Are you looking for a book with a story about family, mystery, magic and adventure? Well I have that right book you are looking for.Just last week, I read a book filled with imagination and suspense. I had many mixed emotions while reading this wonderful book. Here I present to you my review of , Tamarind And The Star Of Ishta written by Jasbinder Bilan. Jasbinder Bilan is a British indian children’s book author whose first book was Asha and the Spirit Bird.She got inspiration for writing Tamarind And The Star Of Ishta from her trip to India after the death of her grandmother.
Tamarind, an ambitious 11 year old girl from London, travels to India and discovers the secrets about her deceased mother and learns about her Indian roots. Tamarind’s father marries a kind British lady named Chloe and soon everything changes for Tamarind. While her Dad and Chloe head for their honeymoon in India, Tamarind stays with her maternal family near the Himalayas. She notices something strange in the family. Nobody wants to talk about Tamarind’s mother and behaves strangely with Tamarind’s father. When Tamarind discovers a tamarind tree and a hut in the backyard, she finds her mothers ring that she wore as a child. As Tamarind walks through the hut, she enters a magical secret garden where she meets a mysterious girl named Ishta and her little golden monkey Hanu. Tamarind keeps this as a secret as no one can see or hear Ishta. Her mean cousin Sufia keeps taunting her and makes her feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. But other family members take good care of her.During this short stay Tamarind learns a lot about Indian culture and heritage. She becomes closer to her maternal side of the family. She tries new food and clothes.Tamarind searches for clues to find more about the secret of her deceased mom and her family. In this course she learns about her mom Chinty and her childhood. Soon Tamarind finds more clues on who ishta is and feels the presence of her mother. If you want to learn more about the mystery behind Ishta, Hanu,tamarind tree and the magic garden read this book of Tamarind and the Star of Ishtar.
The first thing that caught my attention when I got this book as a present from my mom was the beautiful bright cover and an unusual title. I wanted to know why the author chose this title?While reading this book, I questioned , “Why a tamarind tree”? “Why not a mango or an apple tree”? I know that Tamarind is widely used in South Asian cuisine but it didn’t make much sense to me. As I googled the significance of a Tamarind tree, I found that in many indian communities, the tamarind tree is considered ominous and is the house of the bad spirits of the dead. Some say it is dangerous to go near the tree. Maybe there is some other explanation for this unique book title. Of note, Ishta is the name of a goddess from the mesopotamian civilization and Hanu stands for the god Hanuman the monkey god. Well this is my interpretation, so read this book to find your explanation for the title.
There are several reasons why I enjoyed reading this book.I loved how Mrs Bilan added so much positivity to the book including hope,faith and lots of her culture into this book. Tamarind also reminded me of Asha from her previous book (Asha and the Spirit Bird). The short chapters and the easy language helped me complete this book quickly. As an Nepali American with Himalayan roots, I could identify with the beautiful settings and characters. While reading this book, I felt transported to the world of Tamarind.
Well that is all about this wonderful book.I can’t wait to read many more books like this!
I would like to end this blog with few lines by the author
“It’s a story of coming to terms with grief and believing in the power of imagination to heal”!!
Jasbinder Bilan.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻😊👌🏻👍🏻