Shanti and her parents say goodbye to the monsoon rains in their Indian village. They move to a snowy town on the other side of the world. At first, it isn't easy for Shanti to be new. Back and forth she trudges between her family's Bengali traditions and her new country's culture. Again and again, in between. She feasts on biryani rice while kids in town eat hot dogs and PB&J sandwiches. She watches Bollywood movies at home and Hollywood movies with new friends. Is she still Indian? Is she becoming American? How should she define home?

It's almost time for Christmas, and Maria is travelling with her mother and younger brother, Juan, to visit their grandmother on the border of California and Mexico. For the few minutes they can share together along the fence, Maria and her brother plan to exchange stories and Christmas gifts with the grandmother they haven't seen in years. But when Juan's gift is too big to fit through the slats in the fence, Maria has a brilliant idea. She makes it into a kite that soars over the top of the iron bars. Here is a heartwarming tale of multicultural families, and the miracle of love.

Hope in the Valley, from National Book Award Nominee Mitali Perkins, is a middle-grade novel exploring grief, friendship, family, and growing up in a community facing a housing crisis. Twelve-year-old Indian-American Pandita Paul doesn't like change. She's not ready to start middle school and leave the comforts of childhood behind. Most of all, Pandita doesn't want to feel like she's leaving her mother, who died a few years ago, behind. After a falling out with her best friend, Pandita is planning to spend most of her summer break reading and writing in her favorite secret space: the abandoned but majestic mansion across the street. But then the unthinkable happens. The town announces that the old home will be bulldozed in favor of new--maybe affordable--housing. With her family on opposing sides of the issue, Pandita must find her voice--and the strength to move on--in order to give her community hope.

Narrated by two teenage boys on opposing sides of the conflict between the Burmese government and the Karenni, one of Burma's many ethnic minorities, this coming-of-age novel takes place against the political and military backdrop of modern-day Burma. Chiko isn't a fighter by nature. He's a book-loving Burmese boy whose father, a doctor, is in prison for resisting the government. Tu Reh, on the other hand, wants to fight for freedom after watching Burmese soldiers destroy his Karenni family's home and bamboo fields. Timidity becomes courage and anger becomes compassion when the boys' stories intersect.

Naima is a talented painter of traditional alpana patterns, which Bangladeshi women & girls paint on their houses for special celebrations. But Naima is not satisfied just painting alpana. She wants to help earn money for her family, like her best friend Saleem does for his family. What will Naima do?

As Indian culture continues to curry the movies, music, and literature of American culture, the time is perfect to re-introduce this Indian-themed novel about a young girl's heart-felt attempt to straddle her two worlds. Like any other eighth grader, smart and spunky Sunita Sen just wants to fit in. She feels she's doing pretty well, especially as her friendship with the school's tennis star starts to blossom into something more. But when Sunita's grandparents come from India to stay with her family, her lifestyle changes, and Sunita suddenly becomes aware of identity issues she's never before faced. Should she hide her heritage and be like everyone else, or can she find a way to embrace it? Originally published in 1993 as The Sunita Experiment, this touching yet light-hearted tale is back in print in hard and soft cover with a snappy new title, a spectacular jacket design, and a reader's guide.