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Sita Brahmachari was born in Derby in 1966 to an Indian doctor from Kolkata and an English nurse from the Lake District. She has a BA in English Literature and an MA in Arts Education. Her many projects and writing commissions have been produced in theatres, universities, schools and community groups throughout Britain and America. Sita lives and works in North London with her husband, three children and a temperamental cat. Sita's debut novel, Artichoke Hearts, won the 2011 Waterstones Children's Book Prize and was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal. It was also shortlisted for the Redbridge Children's Book Award, the Berkshire Book Award, the Romantic Novel Award (young adult category), Peters Book of the Year, the Fabulous Awards for Books and the Ealing Readers Award.
Click here to read an interview with Sita Brahmachari.
Two children must risk everything to escape their fate and find the impossible . . . A brave, thought-provoking adventure by award-winning author, Sita Brahmachari. Shifa and her brother, Themba, live in Kairos City with their father, Nabil. The few live in luxury, whilst the millions like them crowd together in compounds, surviving on meagre rations and governed by Freedom Fields - the organisation that looks after you, as long as you opt in. The bees have long disappeared; instead children must labour on farms, pollinating crops so that the nation can eat. But Nabil remembers Before and he knows that the soul needs to be nourished as much as the body so, despite the risk, he teaches his children how to grow flowers on a secret piece of land hidden beneath the train tracks. The farm Shifa and Themba are sent to is hard and cruel. Themba won't survive there and Shifa comes up with a plan to break them out. But they have no idea where they are - their only guide is a map drawn from the ramblings of a stranger. The journey ahead is fraught with danger, but Shifa is strong and knows to listen to her instincts - to let hope guide them home. The freedom of a nation depends on it . . .
February 2018 Book of the Month The story of a young man and the special relationship he forms with the lollipop man who once saved his life, Zebra Crossing Soul Song is an original and touching coming of age story, full of insight and set to a playlist of songs that will have all readers swaying in time to its music. Lenny is eighteen and resitting his psychology A level; revising episodic memory sets him thinking about his friend Otis, and how their conversations over the years at Otis’s zebra crossing have left ideas and music imprinted on his mind, more indelibly even than those black and white marks on the road. It’s a relationship strong enough to endure through the different pressures on both of them. Scattered with song lyrics, and seeded with truths, this memorable and absorbing story moved me to tears. ~ Andrea Reece Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 13+ Barrington Stoke is the foremost publisher of dyslexia friendly books and those for reluctant readers. Here on Lovereading4kids we are constantly selecting new titles and refreshing our special dyslexia friendly category. Click here to view our current selection which is broken down by age range.
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month June 2017 A sharply observed and warm-hearted story about change and transition in adolescence, Tender Earth also carries a powerful message to all young readers about tolerance, integration and the need to stand up for what you believe in. Moving to secondary school coincides with big changes at home and Leila finds herself struggling with all the differences she now faces. Her best friend is striking out on her own; her new friend has secrets which Leila doesn’t know how to unlock. When Leila discovers her grandmother’s ‘Protest Book’, a listing of all the protests she attended, Leila decides it is time for her to get her own voice heard. Leila’s coming of age experiences intelligently reflect today’s society while her gradual realisation of her own opportunities will inspire others. ~ Julia Eccleshare Julia Eccleshare's Picks of the Month for June 2017 Aubrey and the Terrible Ladybirds by Horatio Clare Adventures of John Blake, The: Mystery of the Ghost Ship by Philip Pullman Axel Scheffler's Flip Flap Ocean by Axel Scheffler Maisy Goes to the Bookshop by Lucy Cousins Tender Earth by Sita Brahmachari Old Hat by Emily Gravett The Cow Who Fell to Earth by Nadia Shireen
Winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2011 | Selected by a distinguished independent panel of experts including our editorial expert, Julia Eccleshare, for Diverse Voices - 50 of the best Children's Books celebrating cultural diversity in the UK. A welter of emotions engulf Mira in this touching pre-teen story about secrets and how to keep them and share them. Strongly set in a busy family, Mira’s life is full of the ups and downs of family, friends and school; most particularly there is sadness in knowing that her beloved grandmother is dying and happiness as her interest in a mysterious boy in her class blossoms. Mira tells her story with appealing directness.
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.
Interest Age Teen Reading Age 8 Sita Brahmachari writes about family lives and family relationships with real sensitivity and insight. Hudson, the teen narrator of her new novel, is well aware of his own tendency to misunderstand or misread what others are saying, so the moment when he and his dad suddenly connect with one another is particularly powerful. That it takes place in a car wash only makes it more convincing. Hudson’s dad explains how much he loved going through the car wash with his own father as a child, and how the cloud of soapy bubbles felt like a kind of heaven. Though there’s lots going on in Hudson’s life, and indeed head, his story is, as publisher Barrington Stoke says, super readable, with design and writing as clear as can be. ~ Andrea Reece Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 12+ Barrington Stoke is the foremost publisher of dyslexia friendly books and those for reluctant readers. Here on Lovereading4kids we are constantly selecting new titles and refreshing our special dyslexia friendly category. Click here to view our current selection which is broken down by age range.
One of our Books of the Year 2014 - October 2014 Book of the Month Award-winning Sita Brahmachari has a great gift of understanding for the confusions and loneliness of adoloescents and their need to be gently nurtured and cherished. Three young people are trying to find a way of making sense of their confusing and chaotic lives. Aisha struggles when her beloved foster mother suggests that she might meet a family who could adopt her; Zak longs for the time before his parents’ divorce; Iona yearns for a life that is better than living on the streets. When their lives become intertwined by chance in an ancient woodland they are all strengthened by each other and by the strange magic of the place. Endorsed by Amnesty International.
Interest Age Teen Reading Age 8+ A warm and funny novel that girls in particular who lack confidence will resonate with. Abi is not looking forward to her work experience week at a care home, particularly when she's just had braces put on her teeth and feels even more self-conscious than usual. But as the week goes on Abi finds friends in the residents and before long she is helping them grow old disgracefully and to her surprise giving herself some confidence too. Sita is the bestselling author of the award winning novel, Artichoke Hearts. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 12+
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.
Selected by a distinguished independent panel of experts including our editorial expert, Julia Eccleshare, for Diverse Voices - 50 of the best Children's Books celebrating cultural diversity in the UK. Winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2011. A welter of emotions engulf Mira in this touching pre-teen story about secrets and how to keep them and share them. Strongly set in a busy family, Mira’s life is full of the ups and downs of family, friends and school; most particularly there is sadness in knowing that her beloved grandmother is dying and happiness as her interest in a mysterious boy in her class blossoms. Mira tells her story with appealing directness. ~ Julia Eccleshare
Two children must risk everything to escape their fate and find the impossible . . . A brave, thought-provoking adventure by award-winning author, Sita Brahmachari. Shifa and her brother, Themba, live in Kairos City with their father, Nabil. The few live in luxury, whilst the millions like them crowd together in compounds, surviving on meagre rations and governed by Freedom Fields - the organisation that looks after you, as long as you opt in. The bees have long disappeared; instead children must labour on farms, pollinating crops so that the nation can eat. But Nabil remembers Before and he knows that the soul needs to be nourished as much as the body so, despite the risk, he teaches his children how to grow flowers on a secret piece of land hidden beneath the train tracks. The farm Shifa and Themba are sent to is hard and cruel. Themba won't survive there and Shifa comes up with a plan to break them out. But they have no idea where they are - their only guide is a map drawn from the ramblings of a stranger. The journey ahead is fraught with danger, but Shifa is strong and knows to listen to her instincts - to let hope guide them home. The freedom of a nation depends on it . . .
Ten-year-old Isla has moved from Edinburgh to the Orkney Islands with her parents, to start a new life after the death of Isla's beloved young brother. Isla's mother's family is from Orkney and her father's is from Africa, and she finds island life is very different to her former city home. Her discovery of the old Orcadian legend about the selkies, half human, half seal people, becomes the key to adjustment and acceptance. Many strands are woven into this deceptively simple story - loss and discovery, legend and reality, the pleasures and problems of settling into a new place, the need to make new friends, the coming to terms with sadness. Jane Ray's illustrations capture the beauty of the island landscape and integrate it perfectly with the atmosphere and rich texture of the storytelling. Endorsed by Amnesty International for illuminating the human rights values of family, friends, home, safety and refuge.
February 2018 Book of the Month The story of a young man and the special relationship he forms with the lollipop man who once saved his life, Zebra Crossing Soul Song is an original and touching coming of age story, full of insight and set to a playlist of songs that will have all readers swaying in time to its music. Lenny is eighteen and resitting his psychology A level; revising episodic memory sets him thinking about his friend Otis, and how their conversations over the years at Otis’s zebra crossing have left ideas and music imprinted on his mind, more indelibly even than those black and white marks on the road. It’s a relationship strong enough to endure through the different pressures on both of them. Scattered with song lyrics, and seeded with truths, this memorable and absorbing story moved me to tears. ~ Andrea Reece Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 13+ Barrington Stoke is the foremost publisher of dyslexia friendly books and those for reluctant readers. Here on Lovereading4kids we are constantly selecting new titles and refreshing our special dyslexia friendly category. Click here to view our current selection which is broken down by age range.
Amy May knows about webs of worries - so many people she meets are caught in them, from her own artist dad to newly arrived refugee Rima and her family. By being brave enough to open up her worry box, Amy May helps all those around her find a way forward. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 8+
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month June 2017 A sharply observed and warm-hearted story about change and transition in adolescence, Tender Earth also carries a powerful message to all young readers about tolerance, integration and the need to stand up for what you believe in. Moving to secondary school coincides with big changes at home and Leila finds herself struggling with all the differences she now faces. Her best friend is striking out on her own; her new friend has secrets which Leila doesn’t know how to unlock. When Leila discovers her grandmother’s ‘Protest Book’, a listing of all the protests she attended, Leila decides it is time for her to get her own voice heard. Leila’s coming of age experiences intelligently reflect today’s society while her gradual realisation of her own opportunities will inspire others. ~ Julia Eccleshare Julia Eccleshare's Picks of the Month for June 2017 Aubrey and the Terrible Ladybirds by Horatio Clare Adventures of John Blake, The: Mystery of the Ghost Ship by Philip Pullman Axel Scheffler's Flip Flap Ocean by Axel Scheffler Maisy Goes to the Bookshop by Lucy Cousins Tender Earth by Sita Brahmachari Old Hat by Emily Gravett The Cow Who Fell to Earth by Nadia Shireen
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.
Winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2011 | Selected by a distinguished independent panel of experts including our editorial expert, Julia Eccleshare, for Diverse Voices - 50 of the best Children's Books celebrating cultural diversity in the UK. A welter of emotions engulf Mira in this touching pre-teen story about secrets and how to keep them and share them. Strongly set in a busy family, Mira’s life is full of the ups and downs of family, friends and school; most particularly there is sadness in knowing that her beloved grandmother is dying and happiness as her interest in a mysterious boy in her class blossoms. Mira tells her story with appealing directness.
Interest Age Teen Reading Age 8 Sita Brahmachari writes about family lives and family relationships with real sensitivity and insight. Hudson, the teen narrator of her new novel, is well aware of his own tendency to misunderstand or misread what others are saying, so the moment when he and his dad suddenly connect with one another is particularly powerful. That it takes place in a car wash only makes it more convincing. Hudson’s dad explains how much he loved going through the car wash with his own father as a child, and how the cloud of soapy bubbles felt like a kind of heaven. Though there’s lots going on in Hudson’s life, and indeed head, his story is, as publisher Barrington Stoke says, super readable, with design and writing as clear as can be. ~ Andrea Reece Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 12+ Barrington Stoke is the foremost publisher of dyslexia friendly books and those for reluctant readers. Here on Lovereading4kids we are constantly selecting new titles and refreshing our special dyslexia friendly category. Click here to view our current selection which is broken down by age range.
Twelve-year-old Mira comes from a chaotic, artistic, and outspoken family in which it's not always easy to be heard. As her beloved Nana Josie's health declines, Mira begins to discover the secrets of those around her and also starts to keep some of her own. An incredibly insightful, honest novel exploring the delicate balance of life and death, but keeps the celebration of friendship, culture, and life at its heart.
One of our Books of the Year 2014 - October 2014 Book of the Month Award-winning Sita Brahmachari has a great gift of understanding for the confusions and loneliness of adoloescents and their need to be gently nurtured and cherished. Three young people are trying to find a way of making sense of their confusing and chaotic lives. Aisha struggles when her beloved foster mother suggests that she might meet a family who could adopt her; Zak longs for the time before his parents’ divorce; Iona yearns for a life that is better than living on the streets. When their lives become intertwined by chance in an ancient woodland they are all strengthened by each other and by the strange magic of the place. Endorsed by Amnesty International.
Interest Age Teen Reading Age 8+ A warm and funny novel that girls in particular who lack confidence will resonate with. Abi is not looking forward to her work experience week at a care home, particularly when she's just had braces put on her teeth and feels even more self-conscious than usual. But as the week goes on Abi finds friends in the residents and before long she is helping them grow old disgracefully and to her surprise giving herself some confidence too. Sita is the bestselling author of the award winning novel, Artichoke Hearts. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 12+
During the summer of her GCSEs Kite's world falls apart. Her best friend, Dawn, commits suicide after a long struggle with feeling under pressure to achieve. Kite's dad takes her to the Lake District, to give her time and space to grieve. In London Kite is a confident girl, at home in the noisy, bustling city, but in the countryside she feels vulnerable and disorientated. Kite senses Dawn's spirit around her and is consumed by powerful, confusing emotions - anger, guilt, sadness and frustration, all of which are locked inside. It's not until she meets local boy, Garth, that Kite begins to open up - talking to a stranger is easier somehow. Kite deeply misses her friend and would do anything to speak to Dawn just once more, to understand why . . . Otherwise how can she ever say goodbye? A potent story about grief, friendship, acceptance and making your heart whole again.
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.
Selected by a distinguished independent panel of experts including our editorial expert, Julia Eccleshare, for Diverse Voices - 50 of the best Children's Books celebrating cultural diversity in the UK. Winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2011. A welter of emotions engulf Mira in this touching pre-teen story about secrets and how to keep them and share them. Strongly set in a busy family, Mira’s life is full of the ups and downs of family, friends and school; most particularly there is sadness in knowing that her beloved grandmother is dying and happiness as her interest in a mysterious boy in her class blossoms. Mira tells her story with appealing directness. ~ Julia Eccleshare
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