Book Finder
Use our Book Finder tool to create your own customized list of fiction and nonfiction books. Search through more than 5,000 books on Reading Rockets — by author, illustrator, age, reading level, genre, format, and topic.
Prince of Fire: The Story of Diwali
This chapter book is an action-packed adaptation of India’s great epic, The Ramayana. Follow Rama, the Prince of Fire, and his friends as they defeat the demon king of Lanka and return light to the world. Full-color illustrations throughout vividly bring the story of Diwali to life, while courageous heroes and dastardly villains will engage young readers who loves talesof adventure.
Rama and the Demon King: An Ancient Tale from India
This retelling of a Hindu story from The Ramayana is the three thousand year-old tale of Rama, who rescues his wife, Sita, from the Demon King. The vibrant illustrations, based on the ancient tradition of shadow-puppetry, express the exuberance of a tale which is still very much alive. Diwali is a celebration of Rama’s return to his homeland, with his fellow villagers lighting the path for his return.
Shower of Gold: Girls and Women in the Stories of India
In this anthology, Krishnaswami has collected and retold 18 traditional tales which originated in the Indian subcontinent, all with female protagonists. Many of these simply told stories feature a heroine who must stand up for her beliefs…(E)very story is followed by a helpful note that provides context and cites sources. — Kirkus Reviews
Naming Maya
Product Description: Although Maya has done her best to avoid it, she is spending part of her summer in Chennai, India, with her mother, who is trying to sell her grandfather's old house. Soon Maya is drawn into a complicated friendship with the eccentric housekeeper, Kamala Mami, and she is forced to examine the history of her parents' divorce — all the more painful because she believes the trouble began with the choosing of her name. It is only with the help of Kamala Mami and her cousin that Maya is able to see what really happened to her parents and let go of painful memories.
The Grand Plan to Fix Everything
Eleven-year-old Dini loves everything about movies — especially Bollywood movies. So she would have been really excited about her family's move to India…if they were moving anywhere near Bombay, the center of the Bollywood universe and home to Dini's all-time most favorite favorite star, Dolly Singh. But no. Dini's now stuck in a teeny, tiny village that she can't even find on a map. But small villages can have surprises! Uma Krishnaswami's joyful, lively, tale is full of preening peacocks, mischievous monkeys, delicious confections, and the wondrous, magical powers of coincidence.
Extra Credit
"A forced pen-pal exchange turns into an opportunity for real communication between Illinois sixth-grader Abby Carson and Sadeed Bayat, the best English-language student in his Afghan village. When Abby's first letter arrives in Bahar-Lan, 11-year-old Sadeed is asked by the elders to compose his sister Amira's reply; it isn't proper for a boy and girl to correspond with one another. But soon Sadeed can't resist telling Abby that it is he who has been writing to her. The third-person narrative alternates points of view, allowing for inclusion of intriguing details of both lives." — School Library Journal
Words In The Dust
"Born with a cleft lip, Zulaikha struggles to feel worth in a society that values women by their marriage prospects…Then, by chance, Zulaikha meets Meena, a former professor, who begins to teach her to read and write just as American soldiers arrive, bringing the chance for both more education and surgery to correct Zulaikha's birth defect. Reedy based his debut on real people and places he encountered while serving with the National Guard in Afghanistan, and the extensive detail about Afghani customs gives the story the feel of a docu-novel while also creating a vivid sense of place and memorable characters." — Booklist
Shooting Kabul
As Fadi's family is preparing to flee to the U.S., Fadi's little sister is lost. The family leaves her behind, but adjusting to life in the United States isn't easy and as the events of September 11th unfold, the prospects of locating Mariam in a war-torn Afghanistan seem slim. When a photography competition with a grand prize trip to India is announced, Fadi sees his chance to return to Afghanistan and find his sister. Based in part on the Ms. Senzai's husband's own experience fleeing his home in Soviet controlled Afghanistan in the 1970s.
For the Right to Learn: Malala Yousafzai's Story
A straightforward, illustrated narration tells the story of the brave Pakistani girl who fought for girls' rights to an education. Malala's efforts advocating for the right to learn is presented in this accessible, readable, and brief book.
Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh
Fifth-grade Maria and her younger brother live with their parents on a farm in Yuba City, California near the end of World War II. Their father is from India, their mother from Mexico. Maria loves to play baseball and is encouraged by her teacher but confronts other problems. Will their field be destroyed? Will the family lose their home? Both humorous and poignant, readers will gain a sense of the period and many of the issues that feel very contemporary.
