This is a novel that really pulls at the heart strings and is beautifully told. It is the second breathtaking novel from the winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. For Mira on her first visit to India to stay with her aunt and cousin she experiences first love in a familiar and yet unfamiliar country but she also discovers something about her family that could have consequences to all around her as well as those back at home in England.
Mira Levenson is bursting with excitement as she flies to India to stay with her aunt and cousin for the first time. As soon as she lands Mira is hurled into the sweltering heat and a place full of new sights, sounds, and deeply buried family secrets ...From the moment Mira meets Janu she feels an instant connection. He becomes her guide, showing her both the beauty and the chaos of Kolkata. Nothing is as she imagined it - and suddenly home feels a long way away. Before Mira leaves India she is determined to uncover the truth about her family, whatever it takes, and she must also make a decision that will break someone's heart ...
'I really wish Sita had been writing when I was growing up as this beautiful heartfelt book explores so eloquently the need to find your history in order to find yourself' Meera Syal
'Sometimes second books can be disappointing. This one most certainly isn't. In fact, I think it's even better than the first. Sita's skill lies in making her reader really feel that intimate tug and pull of family relationships as well as the confusing ups and downs of teenage love, and in this book she also shows us facets of India not often seen in children's books' Lucy Coates, scribblecitycentral blog
Author
About Sita Brahmachari
Sita Brahmachari won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize with her debut Artichoke Hearts and is one of the most interesting and important voices in children's books today. Her latest novel, Tender Earth was awarded an honour by the International Board of Books for Young People. She was the 2015 Booktrust's Writer in Residence and is the current Writer in Residence at Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants. Sita is also an Amnesty International ambassador. She lives in London with her family.
