SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: I’m From Here, Too
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.kashmirasheth.com/
CITY: Madison
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: Indian
LAST VOLUME: SATA 377
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India; immigrated to United States at age seventeen; married; husband’s name Rajan (a civil engineer); children: Rupa, Neha (daughters).
EDUCATION:Iowa State University, B.S.; earned master’s degree.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and scientist. Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection, Madison, microbiologist for fifteen years. Pine Manor College, instructor in Solstice Low-Residency M.F.A. in Writing program. Former owner of a dance studio; previously worked in a bakery; teacher of Indian dance to children.
AVOCATIONS:Traveling, cooking, reading, gardening, yoga, walking.
AWARDS:Paul Zindel First Novel Award, 2004, Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) Choices listee, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award, and Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award Outstanding Book citation, Wisconsin Library Association, all 2005, all for Blue Jasmine; CCBC Choices listee, Amelia Bloomer Project listee, American Library Association (ALA), and Best Children’s Book selection, Bank Street College of Education, all 2007, all for Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet; CCBC Choices listee, Best Children’s Book selection, Bank Street College of Education, and Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People designation, National Council for the Social Studies/Children’s Book Council (NCSS/CBC), all 2008, all for My Dadima Wears a Sari; Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature honorable mention, Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association, Friends of American Writers Award, Notable Children’s Books in the English Language Arts selection, Children’s Literature Assembly, Notable Books for a Global Society citation, International Reading Association, CCBC Choices listee, and Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award Outstanding Book citation, all 2008, and ALA Best Books for Young Adults designation and Amelia Bloomer Project listee, both 2009, all for Keeping Corner; Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honorable Mention, 2009, Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People designation, CCBC Choices listee, and Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award Outstanding Book citation, all 2009, all for Monsoon Afternoon; Best of the Best Reading List inclusion, Chicago Public Library, 2010, for Boys without Names; Notable Children’s Authors/Illustrations Award, Wisconsin Library Association, 2020, for Nina Soni, Former Best Friend; numerous honors from state reading associations.
WRITINGS
Keeping Corner was adapted for audiobook, Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, 2009. Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet was adapted for audiobook, read by Vaishali Sharma, Audible, Inc., 2013.
SIDELIGHTS
A native of India who now lives and works in the United States, Kashmira Sheth often incorporates her memories of her homeland into her works. Sheth is the author of such award-winning young-adult novels as Blue Jasmine and Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet, and she has also earned critical acclaim for her picture books, which include Monsoon Afternoon and Sona and the Wedding Game. Her “Nina Sona” chapter-book series for middle-grade readers features relatable Indian American character Nina Sona, who likes to make lists and write things down in her Sakhi.
Sheth’s debut work of fiction, Blue Jasmine, concerns twelve-year-old Seema Trivedi, who must adjust to U.S. culture and customs after her family moves from India to Iowa City. Seema’s relationship with Mukta, a poor and often misunderstood playmate in India, helps the youngster deal with a bully at her new school. “Sheth deftly traces the stages of her heroine’s emotional development and her expanding perspective of the world,” a critic in Publishers Weekly observed, and a contributor in Kirkus Reviews described Blue Jasmine as “a realistic emigration story told with empathy and sincerity.”
Set in Mumbai, India, Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet focuses on sixteen-year-old Jeeta, a free-thinking high schooler who considers the traditions practiced by her mother—including arranged marriages—to be restrictive and sexist. When Jeeta falls for Neel, the cousin of her new friend, they enter a clandestine romance to avoid the disapproval of Jeeta’s parents. “This first-person narrative is a lush and loving exploration of coming of age,” noted School Library Journal critic Kathleen Isaacs.
Keeping Corner, a work of historical fiction, is set in 1918 India and is based on Sheth’s great-aunt, who became a child widow during this time. Here readers meet twelve-year-old Leela, whose husband dies unexpectedly, requiring her to stay indoors and “keep corner” for twelve months. Inspired by her older brother and her female tutor, both who are disciples of Mohandas Gandhi, Leela becomes an advocate for social change. “This powerful and enchanting novel juxtaposes Leela’s journey to self-determination with the parallel struggle” of the Indian people to achieve independence from Great Britain, observed a critic in Kirkus Reviews.
A searing look at the horrors of child slave labor, Boys without Names follows eleven-year-old Gopal, whose family leaves their rural home to find work in Mumbai. Offered a factory job from a fast-talking stranger, Gopal winds up locked in a sweatshop where he is forced to work under brutal conditions with five other youths. Intent on escape, he gains the trust of the other boys through his gift for storytelling. “Those wary bonds form a dramatic counter point to the children’s daily misery, described in moving, palpable detail,” Engberg stated. As Hope Morrison commented in the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Boys without Names “is a strong work of contemporary fiction that offers young readers an authentic glimpse into a world very different from what they may know.”
A woman explains the many and varied uses of her favorite garment to her granddaughters in Sheth’s picture book My Dadima Wears a Sari, “a sweet story about tradition and the power of imagination,” according to Papertigers.org contributor Kristen Daniel. “Stories portraying Indian or Indian American families are rare for this age group,” explained Booklist contributor Gillian Engberg, and Sheth’s story benefits from the “continuous, loving exchange” shared among family.
Like My Dadima Wears a Sari, Sheth’s picture books Monsoon Afternoon and Sona and the Wedding Game feature artwork by Yoshiko Jaeggi. In Monsoon Afternoon a youngster and his dadaji (grandfather) enjoy an afternoon sailing paper boats, picking mangoes, and strolling through the rain. “Children of all backgrounds will easily recognize both the boy’s delight in the dramatic rainstorm and the warm intergenerational relationship,” according to Engberg. In Sona and the Wedding Game the author introduces young readers to an East Indian tradition in which members of the bride’s family attempt to steal the groom’s shoes during the marriage ceremony. According to a Kirkus Reviews writer, the story’s description of “the shoe-stealing game … will engage young readers.”
An imaginative youngster is left in the care of his disinterested older sister in Sheth’s picture book Tiger in My Soup. Frustrated that his sibling refuses to read to him, a boy conjures up a ferocious tiger from the steam that rises from his bowl of alphabet soup. He fends off the creature using kitchen utensils until his sister, tired of her brother’s wild antics, puts down her own story and acquiesces to his demands. “This is a good story to show how readers can get wrapped up in a book,” wrote Martha Simpson in her School Library Journal review.
Sheth’s The No-Dogs-Allowed Rule, a chapter book, introduces beginning readers to dog-loving third grader Ishan Mehra. Desperate for a pet to call his own, Ishan must convince his mother to adopt a pro-canine outlook. To that end, the boy decides to win her over by helping around the house, although his attempts to cook breakfast and paint the hallway end in disaster. By coming to the aid of a sickly neighbor and babysitting the man’s golden retriever, Ishan eventually proves his worthiness. In the words of a Kirkus Reviews contributor, The No-Dogs-Allowed Rule “features a likable, determined protagonist, gentle humor and a familiar family situation.”
Sheth writes again for beginning readers with the picture book Feast of Peas, illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbler. Rujvi expresses great interest in his neighbor Jiva’s crop of peas, watching them grow until they are plump enough to eat. Jiva assures Rujvi that he will pick the peas the next day, but when he attempts to harvest them, he notices that the peas are gone. Jiva builds a fence based on Ruvji’s suggestion that rabbits ate them, but peas continue to disappear. Though Ruvji speculates that a ghost may be the culprit, Jiva realizes that the pea bandit is actually Ruvji himself. After chasing the thief around the village, Ruvji apologizes and makes a feast out of the stolen peas. A Kirkus Reviews writer described Sheth’s use of poetry and repetition as a “singular delight.” Coupled with Ebbler’s “charming” illustrations, the same reviewer deemed Feast of Peas a “delight.” Appreciating the message of the picture book, Booklist critic Connie Fletcher remarked that it is “a nice lesson on friendship and forgiveness.”
In 2019, Sheth released the first novel in her “Nina Soni” series, Nina Soni, Former Best Friend. In this volume, she tells the story of a fraught friendship between the title character, Nina, and Jay Davenport. Nina and Jay are both Indian American. The two have been friends their entire lives and spend much of their time together. However, Jay’s attention is pulled away from Nina when some of his cousins move to the town where they live. Jay begins hanging out with Nina less, which causes her anxiety and sadness. She worries so much about the state of her friendship with Jay that she does not remember to complete a class assignment called the Personal Narrative Project, in which students share something that has happened to therm. When she is reminded about the project, Nina is initially worried that she will not have anything interesting to say. However, she ultimately decides she will discuss her friendship with Jay. Other characters in the book include Nina’s parents and her sister, Kavita. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews offered a favorable assessment of Nina Soni, Former Best Friend. The contributor commented: “Sheth’s language is poetic in its simplicity, and her narratorial voice is a pleasure to read.” The same contributor also described the book as “sweet and entertaining.”
Sheth continues her “Nina Soni” series with Nina Soni, Sister Fixer. Nina finds her little sister, Kavita, to be weird. Her odd behaviors include spilling secrets and dancing in public, but Kavita’s weirdest behavior of all is when she loudly sings songs she makes up. When Nina’s family is invited by her best friend, Jay, to stay at a his family’s cabin over spring break, Nina becomes concerned that Kavita’s behavior will ruin the trip. She sets out to put a stop to Kavita’s weirdness, but in doing so, Nina does some strange things herself. Ultimately, Nina comes to terms with her own quirkiness, and learns it is something to accept in everyone. A Kirkus Reviews contributor appreciated Sheth’s portrayal of the Indian American characters in Nina Soni, Sister Fixer. As the critic put is: “The children’s Indian heritage is cleverly woven into the storyline, infusing their lives without eclipsing their American identities.” Additionally, the same reviewer took note of “Sheth’s clear and distinctive narratorial voice.” Nina’s “lively personality and refreshing candor … will endear her to readers,” predicted Booklist reviewer Carolyn Phelan.
Nina, Kavita, and Jay are back in Nina Soni, Master of the Garden. When the children spend the day with Nina’s mother, a landscape architect, they learn to create their own gardens by observing her. As the seasons pass, the friends help each other with their gardens, learning about patience, friendship, cooperation, and nature. After hard work and dedication in tending to their gardens, the children pick the vegetables and share their bounty with neighbors and a food pantry. Once again, a Kirkus Reviews critic applauded the Indian American characters, remarking that “Sheth expertly weaves details about Nina’s Indian heritage together with her pride in being a Wisconsinite.” The same reviewer appreciated the message of “perseverance, friendship, and personal growth” in Nina Soni, Master of the Garden. “Nina ultimately discovers that everyone has different talents … and that the lessons she mastered in patience, perseverance, … and responsibility can apply to other parts of her life,” stated School Library Journal critic Lauren Younger.
(open new)With Nina Soni, Halloween Queen, Nina love Halloween. However, she is having so much fun celebrating Diwali that she doesn’t even realize Halloween is almost here. Her sister, Kavita, and best friend, Jay, already have costumes picked out, but Jay has been acting suspicious lately. After she and Kavita design the scariest haunted house, she begins to wonder if Jay will even come and see it. In a review in School Library Journal, Kelly Finan Richards labelled it “a must-have chapter book for readers who enjoy stories of friendships, families, and cultural traditions.”
In Nina Soni, Snow Spy, Nina and Kavita build a snow fort and pretend they are spies. They notice someone going to the house of their neighbor who is out of town and begin to suspect foul play. A Kirkus Reviews contributor observed that “the text keeps to simple sentence structures without many clauses, making this book an optimal choice for emerging readers.”
Nina’s grandmother comes to visit from India in Nina Soni, Perfect Hostess. While she is happy for the weeks-long visit, she is upset to learn that her cousin, Montu, will be accompanying her. She decides to be the best possible hostess and show Montu around Madison, Wisconsin, and create a memorable trip for Montu. A Children’s Bookwatch contributor stated: “With its underlying message about the value of family, Nina Soni, Perfect Hostess is especially and unreservedly recommended for family, elementary school, and community library contemporary fiction collections for young readers.”
With I’m from Here Too, Anoop is the only Sikh-American boy in the eighth grade. He feels isolated and doesn’t even have any classes together with his best friend, Jonas. He is bullied for wearing a patka every day, but he does not talk to his parents about it because they are worried about his ill grandfather back in India. Anoop gets the opportunity to travel to India with his father and learns a great deal about his cultural heritage in the process.
Booklist contributor Aryssa Damron stated: “While the pace drags at times, the story could serve as a strong introduction to Sikh culture.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor found it to be “an informative coming-of-age journey.” The same reviewer pointed out that “one of the most moving parts of the book is Sheth’s author’s note.” In a review in School Library Journal, Lisa Krok called it “a worthy coming-of-age story with heart and hope.”(close new)
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, August 1, 2004, Linda Perkins, review of Blue Jasmine, p. 1937; April 1, 2006, Jennifer Mattson, review of Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet, p. 37; March 1, 2007, Gillian Engberg, review of My Dadima Wears a Sari, p. 90l; October 15, 2007, Gillian Engberg, review of Keeping Corner, p. 46; October 15, 2008, Gillian Engbert, review of Monsoon Afternoon, p. 44; November 15, 2009, Gillian Engberg, review of Boys without Names, p. 40; October 1, 2012, Kay Weisman, review of The No-Dogs-Allowed Rule, p. 102; February 15, 2020, Carolyn Phelan, review of Nina Soni, Sister Fixer, p. 86; March 1, 2020, Connie Fletcher, review of Feast of Peas, p. 61; July 1, 2024, Aryssa Damron, review of I’m from Here Too, p. 84.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, July 1, 2004, Hope Morrison, review of Blue Jasmine, p. 483; February 1, 2008, Karen Coats, review of Keeping Corner, p. 262; March 1, 2010, Hope Morrison, review of Boys without Names, p. 305; July 1, 2015, Elizabeth Bush, review of Sona and the Wedding Game, p. 565.
Children’s Bookwatch, December 1, 2023, review of Nina Soni, Perfect Hostess.
Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2004, review of Blue Jasmine, p. 497; October 1, 2007, review of Keeping Corner; November 15, 2009, review of Boys without Names; July 15, 2012, review of The No-Dogs-Allowed Rule; March 1, 2013, review of Tiger in My Soup; February 15, 2015, review of Sona and the Wedding Game; July 1, 2019, review of Nina Soni, Former Best Friend; February 1, 2020, review of Feast of Peas; February 15, 2020, review of Nina Soni, Sister Fixer; March 1, 2021, review of Nina Soni, Master of the Garden; September 15, 2022, review of Nina Soni, Snow Spy; May 15, 2024, review of I’m from Here Too.
Publishers Weekly, August 23, 2004, review of Blue Jasmine, p. 55; May 1, 2006, review of Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet, p. 65; November 5, 2007, review of Keeping Corner, p. 65; December 21, 2009, review of Boys without Names, p. 61; February 25, 2013, review of Tiger in My Soup, p. 38.
School Library Journal, August 1, 2004, Lee Bock, review of Blue Jasmine, p. 128; April 1, 2006, Kathleen Isaacs, review of Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet, p. 148; June 1, 2007, Alexa Sandmann, review of My Dadima Wears a Sari, p. 124; January 1, 2009, Monika Schroeder, review of Monsoon Afternoon, p. 86; January 1, 2010, Kathleen Isaacs, review of Boys without Names, p. 113; November 1, 2012, Lisa Kropp, review of The No-Dogs-Allowed Rule, p. 84; March 1, 2013, Martha Simpson, review of Tiger in My Soup, p. 127; April 1, 2015, Anna Haase, review of Sona and the Wedding Game, p. 134; April 1, 2021, Lauren Younger, review of Nina Soni, Master of the Garden, p. 116; September 1, 2021, Kelly Finan Richards, review of Nina Soni, Halloween Queen, p. 82; September 28, 2021, Kashmira Sheth, “She Is Just Like Me!;” July 2, 2024, Kashmira Sheth, “Fiction’s Illuminative Power;” August 23, 2024, Lisa Krok, review of I’m from Here Too.
Social Education, May 1, 2008, review of My Dadima Wears a Sari, p. S10.
Voice of Youth Advocates, August 1, 2004, review of Blue Jasmine, p. 225; April 1, 2010, Leah Sparks, review of Boys without Names, p. 62.
ONLINE
Kashmira Sheth website, http://kashmirasheth.com (January 3, 2025).
Medium, https://medium.com/ (September 5, 2016), Rose Espiritu, author interview.
Nerd Daily, https://thenerddaily.com/ (July 7, 2024), Elise Dumpleton, author interview.
Papertigers, http://www.papertigers.org/ (May 1, 2007), Kristen Daniel, review of My Dadima Wears a Sari; (July 1, 2007) Mary Beth Cecchini, review of Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet; (October, 2010) Aline Pereira, author interview.
Writer’s Digest, https://www.writersdigest.com/ (July 6, 2024), Robert Lee Brewer, author interview.
I grew up in a tropical country and had never seen snow before moving to the United States. My mother tongue is Gujarati and I started learning English in fifth grade. In India I lived in a small city (Bhavnagar) and in a big city (Mumbai).I moved to Ames, Iowa when I was a teenager to attend college and then to Madison, Wisconsin for graduate school. In short, I stayed with the cold and the snow.When I was young, I wrote poems in Gujarati and Hindi but not in English. In college I studied Microbiology and worked for many years in that field. When my two daughters were young I started reading books with them. We loved Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prairie, and the books about Ramona Quimby. We also enjoyed books by Lois Lowry, Madeline L'Engle, and Avi.
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Here are some jobs I did before becoming a writer:
Caught corn flea beetles one summer
Worked in a bakery, where I learned the difference between a hamburger bun and a Kaiser roll
Worked as a food microbiologist testing milk, cheese, ice cream and other food products for bacterial counts and pathogens
Choreographed and performed Indian dances
Ran a dance school
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I started writing my first book, Blue Jasmine, when my daughters completed elementary school. Since that time I have written picture books, middle grade novels, and young adult novels. Leave me a message with any questions or comments; I'd love to hear from you.Avajo!
(Goodbye in Gujarati is ‘avajo’. It means, visit again.)
Kashmira Sheth
India
Kashmira Sheth's own experiences as a teenager who moved from India to the United States inspired her to write her first novel for children, Blue Jasmine. The book went on to win an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award. Kashmira is also the author of the young adult book Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet. The author lives in Madison, Wisconsin.
New and upcoming books
July 2024
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I'm from Here Too
Series
Nina Soni
1. Former Best Friend (2019)
2. Sister Fixer (2020)
3. Master of the Garden (2021)
4. Halloween Queen (2021)
5. Snow Spy (2022)
6. Perfect Hostess (2023)
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Novels
Blue Jasmine (2004)
Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet (2006)
Keeping Corner (2007)
Boys without Names (2009)
The No-Dogs-Allowed Rule (2012)
I'm from Here Too (2024)
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Picture Books hide
My Dadima Wears a Sari (2007)
Monsoon Afternoon (2008)
Tiger in My Soup (2013)
Sona and the Wedding Game (2015)
Feast of Peas (2020)
She is just like me! a guest post by Kashmira Sheth
September 28, 2021 by Amanda MacGregor Leave a Comment
Growing up in India, my childhood was filled with tropical gardens, throat-drying summers, monsoon rains, and countless holidays throughout the year, but only six weeks of summer break. There were cows and water buffalos, and I occasionally even saw a camel or an elephant.
Water Buffaloes in India
My daughters were born and raised in the Midwest. In the fall, they made artwork with red and yellow maple leaves; in the winter, they played in the snow; in the spring, they came home from school cradling paper cups with bean plants inside. Their summer break was endless and so was their enthusiasm; swimming, playing with neighborhood children, eating ice-cream, going to parks, visiting the farmer’s market and being active in 4-H.
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Our childhoods shared one important thing though: stories. Growing up, I read books in my mother tongue, Gujarati, and also in Hindi. With my daughters, I visited libraries and picked out books that I had never read before. From school they checked out books I had never heard of. Along with them, I read Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle, Madeleine L’ Engle and L. M. Montgomery. I told them stories from the Indian epics Mahabharat and Ramayana and watched the television series. Reading and sharing stories is a joy that we still cherish.
In school, I loved literature and read widely. Yet, I never dreamed of being an author. When I came to the United States, I studied microbiology and worked in my field for a few years. After staying home with my children and reading with them, I wanted to share my experiences as an immigrant. I didn’t want to write an essay or a non-fiction book, but rather to pour my physical and emotional journey into a work of fiction. That story became Blue Jasmine, my first middle-grade novel. Many other books followed.
Meanwhile, my daughters grew up. Their childhood remained a great source of pleasure and wonder for me. Even though my daughters were voracious readers, they didn’t come across a single story with characters that looked like them, came from a family that looked like theirs. I had witnessed their childhoods and I wanted to share their stories with my readers, through fiction. It inspired me to write about two sisters growing up in Madison, Wisconsin, just like my daughters and many of their Indian-American friends had.
That is how Nina Soni Series was born.
Jenn Kocsmiersky brought it alive with her amazing art!
Nina Soni Series
Nina Soni is nine. She is a smart, word-defining, math-loving, idea-spouting older sister. She is also forgetful. To keep everything under control, Nina makes lists. Her little sister is six. Kavita (true to her name which means, “poetry” in Hindi) is a song maker, singer and a confident first grader. They both are second generation Indian-Americans.
Nina’s character is inspired by my older daughter, who loves science, math and languages in equal measures. She has projects and ideas. She has plans and lists. Kavita is inspired by my younger daughter. She is confident and from the young age of four has had a passion for geography and cultures and shown remarkable empathy.
Jay’s character is drawn from some of their friends who had multiracial backgrounds.
Even though the Nina Soni series is based on my daughters and some of their friends, Nina, Kavita, Jay and the other characters have their own quirks and personalities. I didn’t know about Nina’s in-her-head list-making (something my daughter never did) and Kavita’s singing until I started telling their story. It was amazing to discover Nina’s internal thoughts and the relationship dynamics between the two sisters. It was surprising how much Jay liked Kavita, his best friend’s younger sister.
Writing this series has taught me to think more deeply about the writing process. Just like Nina, I have made a list about writing a series.
What I have learned by writing a series list:
* Form must be considered before you write a series.
(Form is a framework. What’s going to be in it? The collective thought process and basic concept of the series. What topics, situations, challenges to consider in your series).
*Format, how you are going to express the form must also be clearly defined.
(Format for Nina Soni: Form of organized kid expressed as a list-maker. Intelligence is expressed as vocabulary list or doing experiments. Kavita’s exuberance and confidence is expressed as a song-maker and singer)
* Characters have to be reliable from one book to another.
* Characters have to be familiar, but not boring.
* They dynamics between the characters have to ring true throughout the series.
* The voice and tone have to be consistent.
* The subject matter in each book has to be relatable to the intended readers.
The fourth and the latest book in the Nina Soni series is Nina Soni, Halloween Queen. My daughters built a Spooky Pathway one Halloween when they were about Nina’s and Kavita’s ages. I still have their original invitation. I am thankful that I had saved it all these years (sometimes not cleaning can be useful)! It was so much fun to write this story and bring alive that long-ago Halloween.
Invitation
Earlier this month I received a letter from a young reader from Pennsylvania. She had read Nina Soni, Former Best Friend, the first book in the Nina Soni series. The letter ended with, “I love the girl in you book. She is just like me!”
Over the years I have written works from picture books to young adult novels. It has been a journey that wouldn’t have been possible without reading with my children. I appreciate all the dedicated teachers and librarians who encouraged and foster my daughters’ love of literature. Unknowingly, they were instrumental in opening up a new and fulfilling path for me too. Thank you!
It is important to share stories that we are all part of. Each person, each family, each town, each country has a story to tell. If we fail to bring them to light, then only a few of us will be able to identify with the stories that are out there. We will lose so much of our history, our present, and our future. It is essential that each and every child has stories that they feel belong to them.
Peter Handke said, “If a nation loses its storytellers, it loses its childhood.”
When a child doesn’t see his or her life reflected in literature what do we all lose?
It is essential for a child to read, feel, and say, “She is just like me!”
Meet the author
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Kashmira Sheth writes picture books, middle grade novels, and young adult fiction. Her books have received many awards and honors and have been translated into many languages including French, Hebrew, Swedish, and Korean. Kashmira was on the faculty at Pine Manor College in the Solstice Low-Residency MFA program.
Besides the Nina Soni Chapter Book Series (4 books) from Peachtree Publishers, her most recent picture book, Feast of Peas, was published in March 2020.
Kashmira was born and raised in India and comes from a family of storytellers. Although she spent several years as a scientist, her love of reading and stories nudged her into writing. In addition to writing, she loves travel, gardening, yoga, and daydreaming.
For more information please visit her at kashmirasheth.com
About Nina Soni, Halloween Queen
Halloween hijinks reign supreme in this fourth installment of Kashmira Sheth’s series starring Nina Soni, a charming, distractible Indian-American girl, and her family and friends.
Halloween brings out Nina Soni’s competitive spirit. Her friend Jay has a great costume planned, so—of course—Nina has to come up with an even better idea. A bunch of old boxes in the basement inspires her to create an impressively scary haunted house, for which she can charge admission. So what could possibly go wrong for the Halloween Queen?
In Nina Soni, #OwnVoices author Kashmira Sheth has created an endearing heroine and charming stories of family, friendship, and her efforts to manage her life with lists, definitions, and more. A fun read for STEAM enthusiasts!
Also available:
Nina Soni, Former Best Friend
Nina Soni, Sister Fixer
Nina Soni, Master of the Garden
ISBN-13: 9781682632284
Publisher: Peachtree Publishing Company
Publication date: 09/01/2021
Series: Nina Soni Series #4
Age Range: 7 – 10 Years
Fiction’s Illuminative Power, a guest post by Kashmira Sheth
July 2, 2024 by Amanda MacGregor Leave a Comment
Writing a book is a long process. Like a tree, it starts with something small, a seed, a kernel, an acorn. Sometimes it’s the main character, sometimes it’s a setting, sometimes it’s an event that sprouts the story. Whatever it is, it leads the writer on a creative journey.
I’m from Here Too started out with an event that was deeply disturbing and tragic. In 2012, a Sikh temple (gurudwara) in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, was attacked by a gunman, who killed several people. After 9/11 many Sikhs were targeted with hate crimes and some were killed, but this attack on the gurudwara was the first mass shooting targeting a Sikh community.
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Even though I came to this country as an immigrant from India, Madison, Wisconsin had been my home for many years. I worked as a microbiologist for the state, attended graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, met and married my husband, and raised two daughters in Madison. I bought produce from various farmers markets in the summer, often enjoyed an ice-cream cone on campus, performed with my dance troupe on International Day, and cursed the Wisconsin construction season like my fellow Wisconsinites. The long winter was bearable, because this was a beautiful, warm, safe community. The violence at the gurudwara shattered that sense of security.
It was that event that became the seed for writing this story. I wanted to illuminate it through the eyes of a young Sikh protagonist. At that time, I was working on my chapter book series Nina Soni and didn’t turn to this story right away. Still, I was gathering material. I had interviewed a Sikh youth, attended gurudwaras, and learned more about Sikh faith.
As I thought about the story, a middle grade student seemed the most appropriate protagonist for it because of all the physical and emotional changes occurring simultaneously at that age. It is also the time when children step out into the larger world, want to establish their unique identity, and yet want to fit in. It’s the age at which their self-doubts are amplified, when friendships are most important as well as most fragile, when confidence is of utmost importance and yet easily shattered. It is the age when one should be able to solve problems on one’s own but that also seems impossible.
Add to these struggles the added dimension that you’re teased, bullied, even physically harmed just because of your background, your skin color, your faith. It is crushing. In I’m from Here Too, Anoop is thirteen. He is sensitive and feels vulnerable. He knows that his brown skin and his patka (head covering) set him apart from his classmates. With all that is happening in his community, he is scared. The bullying fills him with terror. He wants to be brave but doesn’t know how. He wants to be calm but he’s in turmoil.
During the writing and revising stages, I connected the events of the present to those of the past. The Partition of British India at the end of colonial rule in 1947 was a turbulent time for the Indian subcontinent. After achieving freedom under the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi through non-violent protest, the region submerged into a blood bath of communal violence and mass migration never seen before. It was unfathomable, unimaginable, and yet it happened. The dynamics of the Partition, its aftermath and geo-political impact are still felt by the subcontinent as well as the larger world.
Growing up in India, I recall that this ugly truth of violence was glossed over. The survivors didn’t want to talk about it, the replaced refugees were too busy trying to survive, the British and the Indian leaders were shocked and too ashamed to admit their failures.
But history has a sneaky way of staying alive. It breathes new life through literature. The middle grade novel by Veera Hiranandani’s The Night Diary is set in 1947, as is Salman Rushdie’s novel Midnight’s Children. I’m from Here Too only touches this time period as Anoop’s grandfather’s story, but it’s an important one for Anoop. During the Partition, Baba (Anoop’s grandfather) flees his homeland after his family is killed. He becomes an orphan and a refugee. Still, Baba survives the unthinkable horror inflicted on his family. Slowly he comes out of the shadow and flourishes free of fear and bitterness. He keeps his faith.
For Anoop, the courage to face his tormentors comes from Baba. When Anoop visits India he witnesses Baba’s life as a living example of their Sikh faith. Despite his past, Baba is generous, loving, upbeat, forgiving, and deeply rooted in his faith. This is where past illuminates and connects to the present. If Baba could forgive being orphaned during the Partition, find the strength and endurance to live and thrive, and share his success, could Anoop find the courage to stand up to his bullies, draw strength from his faith, and inform them about who he is?
The power of fiction is the way in which it forges connections. It does so by intertwining our history and our past to our present struggles. By doing so, it informs, enlightens, and encourages us to find solutions to our problems. It can be as subtle as gentle waves or imprinted upon us as a fossil. But when illuminated and connected in a story, it has the power to guide us. In I’m from Here Too, Anoop’s past provides him with the tools to deal with his present uncertainty, fear, lack of confidence, and shaky faith. In the future it may help Anoop guide his younger brother Kuldeep through difficult times.
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In fiction, when young readers make a connection to the story, when they empathize with the protagonist, they see the world through a different set of eyes. Literature builds bridges from one culture to another, from one land to another, from one time to another. It forges bonds. It makes us feel less isolated and less scared to face the challenges of the world. It preserves and strengthens individual connections with all of humanity.
It is evident that history is relevant to what is going on in the world today. A past event is not an isolated episode, a monument, or a date entered in some history book that one reads about, admires, or notices. It pulsates from the past to the present, to the unknown future. That is why I believe that its imperative to look at history from multiple point of views in terms of culture, country, time period, and current events. That way we not only illuminate the events, but also connect then to present and imagine their future relevance. I have tried to offer a glimpse of world through the eyes of a sensitive Sikh youth facing uncertainty, bullying, and self-doubt. I hope the story resonates with readers and illuminates a multitude of interconnections through the eyes of a Sikh boy.
Meet the author
Photo credit: Bob Beverson
Kashmira was born and raised in India and comes from a family of storytellers. Although she spent several years as a scientist, her love of reading and stories nudged her into writing. Kashmira writes picture books, middle grade novels, and young adult fiction. Her books have received many awards and honors, including the Asian/Pacific American Librarian Association Honor Award, the International Reading Association’s Notable Book for a Global Society, and the American Library Association’s Best Books for Young Adults. Her novels have been translated into more than half a dozen languages. She served on the faculty at Pine Manor College in the Solstice Low-Residency MFA program. Kashmira is the author of the Nina Soni series. I’m From Here Too is her middle grade novel in verse.
About I’m From Here Too
Kashmira Sheth’s eloquent verse novel follows an Indian American Sikh boy through a year of change, challenges, and growth
Anoop is many things: a brother, a son, a grandson, a friend, a middle school student, and a budding writer. He is also Indian American and Sikh.
When he joins a new class, separated from longtime friends, aspects of his identity—especially his long hair, covered with a patka—draw attention in new and uncomfortable ways. At the same time, his beloved grandfather in India is nearing death, leading Anoop to think about faith and identity and his place in the world, especially as attacks on American Sikhs accelerate and he is reminded of his grandfather’s experiences during Partition.
Can the tenets of his faith—equality, justice, service, honesty—help Anoop navigate life? Can he even maintain them?
ISBN-13: 9781682636060
Publisher: Holiday House
Publication date: 07/02/2024
Age Range: 8 – 12 Years
Q&A: Kashmira Sheth, Author of ‘I’m From Here Too’
Elise Dumpleton·Writers Corner·July 7, 2024·4 min read
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We chat with author Kashmira Sheth about I’m From Here Too, which is an eloquent verse novel that follows an Indian American Sikh boy through a year of change, challenges, and growth
Hi, Kashmira! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Sure. I was born and raised in India. My childhood was split into two parts. The first eight years or so, I lived with my grnadparents in a small city. Our house was huge with beautiful tropical plants. My grandparents told stories and we read Indian Epice of Mahabharat and Ramayan in the evenings. When I was eight, I moved to Mumbai with my parents. The place was small and there was no garden. But I did have a library in the building and I was able to pursure my love of reading. My peaents shared many stories of their childhood with my brother and me. At the age of seventeen, I came to the USA for my studies. Eventhough I loved stories I never thought of becoming a writer and received my BS and MS in Microbiology. I worked in my field for many years.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I have always loved stories but I didn’t puruse writing until later in life. As a child, I loved listening to the stories, reading historical novels in my mother-tonge of Gujarati and loved Hindi poems and songs. When my daughters were young I read picture books (English) with them, rediscovering the joy of reading. Even after they became fluents readers I kept up with them. Even now we share our reading list. It was decade-long reading with my children that made me ache to share my story.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
The first book you ever remember reading: Since I read in my langaiage Gujarati I will share the one that I read later on. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. It was the first picture book that one of my neighbors gave us when my husband and I were expecting our first child. The beautiful illustrations enticed me and stayed with me.
The one that I remember from my childhood is probably Mahabahrat my grandmother read to all the children in the family. It was a heavy, thick volume and had to be supported by a book stand. Others were stories written by founder of my Montessori school, Gijubhai Badehka. (I started to learn English in 5th grade so there were no books in English before that)
The one that made you want to become an author: I don’t think there was a single book that made me want to become an author but many books that I shared with my daughters during their childhood. I remember enjoying books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Lois Lowry, Madelline L’engle, Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austen, Ernest Hemingway and many many more. They all made me want to share my stories.
The one that you can’t stop thinking about: There are so many of them! But if I have to pick one that has influenced me most, and I come back to it again and again is the epic Mahabharat. It is not just a story about the two princely cousins, trying to hold onto their sucession which eventually leads to the war, but also dwells into the way of life. The Bhagvat Gita is part of it. As a child, I didn’t enjoy this philosophical aspect of the story as much as all the rest of it though. The intrigue, love, betrayal, magic, the gods and their magics were much powerful forces of the story that swept me away.
Your latest novel, I’m from Here Too, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
I would say it is about belonging, bullying, faith, courage, and connections.
What can readers expect?
I hope reader can see a unique perspective of a Sikh youth growing up in Wisconsin and at the same time feel the connection with him at the most deeper human level of love and acceptance. The setting may seem unfamiliar—may it be a small town in Midwest, the land marked by glaciers, a Sikh temple, the wheat fields of Punjab, but Anoop’s fear and yearning can make them empathiese with him.
Where did the inspiration for I’m from Here Too come from?
The idea emerged out of the tragedy when the gurudara, a Sikh temple, in Oak Creek WI, was attached by a gunman killing many people. It made me think about how a Sikh youth would feel growing up in rural Wisconsin. What might he face? How would he survive?
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I enjoyed Anopp’s visit to India. As he saw his grandfather’s wheat fields and walked with him, I thought of tropical garden of my childhood and the preciouse time I spent with my grandparetns and my great grandfather!
See also
Q&A: Olivia Dade, Author of ‘Spoiler Alert’
What do you hope your readers take away from I’m from Here Too?
My hope is that I’m from Here Too immerses them into an unfamiliar world of senses and a familiar world of emotions. That they see how we’re all interconnected with our history, our present, our future.
What’s next for you?
Right now I’m working on a contemparay MG novel. I have a picture book coming out in 2026.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
I read widely. Here is the partial list of titles I have read recently:
James by Percival Everett
Refugee by Alan Gratz
The Covenent of Water by Abraham Verghese
When you Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
The Perils of Lady Catherine De Bourgh by Claudia Gray
Harbor Me by Jacqueleen Woodson
The Crossover by Kwame Alaxander
The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
The Return of Faraz Ali by Aamina Ahmad and many many picture books.
I just picked up Brading Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer and can’t wait to start reading it.
Kashmira Sheth: Our Shared Humanity Is Stronger Than the Labels That Keep Us Separated
In this interview, author Kashmira Sheth shares how a mass shooting inspired her most recent middle-grade novel, how it coming out in verse surprised her, and more.
Robert Lee BrewerJul 6, 2024
Kashmira Sheth was born in India and came to the United States when she was seventeen to attend Iowa State University, where she received a BS in microbiology. She is the author of several picture books, chapter books, and middle grade and young adult novels.
Kashmira Sheth (Photo credit: Bob Beverson)
Kashmira Sheth (Photo credit: Bob Beverson)
In this interview, Kashmira shares how a mass shooting inspired her most recent middle-grade novel, how it coming out in verse surprised her, and more.
Name: Kashmira Sheth
Book title: I’m from Here Too
Publisher: Peachtree
Release date: July 2, 2024
Genre/category: Middle grade fiction
Previous titles: Chapter books: Nina Soni Series (six titles); Picture Books: My Dadima Wears a Sari, Monsoon afternoon, Tiger in My Soup, Sona and the Wedding Game, Feast of Peas; MG/YA novels: Boys without Names, Keeping Corner, Koyal Dark Mango Sweet, Blue Jasmine.
Elevator pitch: Anoop is many things: a brother, a son, a grandson, a friend, a middle school student, and a budding writer. He is also Indian American and Sikh. I’m from Here Too is an exploration of faith, culture, and identity, focusing on an underexplored culture and religion.
I'm From Here Too, by Kashmira Sheth
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What prompted you to write this book?
In 2012, a gunman attacked and killed several people in the Sikh gurudwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. After 9/11 many Sikhs were targeted with hate crimes and some were killed, but this attack was the first mass shooting targeting a specific Sikh community. This tragic incident first prompted me to write this book.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
It took many years to go from idea to publication. There were two main reasons behind that. The first was that at that time I was working on a chapter book series about a 9-year-old, Nina Soni. Eventually, I wrote six Nina Soni books, which took a few years.
The second reason was that I had no clue how to tell this story. Should this be a middle grade or a young adult novel? Where did I want to set the story? How could I weave the event that had impacted the Sikh community with the story I wanted to tell? Since there were many doubts and questions and no answers, it took time to have a clear idea about the story.
So this novel started out as my own quest to understand the terror of the attack on the gurudwara. Once I decided who would tell this story and how would he express his emotions, I was ready. Still, I had not thought about the format, but as I started writing, it came out in verse. That was a surprise to me.
Since I’m not a Sikh, I also had a lot of research to do. As I learned more about Sikhism, I incorporated elements in the story that I had not planned when I first started writing it. One specific example is how Anoop learns about the Prakash ceremony and other rituals and their significance from his grandfather.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
Since I have worked with my editor Kathy Landwehr (Peachtree Publishers) on many books before, the process was relatively smooth. However, a verse novel took more effort to revise. During revisions, I had to pay attention to line breaks, word choices, and rhythms.
Since this is a book in verse and Anoop, the main character, is also a poet, my editor suggested that I separate his poems from the rest of the book. I went back and revised it so that his poems would have an emotional focus, while his narrative voice would describe what was happening in his life. Kathy also suggested to have Anoop’s poems in a darker shade to separate them from the rest of the book.
Kashmira Sheth: Our Shared Humanity Is Stronger Than the Labels That Keep Us Separated, by Robert Lee Brewer
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
One of the most important learning moments was how to connect Anoop’s emotions with readers. Many children have experienced bullying, but to truly understand Anoop they had to know about his history and his faith.
Growing up in India, I had learned about the Sikh religion in school. After coming to the US, I made friends who were Sikh. I was fortunate to go to gurudwaras with them. Yet, there was so much more about the religion to know and digest.
As I started the research I found myself absorbed in it. I began to understand the concepts of equality, seva (service), and sacrifice not only from a historical, but also from a timeless, humanitarian perspective. I tried to weave that in the story.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
Anoop is Sikh, he has long hair, and wears a patka. He is also first generation Indian-American. As depicted on the cover, he looks very different from his classmates and may look very different from the readers. Yet, I hope readers will feel empathy for him and recognize themselves in the story.
Bullying is something that many, if not all, children have experienced. I hope this book is able to bring an understanding that no matter who we are, who we identify with, what our background is, we all are together in this journey and tied to one another with our hopes, fears, joy, belonging, and sadness.
Our shared humanity is a bond that is stronger than all the labels that keep us separated.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
I have two pieces of advice.
Read widely. Even though you may write in one genre, reading across multiple genres and age groups are critical and vastly enjoyable. It fuels creativity.
Writing is often about self-discovery. To travel deeper into the ideas and thoughts that shape us is enlightening and often scary. Since it is a journey, my advice is don’t be afraid to take a new path, you may come across unexpected vistas.
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SHETH, Kashmira. Nina Soni, Halloween Queen. illus. by Jenn Kocsmiersky. 168p. Peachtree. Sept. 2021. Tr $15.99. ISBN 9781682632277; pap. $7.99. ISBN 9781682632284.
Gr 1-3--Halloween is Nina Soni's absolute favorite holiday. Nina, who is Indian American, loves to make lists and write in her Sakhi, "a tell-everything quick kind of notebook." But Nina is so busy celebrating Diwali that she forgets to plan for Halloween. Her best friend, Jay, and her little sister Kavita already have their costumes planned--when did they do that? Now Nina feels left out, and Jay is acting suspicious. Nina needs to get busy writing down lists so she can focus on being her resourceful and creative self. Solving one problem after another, Nina and Kavita create the most amazing haunted house her neighbors have ever seen. But with everything going on, will Jay even show up? Readers will quickly be drawn into curious Nina's list-making world and loving community. VERDICT The fourth title in this series doesn't disappoint. A must-have chapter book for readers who enjoy stories of friendships, families, and cultural traditions.--Kelly Finan Richards, Baltimore County P.S.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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Richards, Kelly Finan. "SHETH, Kashmira. Nina Soni, Halloween Queen." School Library Journal, vol. 67, no. 9, Sept. 2021, p. 82. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A673471256/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=3748b7f5. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.
Sheth, Kashmira NINA SONI, SNOW SPY Peachtree (Children's None) $15.99 10, 18 ISBN: 978-1-68263-498-1
Nina has a fun winter holiday with some new friends.
It's Friday, and Nina and her younger sister, Kavita, are excited for the long weekend break from school. Everyone has exciting plans, like Nina's best friend, Jay, who's going skiing with his cousins. Nina's family is getting the house ready to welcome some old friends of her parents, who have two children who are about Nina's and Kavita's ages. Nina comes up with the idea of building a snow fort and makes a list of all the fun things they could all do in it, like being snow spies! That night, Nina notices an unknown person visiting one of the houses on her street, but her neighbors are away on a monthslong vacation. Who could this Mystery Person (MP for short) be? Maybe Nina's idea of snow spies came at just the right time. Nina, who enjoys making lists and sometimes has trouble focusing, is an earnest protagonist with classic worries about the sometimes-intricate levels of friendship. As in other Nina Soni titles, the text keeps to simple sentence structures without many clauses, making this book an optimal choice for emerging readers. Occasional grayscale illustrations, boxed-off definitions of some higher-level words, and Nina's lists break up the text. Nina and Kavita are of Indian descent, Jay is of Indian and Norwegian descent, and the Sonis' guests are Indian and Filipino American.
Snow good! (Fiction. 7-10)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Sheth, Kashmira: NINA SONI, SNOW SPY." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Sept. 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A717107299/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d3a866a8. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.
Nina Soni, Perfect Hostess
Kashmira Sheth, author
Jenn Kocsmiersky, illustrator
Peachtree Publishing Company
www.peachtree-online.com
9781682635018, $15.99, HC, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Nina-Perfect-Hostess-Kashmira-Sheth/dp/1682635015
Synopsis: Nina's grandmother is coming to visit, all the way from India. It's hard, only getting to see her grandparents on carefully timed video calls, scheduled to manage that ten-and-a-half hour time difference. But now Dadi is going to stay for several weeks!
Nina can't wait to see Dadi--but then it turns out that Montu, her annoying cousin, will also be coming. It's challenging enough to manage her little sister, but Nina has gotten used to that, and even come to appreciate many of Kavita's eccentricities.
Still, it will be fun to introduce her extended family to life and friends in Madison, Wisconsin, and Nina is determined to become the perfect hostess. Surely, she can manage to plan a lovely visit, with the help of the lists she makes in her journal.
Critique: An original and fun story from start to finish, "Nina Soni. Perfect Hostess" is the collaborative work of author/storyteller Kashmira Sheth and artist/illustrator Jenn Kocsmiersky. With its underlying message about the value of family, "Nina Soni, Perfect Hostess" is especially and unreservedly recommended for family, elementary school, and community library Contemporary Fiction collections for young readers ages 7-10. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Nina Soni, Perfect Hostess" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781682635025, $7.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).
Editorial Note #1: Kashmira Sheth (https://www.kashmirasheth.com) moved to Ames, Iowa from India when she was a teenager in order to attend college, and then on to Madison, Wisconsin for graduate school. Before becoming a writer she caught corn flea beetles one summer, worked in a bakery, where she learned the difference between a hamburger bun and a Kaiser roll, worked as a food microbiologist testing milk, cheese, ice cream and other food products for bacterial counts and pathogens, ran a dance school and choreographed and performed Indian dances. She started writing her first book, "Blue Jasmine", when her daughters completed elementary school. Since that time she has written picture books, middle grade novels, and young adult novels.
Editorial Note #2: Jenn Kocsmierksy (https://jennkocsmiersky.com) is a watercolor artist and picture book illustrator. She was adopted from Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in rural New Hampshire. Now, as a mom and artist, Jenn hopes to promote relatable childhood experiences featuring diverse characters. She was the recipient of the 2018 We Need Diverse Books Mentorship for Illustration and the 2016-2017 Walter Dean Meyers Grant.
Please Note: Illustration(s) are not available due to copyright restrictions.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
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"Nina Soni, Perfect Hostess." Children's Bookwatch, vol. 00, no. 00, Dec. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A779433194/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=08eb089e. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.
SHETH, Kashmira. I'm from Here Too. 288p. Peachtree. Jul. 2024. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781682636060.
Gr 4–7—Indian American eighth grader Anoop is the only Sikh boy in his grade. Unfortunately, his schedule for the new school year shares zero classes with his best friend, Jonas, so he feels alone. In Sikhism, hair is not cut for religious reasons, and Anoop is harassed relentlessly by the class bully and his new sidekick for wearing a patka (head covering). Because his Baba (grandfather) in India has fallen ill, Anoop hides the bullying from his parents so as not to worry them with another issue. When the opportunity emerges to visit India with his father, many cultural, familial, and historical anecdotes are shared that facilitate Anoop connecting more with his heritage before his upcoming Amrit coming-of-age ceremony. With so few books for youth featuring Sikhism, this is crucial representation of one Sikh boy's experience. The novel-in-verse format includes couplets, free verse, and contrapuntal styles of poetry. While the form provides insight into Anoop's narrative, the poems have line breaks that feel more like broken prose. However, the poetry is chock-full of powerful metaphors, many of which are sensory, and the food descriptions are tantalizing. The intergenerational relationships are introspective and detail historical events from the Partition and the Sikh tenets of honesty, justice, equality, and service, giving Anoop compelling strategies for dealing with bullies at school. Content advisory for racism, xenophobia, bullying, and slurs. Middle grade readers ready for young adult books can find more Sikh representation in Navdeep Singh Dhillon's romcom Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions.
VERDICT: A worthy coming-of-age story with heart and hope.—Lisa Krok
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Library Journals, LLC
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/reviews/xpress/884170-289/xpress_reviews-first_look_at_new.html.csp
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Krok, Lisa. "I'm from Here Too." WebOnlyReviewsSLJ, vol. 70, no. 8, 23 Aug. 2024, p. 1. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A807277413/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a73f3c94. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.
Sheth, Kashmira I'M FROM HERE TOO Peachtree (Children's None) $17.99 7, 2 ISBN: 9781682636060
A story of faith and courage.
Wisconsin eighth grader Anoop is bullied because of his Sikh religion; his classmates call him unspeakable names. Meanwhile, the gurudwara where the family worships is patrolled by the police; another Sikh temple in Wisconsin was attacked several years ago. Thirteen-year-old Anoop is part of a loving family, surrounded by siblings and friends, although his parents are worried about the health of Baba, his grandfather back in India. A visit to see Baba over winter break gives Anoop a feeling of "not belonging in either place / / dangling between / India / and / America." But as he begins to look deeply into his faith, he finds strength there and is able to assert that, despite what some people say, he is "anchored by invisible roots / that will keep me from toppling / / No matter what happens. / No matter how they treat me." The straightforward verse contains some bursts of sparkle but overall reads more like prose, and although a lot happens, the plot feels static. The novel contains a great deal of information about the Sikh religion. One of the most moving parts of the book is Sheth's author's note, in which she explains that she was raised Hindu and was sincerely moved by learning about the commitment of Sikhism's founder, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, to equality as well as the Sikh community's reaction to the 2012 shooting at the Oak Creek, Wisconsin, gurudwara.
An informative coming-of-age journey. (Verse fiction. 8-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Sheth, Kashmira: I'M FROM HERE TOO." Kirkus Reviews, 15 May 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A793537138/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=5815540c. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.
I'm from Here Too.
By Kashmira Sheth.
July 2024. 288p. Peachtree, $17.99 (9781682636060);
e-book, $9.99 (9781682636824). Gr. 4-7.
A Sikh American boy grapples with bullies, his family heritage, his faith, and his relationship with his distant relatives in this succinct novel in verse. Anoop knows that his hair is his pride and that the Sikh religion values it, but the bullies at his school only notice his differences and hurt Anoop because of them-- something he struggles to find the words to express to the adults in his life. Poetry is a place where Anoop easily finds his words, though, and that's especially true when he visits his baba in India and unlocks his faith further. Though a touch on the pedantic side and with a voice that doesn't quite sound like a preteen boy, this relatable account explores Anoop's experiences of middle school and being Sikh in the U.S. in an atmosphere of racist attacks. Anoop struggles, like many do, to voice that he is being bullied, but his usage of poetry is responsive rather than reflective. While the pace drags at times, the story could serve as a strong introduction to Sikh culture and faith for middle-grade readers who enjoy school-centric coming-of-age stories.--Aryssa Damron
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
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Damron, Aryssa. "I'm from Here Too." Booklist, vol. 120, no. 21, July 2024, p. 84. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A804615997/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=dd41e9ae. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.