Tamarind and the Star of Ishta
Page 13
To my agent Ben for his unbounding enthusiasm, for always being there on the end of the phone to offer advice or anything else I need, and for loving Tamarind.
Carolyn Rayner’s artful eye made sure that my website and book posts kept zinging with creativity. Thank you for all your hard work.
Writing can often be a lonely activity, so it is hugely important to have friends who will drop everything to meet for coffee, champagne . . . even writing sometimes! Mel and Miranda have been with me since the very start and they truly are the dream team. Thank you for your wisdom and for always being right. To my dear friend Rachael for all her love and support and to her daughters Bel and Minti. Thank you, Kate L. My very own equine goddess and beautiful spirit.
To all the staff and pupils at my Patron of Reading school (my old school), the ever impressive Mellers Primary in Nottingham, where my love of reading and creativity were nurtured by the fantastic Mr Ferrigan, Mr Stanton and Mrs Wallis. To my Year 6 ‘fans’ at Mellers: Jack, Daisha, Taniayah, Anas, Ayaan, Aisosa, Milan, Romeo, Murtaza, J’Maer, Mayar, Rayan and Mariyah – I’ve had such fun visiting you and discussing reading. You are all superstars. Thank you especially for your help with building Arjun’s character and for all your amazing suggestions – good luck at big school, you are going to smash it!
It has been such an honour to be part of Nottingham City of Literature – thank you for all the opportunities and I can’t wait to step inside the new magnificent biggest children’s library in the UK!
Thank you to the Society of Authors for their generosity in awarding me a work-in-progress grant. Thank you also to Paper Nations for selecting me for the Time to Write commission. To the wonderful MA Creative Writing for Young People Course at Bath Spa University for their continuing support and finally to Costa for awarding me the Children’s Book Award 2019.
Heartfelt thanks to all the teachers, librarians, booksellers and reviewers for championing my stories. Special thanks to: Inspire ELS, Imogen Russell Williams, Florentyna Martin, Alex O’Connell, Lauren St John, Sita Bramachari, the amazing Mr E and Kate Rundell for your kindness and support. And finally to you, my readers, who I can’t wait to take on more adventures . . . Where shall we go next?
Extract from The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan (HarperCollins) © Amy Tan 2001. All rights reserved. The publishers have tried to contact the copyright holders of this material before publication, and if notified we will be pleased to correct any inadvertent errors or omissions.
According to family stories, Jasbinder Bilan was born in a stable close to the foothills of the Himalaya. Until she was a year and a half, she lived on a farm inhabited by a grumpy camel and a monkey called Oma.
Jasbinder grew up in Nottingham, and now lives in a wooded valley close to Bath with her husband, two teenage boys and dog Enzo. She has an MA in Creative Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University, and splits her time between teaching and writing.
Asha & the Spirit Bird, Jasbinder’s debut novel, won the Times Children’s Fiction Competition 2017 and the Costa Children’s Book Award 2019, was nominated for the Carnegie Medal 2020, was longlisted for the Jhalak Prize 2020, and is shortlisted for the Waterstones Book Prize 2020.
jasbinderbilan.co.uk
@jasinbath
ALSO BY JASBINDER BILAN
ASHA & THE SPIRIT BIRD
Asha lives in the foothills of the Himalayas. Money is tight and she misses her papa who works in the city. When he suddenly stops sending his wages, a ruthless moneylender ransacks their home and her mother talks of leaving.
From her den in the mango tree, Asha makes a pact with her best friend, Jeevan, to find her father and make things right. But the journey is dangerous: they must cross the world’s highest mountains and face hunger, tiredness – even snow leopards.
And yet, Asha has the unshakeable sense that the spirit bird of her grandmother – her nanijee – will be watching over her.
‘This book is such a light-filled, huge-hearted delight of an adventure.’
KATHERINE RUNDELL
Paperback, ISBN 978-1-911490-19-7, £6.99 • ebook, ISBN 978-1-911490-78-4, £6.99
Published by Scholastic Australia Pty Ltd
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First edition published by Chicken House, 2020.
This electronic edition published by Scholastic Australia Pty Ltd, 2020
E-PUB/MOBI eISBN: 978-1-76112-183-8
Text © Jasbinder Bilan 2020
Cover illustration © Aitch 2020
Cover and interior design by Helen Crawford-White
Cover and interior illustrations by Aitch
Map illustrations © Alexis Snell 2020
Jasbinder Bilan has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, unless specifically permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 as amended.