Tamarind and the Star of Ishta

A powerful story of loss and identity, home and family, Tamarind and the Star of Ishta weaves a family mystery together with adventure and wonder from Costa Award-winning author, Jasbinder Bilan.

Tamarind has never met her Indian mother, Chinty, who died shortly after she was born. But when her father remarries, Tamarind is sent to India to stay with the family she has never met, in their atmospheric ancestral home--a huge mansion high in the Himalaya mountains.

Her arrival in India brings culture shock, secrets, and unanswered questions: What is the tension between her father and the family, and why will no one talk about her mother? Instead of answers, she is greeted with ominous silence.

Taking refuge in the lush gardens one moon-lit night, she follows a friendly monkey to find an abandoned hut and a glowing star ring, and meets Ishta, a mysterious mountain girl. Tamarind unravels the mysteries of the house alongside the search for her own identity.

Author: Jasbinder Bilan
Publisher: Chicken House
Published: 06/28/2022
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.50w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781338769432
Audience: Ages 9-12

Review Citation(s):
Booklist 03/01/2022 pg. 58
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 05/01/2022
Publishers Weekly 05/16/2022
School Library Journal 07/01/2022 pg. 56

About the Author
Jasbinder Bilan was born in a stable in the foothills of the Himalayas that had been in her family for generations. She had a very special relationship with her grandmother, who she says kept the past alive for her. Jasbinder likes to quote her professor, David Almond, who says, "When we write, we create beautiful lies." This novel was inspired by her grandmother, who provided her with a rich treasure box, part memory, part imagination, in which she drew her inspiration.