July 24, 2025
The 18th of July marked the start of this year’s South Asian Heritage Month. The 2025 theme, ‘Roots to Routes’, is about honouring journeys, both literal and figurative, and celebrating through connections with others and between generations.
To celebrate, the Content Team has put together a list of some of our favourite titles featuring South Asian characters. These stories, rich with South Asian heritage and tradition, are great to read not only during South Asian Heritage Month, but all year round!
The Nikhil and Jay series by Chitra Soundar, illustrated by Soofiya
LY | BL 3.5-3.9 | Otter-Barry Books
Brothers Nikhil and Jay are part of a British South Asian mixed-heritage family. With one set of grandparents living in India, their family culture is full of Indian traditions.
The Yasmin series by Saadia Faruqi, illustrated by Hatem Aly
LY | BL 2.2-3.0 | Raintree
Yasmin has a big imagination, and she boldly faces any situation, assuming her imagination doesn’t get too big, of course! A creative thinker and curious explorer, Yasmin and her multi-generational Pakistani American family will delight and inspire readers.
My Momo-la Is a Museum by Mamta Nainy, illustrated by Violet Kim
LY | Quiz #270273 | BL 3.1 | Lantana Publishing
As a child and their Momo-la explore museums, the child realises that each exhibit reminds them of their Momo-la – the clothes she wears, the keepsakes she carries, and the memories she shares of her Tibetan home.
The Great Henna Party by Humera Malik, illustrated by Sonali Zohra
LY | Quiz #270251 | BL 3.4 | Lantana Publishing
Noor’s cousin is getting married tomorrow, and tonight, her family is throwing her a henna party. Noor is especially excited to play the henna name game. The henna artist will hide the name of the person Noor loves the most in the pattern she paints on Noor’s hands. But whose name will Noor choose?
Farah Loves Mangos by Sarthak Sinha
LY | Quiz #271127 | BL 2.6 | Flying Eye Books
Farah loves mangos! She could eat them all day long and she wouldn’t mind living in one either. Every summer when she visits her Grandpa they always pick the ripe fruit from his mango tree. This year, however, the tree is empty!
Sunflower Sisters by Monika Singh Gangotra, illustrated by Michaela Dias-Hayes
LY | Quiz #270273 | BL 3.1 | Lantana Publishing
As Amrita prepares for her sister’s wedding, she naturally wants to wear the brightest colours. In spite of the unwanted ‘advice’ from her aunties about her complexion, Mum gives Amrita a ‘sunflower-yellow’ lehenga to compliment her brown skin.
Boomi’s Boombox by Shanthi Sekaran
MY | Quiz #243920 | BL 4.0 | Katherine Tegen Books
Boomi is given one last gift from her dad: his old boombox. When she presses play, she’s magically transported to Thumpton-on-Soar, England, 1986. Boomi starts to see what being twelve was like for her dad, growing up Indian in a town that wanted to silence people like him.
The Little Badman series by Humza Arshad and Henry White, illustrated by Aleksei Bitskoff
MY | BL 4.3-4.5 | Raintree
Humza Khan is the greatest eleven-year-old Pakistani rapper Eggington has ever known: he is Little Badman and soon everyone will know his name.
Bobby Bains Plays a Blinder by Bali Rai
MY | Quiz #270323 | BL 3.5 | Barrington Stoke
Bobby Bains loves football. He also loves helping other people. As a Sikh, it’s part of his religion. While helping his mum at the community food bank, Bobby meets an old man called Trevor, who seems lonely.
City of Stolen Magic by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak
MY | Quiz #244967 | BL 5.3 | Puffin
In 1855 India, magic is being stamped out, as people born with magic are being snatched from their homes. Rumour is that they are being taken to England by the Company. When Chompa’s mother is kidnapped, Chompa must travel to the smoky, bustling streets of East London in search of her.
Nura and the Immortal Palace by M.T. Khan
MY | Quiz #243173 | BL 5.7 | Walker Books
Searching for her buried friend after the mines collapse, twelve-year-old Pakistani mica miner Nura finds herself at the Sijj Palace, a luxury hotel for the dangerous jinn, where she must find a way to escape before she is trapped forever.
The Reeya Rai: Adventurous Inventor series by Anita Nahta Amin
MY | BL 3.8-4.1 | Usborne
Reeya is an adventurous inventor who loves creating new devices to help her archaeologist parents find their amazing discoveries. Wherever they go, Reeya and her family follow their Hindu culture and beliefs to help preserve history and help others.
The Ellie Pillai series by Christine Pillainayagam
UY | BL 4.2-4.9 | Faber and Faber
Ellie is very familiar with the feeling of being an outsider and going unnoticed, but the truth is she is meant to shine. She learns that her misfit style, her skin colour, her songwriting and getting lost in the music in her head are okay, because standing out isn’t a bad thing.
Odd Girl Out by Tasneem Abdur-Rashid
UY | Quiz #271164 | BL 6.0 | David Fickling Books
Things get complicated for Maaryah after her parents’ divorce. She moves from a life of luxury in Dubai to a new city near dreary London where she is the only hijabi in a massive school.
The Balloon Thief by Aneesa Marufu
UY | Quiz #244126 | BL 5.3 | Chicken House
When Khadija spots a rogue hot air balloon fighting against its ropes, she leaps at the chance for adventure. Khadija soon finds an unlikely ally in Jacob. Soon, a deadly revolution threatens their friendship and their world. The Hāreef use forbidden magic, summoning jinn to enact their revenge, forcing Jacob and Khadija to choose what kind of a world they want to save.
Meet Me in Mumbai by Sabina Khan
UY | Quiz #270595 | BL 5.1 | Scholastic Ltd
Soon after Ayesha is swept up in a romance with Suresh, she falls pregnant and finds herself alone. Seventeen years later, Mira finds letters from her birth mother asking her to meet her in Mumbai.
My Sister’s Big Fat Indian Wedding by Sajni Patel
UY | Quiz #243860 | BL 5.2 | Amulet Books
Zurika Damani is a gifted violinist. After being rejected by Juilliard, Zuri’s last hope is a contest that takes place during Zuri’s sister’s wedding festivities, which Zuri has been told not to miss.
The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman
UY | Quiz #270776 | BL 5.4 | Hot Key Books
Vira is desperate to establish her legacy as a revered queen of Ashoka. But the country’s only quarry is running out of magic. Vira’s only hope is to find the Ivory Key, rumoured to unlock a new source of magic. But in order to retrieve it, she must reunite with her estranged siblings.
More information about South Asian Heritage Month can be found at the South Asian Heritage Trust website, including their own booklist.
To find more books featuring South Asian characters and by South Asian authors, check out the following blogs:
Fantasy Books Featuring Asian Characters
Awesome Graphic Novels Celebrating Asian Characters and Creators
The 2025 Quiz Writer’s Choice Nominees.
You can also use Bookfinder’s advanced search page, where you can explore different topics to search by. Are we missing any quizzes you’d like to see? You can request titles using the Suggest Quizzes page.
Happy reading and happy South Asian Heritage Month!