Tamarind and the Star of Ishta

Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7

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.

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.