Asha and the Spirit Bird

by Jasbinder Bilan (Author)

Asha and the Spirit Bird
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

Winner of the 2019 Costa Children's Book Award!

In contemporary India, 12-year-old Asha will journey across the dangerous Himalayas to find her missing father and save her family's home -- guided by a mythical bird and a green-eyed tiger who she believes to be the spirits of her ancestors. This is an incredibly unique debut about loss, family, buried treasure, and hope.

Asha lives on a family farm with her mother in rural India in the foothills of the Himalayas. Life would be perfect if her father were with them instead of working at the factory in the faraway city. But she knows they wouldn't be able to afford their home without the money he sends home. When four months go by without a single letter, a ruthless debt collector arrives with a warning, and soon the entire world that Asha has known is threatened.

Determined to save her home, Asha and her best friend must swallow their fears and set out on a dangerous journey across the Himalayas to find her father. As desperation turns to peril, Asha will face law enforcement, natural disaster, and the wild dangers of the Himalayas.

But with a majestic bird and a green-eyed tiger as her guides, who she believes to be the spirits of her ancestors, she's determined to keep faith in order to save her family.

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Kirkus

A well-plotted narrative rooted in Hinduism.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6—Asha's father has traveled to the city to make money, but his family hasn't heard from him in months. Asha's mother feels the only thing to do is sell their farm in India at the base of the Himalayas and move to England. Asha cannot believe that her father would abandon her family and is determined to find him. With the help of her best friend Jeevan and the watchful "dark-flecked" eye of a lamagaia vulture that Asha believes is the spirit of her grandmother, the duo sets off on a dangerous, cold, rocky, and fateful journey to locate her father. With mythical guides believed to be the spirits of her ancestors, Asha has more than just luck on her side. Bilan creates a believable world with real-life conflicts and characters that will resonate. Though the names of places are made up, descriptions of harsh societal conditions such as sickness, child servitude, and poor working environments are rooted in reality. This adventure has its twists and turns, but the book is a somewhat quiet story that can lag in momentum. The resolution leaves a saccharine tone that contrasts with the rest of the narrative, and seems a bit too quick and convenient. However, readers will feel that Asha deserves a happy ending. VERDICT A heroic adventure with a brave, believable female character that would appeal to those who like realistic fiction with a dash of magic.—Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury P.L., MA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Bilan's story is an eye-opening adventure with one-sandalled foot in atmospheric realism and a toe-hold in the mythical." — The Observer

"An evocative debut...weaves ancient Hindu beliefs into a fast-past quest." — The Guardian (Book of the Month)

"A modern epic." —The Times

"Weaves themes of faith, friendship and greed into a vibrant adventure with a rich seam of magic realism." — The Bookseller
Jasbinder Bilan
Jasbinder Bilan's debut novel Asha and the Spirit Bird won the prestigious Costa Children's Book Award and The Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition. She has an MA in creative writing from Bath Spa University. She lives in England with her husband, two sons, and an adorable dog named Enzo.

Nina Chakrabarti studied illustration at Central Saint Martin's College and the Royal College of Art, London. She uses line drawing to explore her love of the decorative arts, inspired by her past in Kolkata, India, where she grew up, and the exuberance of London, where she lived for many years. She is the author of the best-selling My Wonderful World of Fashion, which has been translated into ten languages.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781338571059
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Chicken House
Publication date
June 02, 2020
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV002040 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Birds
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
JUV002150 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Lions, Tigers, Leopards, etc.
JUV030020 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | Asia
Library of Congress categories
Birds
India
Quests (Expeditions)
Himalaya Mountains
Absentee fathers
Costa Children's Book Award
Winner 2019

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