Asian Booklist

'Birdwatching has never felt like a hobby, or a pastime I can pick up and put down, but a thread running through the pattern of my life, so tightly woven in that there's no way of pulling it free and leaving the rest of my life intact.' Meet Mya-Rose - otherwise known as 'Birdgirl'. Birder, environmentalist, diversity activist. To date she has seen over five thousand different types of bird: […]

A stunningly illustrated gift book of ancient Indian fables, retold by bestselling poet Nikita Gill. The stories of the Panchatantra have been read aloud and shared for thousands of years, kept alive by generation after generation of storytellers. In this captivating collection of ten animal tales, reimagined with warmth and wit by Nikita Gill, you'll meet mighty elephants and courageous mice, cunning crocodiles and clever monkeys, talkative tortoises and little […]

From Onjali Q. Raúf, author of The Boy at the Back of the Class, comes a hardback collection of seven unique fables, filled with humour, heart and messages of hope. Beautifully illustrated by Katarzyna Doszla in full colour, with gorgeous details such as a ribbon marker and patterned endpapers, this is a book to be cherished for years to come. Have you heard the story about the bird that turned […]

Like all Indians, Sunny Singh was born and brought up in a country of film fanatics. She and her friends waited impatiently for the latest releases, listened to the songs on radio and wore clothes inspired by those seen on screen. They learned about India and the world, determined their enemies and friends, and chose their moralities thanks to films. A Bollywood State of Mind is a personal, intellectual and […]

A captivating, powerful and luminous story from a bestselling, award-winning author about a mother, a daughter and the great Greenland shark. Wrapped up in mesmerising illustrations and presented as a deluxe hardback, this is a perfect gift for the holiday season, for 9+ fans of Philip Pullman, Sally Gardner and Frances Hardinge. The shark was beneath my bed, growing large as the room, large as the lighthouse, rising from unfathomable […]

The remarkable debut novel from critically acclaimed writer Huma Qureshi: a poignant story of art and sisterhood, family, marriage and betrayal Hana has a perfect job, a perfect home, a perfect marriage. It is her younger sister Mira who is a mess. But Hana wants children and her husband is hesitating, and perhaps her control is slipping. Mira dreams of a creative life but she's stuck working at a local […]

Made in Bangladesh explores the delicious cuisine of Bangladesh in 75 tantalising recipes. Taking you through the six Bangladeshi seasons – summer, monsoon, autumn, late autumn, winter and spring – with warming flavours and memories, Dina Begum's Made in Bangladesh teaches modern classics and age-old recipes to home cooks across the world. Puchka (potato & chickpea filled pastry shells with tamarind sauce), Tenga Shira (light and sour fish stew with […]

You want to be just like her. But do you really know her? Rani has always felt like an outsider. First growing up among her white, wealthy peers. And now next to her successful, child-free friends. From the tiny rented flat she lives in with her family, she imagines being the kind of woman who owns the beautiful house across the street. Then Natalie moves in. With her expensive clothes, […]

The hilarious, myth-busting survival guide to the human body from TikTok's favourite General Surgeon. Though the odds are stacked against us, the human body has an extraordinary tendency to survive. Here, Dr Karan Rajan explains the weird and wonderful bodily functions that keep us going, and offers practical advice to help you thrive. Full of everyday health hacks to worry less and live better, This Book May Save Your Life […]

Has someone got away with murder? On the verge of a four-billion-dollar deal, a tech entrepreneur from Shoreditch is found dead in a construction site, which leads to the discovery of three skeletons over a hundred years old. But as fresh bodies turn up, can Detective Kamil - along with his friend Anjoli - prevent another murder? Desperate to solve his first case for the Met, will Kamil put his […]

Nik has lots of questions about his late father but knows better than to ask his mother, Avani. It's their unspoken rule. When his grandfather dies, Nik now has the opportunity to learn about the man he never met. Armed with a key and new knowledge about his parents' past, Nik sets out to unlock the secrets that his mother has been holding onto his whole life. As the carefully […]

Empireland examined imperialism's lasting impact on Britain.Empireworld traces the legacies of British empire across the globe. 2.6 billion people are inhabitants of former British colonies. The empire's influence upon the quarter of the planet it occupied, and its gravitational influence upon the world outside it, has been profound: from the spread of Christianity by missionaries to nearly 1 in 3 driving on the left side of the road, and even […]

In the wake of an insignificant battle between two long-forgotten kingdoms in fourteenth-century southern India, a nine-year-old girl has a divine encounter that will change the course of history. After witnessing the death of her mother, the grief-stricken Pampa Kampana becomes a vessel for a goddess, who tells her that she will be instrumental in the rise of a great city called Bisnaga - literally 'victory city' - the wonder […]

In one of America's Happiest Cities, Elen is trapped under the shadow of the snow-capped Cascade Mountains. Elen is alone, and unmoored. Her husband has left her. Her belongings are in the boot of her car. Her days are filled mostly with silence and drinking. When she meets four English teenagers in a decaying bar, she is enamoured. The teenagers are wealthy squatters, drifting between ski resorts and breaking into […]

Venture back to Grimwood in the wildly funny third book in Nadia Shireen's bestselling and brilliantly anarchic illustrated comedy-adventure series. Perfect for readers age 7+, and fans of Dog Man, Roald Dahl, David Walliams, Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good, Bunny vs Monkey and anyone who likes to laugh. A Bigfoot is on the loose! Ted, Nancy, Willow and the rest of the Grimwood gang must embark on […]

We have to keep saying it because they keep doing it. Do colleagues roll their eyes in a meeting when you use words like sexism or racism? Do you refuse to laugh at jokes that aren't funny? Have you been called divisive for pointing out a division? Then you are a feminist killjoy, and this handbook is for you. The term killjoy has been used to dismiss feminism by claiming […]

In the fourth rip-roaring thriller in the award-winning Malabar House series, Persis and Archie travel to the old colonial capital of Calcutta, where they collide head-on with the prejudices and bloody politics of an era engulfed in flame. Can a white man receive justice in post-colonial India?Bombay, 1950 James Whitby, sentenced to death for the murder of prominent lawyer and former Quit India activist Fareed Mazumdar, is less than two […]

From Onjali Q. Rauf, author of The Boy at the Back of the Class, comes another incredible story, told with humour and heart. Touching on the challenges navigated by children caring for loved ones at home, this story brings into focus their hardships and worries, alongside the unexpected, invisible sources of kindness which can change their lives. 10-year-old Audrey has a secret. A secret no one - not her friends, […]

The story of a Queendom set in an alternate India. A debut rich in fantasy, friendship and faith, and an original middle grade magical adventure that sparkles with storytelling magic. 'A land that loses its stories loses its way.' The beautiful queendom of Moonlally has fallen under a tyrant's rule. Their queen is dead, worship of their goddess, the Dark Lady, is forbidden, and the precious black diamond that protects […]

In the lakes, the wolf queen sharpens her spear.In the mountains, an ancient girl opens an eye.In the forest, an orphan is summoned by the trees.Our story has begun … Ysolda has lived her life in the shadow of the wolf queen's tyrannical rule but, safe in her forest haven, she has never truly felt its threat. Until one day when a mysterious earthquake shakes the land and her older […]

Noreen Masud has always loved flat landscapes - their stark beauty, their formidable calm, their refusal to cooperate with the human gaze. They reflect her inner world: the 'flat place' she carries inside herself, emotional numbness and memory loss as symptoms of childhood trauma. But as much as Britain's landscapes provide solace for suffering, they are also uneasy places for a Scottish-Pakistani woman, representing both an inheritance and a dispossession. […]