stones Honor Awards. The honored books, published by both large and small publishers, promote cooperation and cultivate an awareness of our diverse cultures. Together, they encourage an understanding of the world’s diversity, ecological richness, respect for differing viewpoints and close relationships in human societies. Bound to provide a great reading adventure, they offer a variety of learning experiences. Reviewers aged 8 to 80, from many backgrounds and life experiences, help select the winners and their reviews are published in the Summer Skipping Stones issue.

The 2009 winners are broken down into 3 categories – Multicultural & International Awareness, Nature and Ecology Books, and Teaching and Parenting Resources; and winning titles include:

Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins,
The Storyteller’s Candle by Lucia Gonzalez, illustrated by Lulu Delacre,
Grandfather’s Story Cloth by Linda Gerdner and Sarah Langford, illustrated by Stuart Loughridge.

For a complete list of the winners, click here: I just printed it off and will be heading to my local library this afternoon to see what treasures I can find!

Award winning author Mitali Perkins is starting 2009 on an exciting note! Her newest book Secret Keeper, published by Random House, is being released on January 13th. (Watch a trailer for the book here on Mitali’s blog.) To celebrate, Mitali is inviting everyone in the San Francisco area to a Chai and Samosa Reception at Not Your Mother’s Book Club at the Town & Country Village in Palo Alto between 6 – 7pm Thursday, January 15th.

From 7-8 p.m that same evening, Mitali will lead a writing workshop entitled “MAGIC CARPET: Creating a Sense of Place in Story,” a fun, hands-on, stress-free event for writers of all stages and ages. The session will start with tips and techniques, continue with prompts to inspire a time of writing, and end with personalized feedback. This event will be a great shared memory for parents and teens, and a welcome escape for stressed-out students who want to relax with an ungraded creative exercise. No experience necessary, but to sign up for the workshop, you must send an email confirmation to NYMBC (at) booksinc (dot) net, as space is limited to twenty participants.

For those in the Seattle area, Barnes and Noble (Bellevue Downtown) will host a launch party for Secret Keeper on January 18 at 2pm. Mitali will be in attendance and looks forward to discussing and signing copies of her new book. Later that day, teens are invited to join Mitali for an Indian Dinner/Teen Writers Workshop at the Bellevue Regional Library. Again, pre-registration is required.

Mitali is a regularly featured author and contributor to the PaperTigers website. In 2007 she and her mother, award winning alpana painter Madhusree Bose, took part in our first PaperTigers Outreach Program at the San Francisco Waldorf School. Mitali will be contributing an article on “The Power of Children to Make a Difference” in our upcoming issue of PaperTigers due out February 1st.