My Big, Fat, Desi Wedding
YA Anthology, February 13, 2024
Drama. Food. Fashion. More drama. More food. Nosey aunties and uncles―and, of course, the universal language of love. These elements are a must-have for any Desi wedding, inclusive of people indigenous to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. In this anthology, authors from various parts of the Desi community will share genre-bending stories that explore the lush traditions of their region, translating that universal language through the familiar lens of the Ultimate Family Gathering.
In this collection that centers hope, love, and family, readers will enjoy eight stories from both award-winning and debut authors including Tashie Bhuiyan, Payal Doshi, Anahita Karthik, Syed M. Masood, Sarah Mughal, Aamna Qureshi, and Noreen Mughees, and edited by Prerna Pickett.
Watch the trailer for REA AND THE BLOOD OF THE NECTAR!
Gold Medalist
Juvenile Fiction
Gold Winner:
Pre-Teen Fiction
Winner:
First Time Author
Rea and the Blood of the Nectar
June 15, 2021
It all begins on the night Rea turns twelve. After a big fight with her twin brother Rohan on their birthday, Rea’s life in the small village of Darjeeling, India, gets turned on its head. It’s four in the morning and Rohan is nowhere to be found.
It hasn’t even been a day and Amma acts like Rohan’s gone forever. Her grandmother, too, is behaving strangely. Unwilling to give up on her brother, Rea and her friend Leela meet Mishti Daadi, a wrinkly old fortune-teller whose powers of divination set them off on a thrilling and secret quest. In the shade of night, they portal to an otherworldly realm and travel to Astranthia, a land full of magic and whimsy. There with the help of Xeranther, an Astranthian barrow boy, and Flula, a pari, Rea battles serpent-lilies and blood-sucking banshees, encounters a butterfly-faced woman and blue lizard-men, and learns that Rohan has been captured. Rea also discovers that she is a princess with magic. Only she has no idea how to use it.
Struggling with the truth her Amma has kept hidden from her, Rea must solve clues that lead to Rohan, find a way to rescue him and save Astranthia from a potentially deadly fate. But the clock is ticking. Can she rescue Rohan, save Astranthia, and live to see it all?
Advance Praise
“This original fantasy features an Indian heroine alongside mythical creatures with origins from various cultures. Reflecting the Darjeeling setting, Hindi and Nepali terms are naturally woven throughout the text. Rea’s adventure is full of action and humor, and her development from selfish to selfless is an admirable one.
A highly inventive, magic-filled fantasy.”
KIRKUS REVIEWS
“With a spunky pari and eccentric creatures like a 'cow-monkey dressed in jewels reciting poetry,'
Doshi kicks her series off on a high note. The playful Astranthian idioms and peppering of Hindi and Nepali words are a delight—but readers will connect most with Rea's growth from a loner looking out for herself into a dependable friend and sister.”
BOOKLIST
“An extravagant and rewarding fantasy novel involving floral world-building and childhood bravery.
An original, girl-powered novel.”
FOREWORD REVIEWS
“In this absorbing portal fantasy quest centering two Indian siblings... Rea’s enduring faithfulness urges readers to the finish line.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“A verdant setting for a fantasy book that highlights the persistence of a young girl struggling with herself and her family secrets, both good and evil.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
“A gateway into pure imagination, with a fast-paced plot that will hook you and characters that will endear you. A wonderful debut.”
KACEN CALLENDER
National Book Award winner for King and the Dragonflies and bestselling author of Hurricane Child
“From the tea plantations of Darjeeling to the flower-filled land of Astranthia, Rea and the Blood of the Nectar is an adventure filled with mythical monsters and marvelous creatures, magic and mayhem, friendship, and family struggles. Rea is a fierce heroine whose courage and determination carry her forward to save her twin brother even when the path seems dark.”
RAJANI LAROCCA
author of Midsummer’s Mayhem, Red, White, and Whole, and Much Ado About Baseball