Tamarind & the Star of Ishta
We would recommend this book to be taught in Years 4 or 5.
Tamarind never knew her Indian mum, who died soon after she was born. So when she arrives at her ancestral home, a huge mansion in the Himalayas surrounded by luxuriant gardens, she's full of questions for her extended family. But instead of answers, she finds an ominous silence - and a trickle of intriguing clues: an abandoned hut, a friendly monkey, a glowing star ring, and a strange girl in the garden who calls herself Ishta. Slowly, Tamarind unravels a mystery at the heart of who she is…
A beautiful and emotional family drama lightly woven with magic, in a breathtaking Indian setting.
If you would like to be invoiced for this product (or would like a different quantity), please email julia@chestnutbooks.co.uk with an order number and we’ll be happy to help.
We would recommend this book to be taught in Years 4 or 5.
Tamarind never knew her Indian mum, who died soon after she was born. So when she arrives at her ancestral home, a huge mansion in the Himalayas surrounded by luxuriant gardens, she's full of questions for her extended family. But instead of answers, she finds an ominous silence - and a trickle of intriguing clues: an abandoned hut, a friendly monkey, a glowing star ring, and a strange girl in the garden who calls herself Ishta. Slowly, Tamarind unravels a mystery at the heart of who she is…
A beautiful and emotional family drama lightly woven with magic, in a breathtaking Indian setting.
If you would like to be invoiced for this product (or would like a different quantity), please email julia@chestnutbooks.co.uk with an order number and we’ll be happy to help.
We would recommend this book to be taught in Years 4 or 5.
Tamarind never knew her Indian mum, who died soon after she was born. So when she arrives at her ancestral home, a huge mansion in the Himalayas surrounded by luxuriant gardens, she's full of questions for her extended family. But instead of answers, she finds an ominous silence - and a trickle of intriguing clues: an abandoned hut, a friendly monkey, a glowing star ring, and a strange girl in the garden who calls herself Ishta. Slowly, Tamarind unravels a mystery at the heart of who she is…
A beautiful and emotional family drama lightly woven with magic, in a breathtaking Indian setting.
If you would like to be invoiced for this product (or would like a different quantity), please email julia@chestnutbooks.co.uk with an order number and we’ll be happy to help.
We love this book because it is:
perfectly captures the anxieties & anger children can experience becoming part of a new family
wonderfully atmospheric & a beautifully vivid representation of India
an emotional family drama woven with magic with a positive outcome
Learning opportunities:
Writing: write a letter from Tamarind to her father after she has first arrive in India
Debate: Sufia V Tamarind
Writing: write a letter from Tamarind to Sufia
Geography: cultural, weather (monsoons) & physical geography comparisons between UK & India
Geography: look at the flight from UK to India and the countries Tamarind flies over
PSHE: blended families/new relationships
Celebrating cultures: research & look at Saris
Science: animals & their habitats
Cooking: cook & taste traditional Indian food
Science: space - stars & constellations
Science: plants & their habitats - research the Tamarind tree and create a fact file
Read the non-fiction book India, Incredible India by Jasbinder Bilan alongside the story
Head over to the Chicken House website to see their teaching resources: Chicken House Publishers
Visit Jabinder Bilan’s website to see photos of Tamarind’s world and to book an author visit:Jasbinder Bilan
