Recently, we've been seeing more middle grade books with South Asian main characters being published, which is amazing! Although I'm not in middle school anymore, I'm still so incredibly glad that younger Desi kids are getting to see themselves represented in the books that they read. So without further ado, let's get into into the list! ~ The Aru Shah/Pandava series by Roshani Chokshi Add it on Goodreads here: Starting off strong with the original RR Presents book, I actually read Aru Shah and the End of Time in middle school, and I absolutely loved it. As an Indian girl who's always been interested in stories of the Pandavas, this imagining of Hindu mythology was everything, and I adore the Pandava sisters (+ Aiden). Also, the covers truly do get better every book! Just look at the one for the finale: ~ The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy Add it on Goodreads here: I binge-read this book at midnight (which I do not recommend doing) but I wholeheartedly recommend the book, because it was amazing. The Best at It follows seventh-grader Rahul Kapoor, a gay Indian-American boy, in his quest to become the best at something. It was funny and full of friendship, family relationships, (Rahul's relationship with his grandfather was honestly so wholesome!!) and made me tear up at midnight. Rahul is such a lovable character, and he truly deserves everything good in the world. ~ The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani Add it on Goodreads here: This one was a tearjerker. The story of one girl, Nisha's, journey with her family from her home in a newly-formed Pakistan to India, The Night Diary is a tale of the Partition, which is familiar to many Indian and Pakistani kids, told in Nisha's story to her deceased mother, and is both sad and hopeful. ~ Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed Add it on Goodreads here: This novel was so powerful and real. It follows Amal, a young Pakistani girl, as she is forced to become a servant to a powerful village landlord's family to pay of her family's debts. It's a story of how Amal fights to achieve her dreams despite the difficulties of the circumstances that she has been thrown into, as well as how she works with the other servants when she discovers the landlord's corrupt ways. I read Amal Unbound when I was younger, and it was truly incredible. ~ Supriya Kelkar's novels Add them on Goodreads here: Okay, I've only read Ahimsa, which was a great historical novel about India's fight for freedom and independence from British colonizers with commentary about the caste system, but I'd recommend them all- American as Paneer Pie and That Thing about Bollywood in particular seem promising for Desi diaspora readers! ~ More to the Story by Hena Khan Add it on Goodreads here: From the author of Amina's Voice and Amina's Song, a duology that I have yet to read but have heard is gorgeous, this reimagining of the classic Little Women follows our main character, Muslim and Pakistani-American middle schooler Jameela Mirza, an she aspires to become a journalist. All the relationships in this book are so nicely written- from Jameela's relationship with her dad, who has to leave home to work overseas, to her bond with her three sisters, to her budding friendship with Ali, the new kid in town, (and my favorite character, he's so precious!!) who's just moved from England. Jameela's character development is also brilliant, and the book was just so heartwarming! ~ The Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond series by Sayantani DasGupta Add them on Goodreads here: Last but certainly not least, this middle grade fantasy series starring an Indian-Bengali girl is a definite rec for fans for Percy Jackson. One of the first fantasy series that I had read with a protagonist like me (along with the aforementioned Aru Shah), this was a super fun and immersive series, and I really need to finish it and read The Chaos Curse. If you like this one, make sure to check out the new spinoff series The Pinki Adventures, starting with Force of Fire as well! That's all for today! If you enjoyed this, please leave a like and comment your favorite South Asian middle grade book!
2 Comments
6/30/2021 04:34:00 am
south asian representation is so important, especially in middle grade, so that us south asians can find books we resonate with early! we read ahimsa in school a few years ago, and it was such a powerful story! i also loved the gilded wolves, and i'm always looking for more stories with indian rep, so i can't wait to try out aru shah as well!
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