My Top Ten Picks for World Book Day 2021 – by Jasbinder Bilan

4th March 2021

Jasbinder Bilan

‘My Top Ten Picks for World Book Day 2021’

This World Book Day, we’re putting the WORLD back in World Book Day and celebrating children’s books from all around the world. And who better to celebrate this wonderful bookish day with than Costa award-winning children’s author Jasbinder Bilan! Jasbinder is here to share her top 10 picks for WBD 2021 to transport you around the world. Be swept into the hustle and bustle of New York City in a thrilling, undersea mystery, sail to the Galápagos islands in an unforgettable, fiery adventure, and go undercover in 1940s Paris with fearless, true-life heroine… the world awaits you this World Book Day.

Without further ado, introducing Jasbinder Bilan’s selections to transport you to different locations! Synopses by Jasbinder.

Tales from India by Bali Rai – INDIA

Bali Rai is an award-winning author who has been writing for twenty years. These traditional stories are perfect for bedtime and will fill your dreams with the sights and scents of India.

Amari and the Night Brothers by B B Alston – USA

This story is exciting and fresh. Amari is a great character who is full of curiosity. Even when she has to wear some seriously crazy outfits to find the trail to her missing brother, she goes with it!

Shadowsea by Peter Bunzl – New York

I loved being transported to Victorian New York in this story bursting with imagination. There’s a mystery to be solved and you get to stay in a swanky hotel, eat afternoon tea and even go underwater and wear an old-fashioned diving suit.

The White Giraffe by Lauren St John – South Africa

This story has a very special place on my bookshelf – I shared it with my sons when they were younger and we absolutely adored everything about it, from the feisty main character Martine, to her magical white giraffe and the setting so wonderfully evoked by Lauren St John.

Darwin’s Dragons by Lindsay Galvin –  Galápagos Islands

Although an invented story, this imagines the voyage of the famous naturalist Darwin and more importantly his cabin boy Syms Covington who falls overboard and washes up on the shores of an uninhabited volcanic island full of incredible fantastical creatures.

The Valley of Lost Secrets by Lesley Parr – Wales

This is a WWII story with a difference. Brothers, Jimmy and Ronnie have been evacuated to a sleepy Welsh village away from the dangers of war-torn London. Finding a skull in a tree kicks the mystery adventure off to a creepy start and there’s also some fun coding to crack.

Noor-un-Nissa Inyat Khan by Sufyia Ahmed – Paris

This is a little known, but true story about Noor, who fled Nazi-occupied France with her family and became an important spy for Churchill during WWII. It’s an exciting adrenaline-filled story which will open children’s eyes to hidden histories. I was amazed by her courage.

Cane Warriors by Alex Wheatle – Jamaica

This book is definitely for older readers since it does not shy away from facing hard but necessary truths about the history of slavery. It tells its story through vivid, close to character prose which had my heart pounding until the final page.

A Secret of Birds & Bone by Kiran Millwood Hargrave – Sienna

How could something as spooky as bones be turned into beautiful objects? If you are a bone-binder like Sofia’s mamma this is easy – an exciting adventure leads the reader underground to the hidden rivers beneath the city to find answers to some disturbing questions.

The Pure Heart by Trudy Tweedle – Scotland

I adored the setting for this Jane Eyre inspired YA book, where Iseabail has been summoned to a ghostly old castle to be companion to the merchant’s daughter – but why?

Jasbinder’s two books to date

A big thank you to Jasbinder for her excellent selections!

Jasbinder Bilan was born in India close to the Himalayas on her family farm. When she was one and a half her family moved from India to Nottingham. But India was kept alive by continuing to talk about the farm and all the funny things that happened there during big family feasts.

Jasbinder studied for an MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University, which is where she began writing her magic adventure Asha and the Spirit Bird. Jasbinder’s debut went on to win The Time Chicken House Fiction Prize in 2017 and the Costa Children’s Book Award in 2019.

For more information visit Jasbinder’s website at jasbinderbilan.co.uk 

Twitter @jasinbath  

Instagram @jasbinderbilan

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