Thank you, dear friends, for stopping by today. How about a slice of yummy cake? Today’s featured book is a bit different from my usual picture book fare. We’re celebrating the launch of LION OF THE SKY, a middle grade in verse written by Ritu Hemnani and published by Balzer & Bray – so, let’s blow out the candles and sing!
Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:
An evocative historical novel in verse about a boy and his family who are forced to flee their home and become refugees after the British Partition of India. Perfect for fans of Other Words for Home.
Twelve-year-old Raj is happiest flying kites with his best friend, Iqbal. As their kites soar, Raj feels free, like his beloved India soon will be, and he can’t wait to celebrate their independence.
But when a British lawyer draws a line across a map, splitting India in two, Raj is thrust into a fractured world. With Partition declared, Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim families are torn apart—and Raj’s Hindu and Iqbal’s Muslim families are among them.
Forced to flee and become refugees, Raj’s family is left to start over in a new country. After suffering devastating losses, Raj must summon the courage to survive the brutal upheaval of both his country and his heart.
Inspired by the author’s true family history, Lion of the Sky is a deeply moving coming-of-age tale about identity, belonging, and the power of hope.
WOW! I love middle grade novels – and LION OF THE SKY is such a compelling story. I hope you check it out.
And here’s a little bit about author Ritu from her wonderful website
Ritu is passionate about promoting diversity and nurturing inclusivity and empathy through
writing stories that center marginalized communities and encompass universal truths;
spotlighting human interest articles with heart, and collaborating with local literary and
charity organizations to promote literacy. She shares the seeds of her writing journey and
the inspiration behind her deep dive into her own family history in her 2019 TEDx Talk, An
Inheritance Worth Sharing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-GelCkt-t4
When not writing or teaching, Ritu delights in family game nights, strumming the strings of
her guitar, and paddling through Hong Kong waters on her carrot-colored kayak.
You can find Ritu on Twitter @rituhemwrites or at her website: www.rituhemnani.com
Please leave a comment if you’d like a chance to WIN a copy thanks to Ritu and her publisher. Maybe you can share the title of a favorite middle grade novel from your childhood.
BTW, we are also celebrating Children’s Book Week…and I’m looking forward to receiving lots of wonderful stories for #50PreciousWordsforKids. If you are a parent or teacher, please encourage your kids to participate…just email their entries to me at viviankirkfield@gmail.com and I’ll be publishing them in my special Mother’s Day post on Sunday. Let’s encourage our children to get in touch with the storyteller that lives inside each one of us!
I’m also celebrating Children’s Book Week at one of my local indie bookstores, BALIN BOOKS, Somerset Plaza, 375 Amherst St #101A, Nashua, NH on Saturday, May 11 at 1pm – 2pm. We’ll have coloring pages for the kids, 25% off discount for teachers (because it’s also Teacher Appreciation Week) and bookmarks and cookies for EVERYONE!! If you are local, please stop in…I’ll be reading PEDAL, BALANCE, STEER, and several of my local SCBWI author friends will be reading from their favorite books.
I hope you all have a wonderful week! Thank you for spending your precious time with us…speaking of precious…I’m up to distributing I#50PreciousWords prize #56.
VIVIAN KIRKFIELD - Writer for Children 
I love children’s books. I still have some from when I was a child. I have published one children’s book so far. It is a true story. I have sold near 100 copies and one lady said she had to read it 3 times to her young grandson. How would I be able to send a copy to you and if people want a copy I will have to get more books printed. I have written more books for children and have art started on another. You need to do well in one book so you have the money to pay the artist for the next book. Trying to get ahead takes time. Julie
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I love reading about your books you share for authors on your site.
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I was asking how do I send a book that you may want to add to the books you show. I published one children’s picture book so far and wanted to know how or if you are interested in seeing it. And if so do I send you a copy and if you agree that I can get more copies done
If people want to read it. One little child asked his grandma to read it 3 times. She is
An accountant and she loved it too. It is a true story with a hidden message for parents. I have been published in a number of anthologies but now write children’s books.
I have another 6 just waiting for art when I can afford it. One started already.
Julie.
I use the name Julie Y Check for my children’s stories. My great grandfather Joe Check was the original Picture Show man. He was a Gypsy Hungarian and at age 12 he jumped ship off a German war ship in Sydney. And with a 14 old boy they hid in the funnel and the people hid them in the bush till the ships left.
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Lion of the Sky brings back memories of my own family’s history during WW11.
Thank you for sharing!
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you are the best book cheerleader! Thank you for sharing!
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The partition of India is a story so few children know – this is a hopeful take on overcoming adversity. Lion in the Sky is a gift to the world. Thank you for highlighting it! And Happy Children’s Book week!
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This is going on my tbr list! I love verse novels! Am writing a few myself. And I think the partition of India is such a fascinating historical time frame. Frankly I had no idea about it, until I read the fabulous middle grade novel The Night Diary.
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Middle grade NIV are my favorites! I can’t wait to read this book. I loved Other Words for Home. My most recent favorite historical MG NIV was Enemies in the Orchard.
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One of my favorite middle grade novels as a kid was The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. This one looks amazing, Ritu 🙂
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LION OF THE SKY sounds like an amazing story–putting the title on my TBR list! Congratulations, Ritu, and thanks for featuring this, Vivian.
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I adore middle-grade novels and novels in verse and wish that novels in verse were around during my childhood! Favorites are Andrea Pinkney’s The Red Pencil and Rajani LaRocca’s Red, White, and Whole. I look forward to reading Lion of the Sky, especially in light of a class I took on colonial and post-colonial British literature in a Harvard evening class long ago. Thank you to Ritu and all authors who are telling important stories about the impacts of colonialism.
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Great post! Thanks for sharing this story 🙂
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This sounds like such a good book, full of heart and history that many readers don’t know. Congratulations, Ritu, and thank you, Vivian. Have a great time on Saturday!
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Middle grade novels in verse are such a great way to catch readers at my library. I just read AMIL AND THE AFTER and THE PARTITION PROJECT and love that this tragic historical event is getting more coverage so kids know about their histories.
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