Jasbinder Bilan
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 My Debut Novel - Asha And The Spirit Bird

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Winner of The Times/Chicken House
​Children's Fiction Award
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Included in The Guardian's - Best Books of
​2019 so far
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'Immerse yourself in a lush world  of spirit birds and mango trees, snow leopards and  majestic mountains, in a sumptuous and sizzling debut...a colourful story guaranteed to the win the hearts and minds of  MG readers.' - Lancashire Post - 05.02.19

'Fantastic debut...uplifting adventure...fire and fury...Bilan creates a vivid world.' - Alex O'Connell - The Times Review Children's Book Of The Week -  02,03,19 
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Bilan's story is an eye-opening adventure with  one-sandalled foot in atmospheric realism and a toe-hold in the mythical.' - Kitty Empire - Observer Review Sunday - 13.01.19

'An evocative debut...weaves ancient Hindu beliefs into a fast-past quest...satisfyingly classic in feel.' - Imogen Russell-Williams -
​Guardian - Books Of The Month - 25.01.19
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    Asha And The Spirit Bird is aimed at readers aged 9 years+. It's an adventure story with a magical twist set in Northern India. The story follows eleven-year old Asha, who is empowered with spiritual connections to her grandmother, as she journeys through the wild and dangerous Himalayas with her best friend Jeevan.
    Can they find Asha's missing papa in the city of Zandapur and return home before creditors take everything her family ever worked for? And is the lamagaia that Asha keeps seeing really her grandmother's spirit guiding her, or is it just a  mountain bird as Jeevan keeps saying?
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More praise for Asha And The Spirit Bird

Magical realist writing at its finest...the kind of writing with an ethereal glow that makes you look at the world around you differently. Pick it up as soon as you can...it's a let your bath go cold, miss your bus-stop kind of read.' - Asha, a cat, a cup of tea - Book Blogger.

'I was sobbing in bed last night because of it.' - Amy Golden - Book Girl.

​'What an adventure - Full of gorgeous  detail.' - Amy Wilson author of   Snowglobe.

'With one foot in a deeply spiritual reality and the other in an enchanted, magical world, every page is a feast for the senses.' - 
​Julia Thum - Book Blogger - My Bookshelf.

'All the ingredients of a fantastic story.' -   Dr Lucy Christopher, MA tutor WYP Bath Spa author of Flyaway, Stolen, The Killing Woods   and ​ Stormwake.

'High stakes set against a vividly evoked setting, steeped in wild mysticism. I was swept along by Asha's story from the first page.'  - Sarah Driver author of The Huntress Trilogy.

5 of 5 stars to Asha & the Spirit Bird by Jasbinder Bilan https://t.co/D4Rmffwhab

— Sarah Driver (@thesarahdriver) November 12, 2018

My February Children's & YA Preview is in today's @thebookseller featuring these and many more delights □ pic.twitter.com/UeIclmbTqd

— Fiona Noble (@fionanoblebooks) November 16, 2018

The Author

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Jasbinder and Enzo (he's a good boy, really!)
Jasbinder Bilan lives near Bath, in England, with her husband, two sons and a naughty little dog named Enzo.  She works as a teacher and in her free time enjoys writing stories for children.

Watch the excitement as her first novel goes to print.   

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Proofs all done for Asha And The Spirit Bird

A post shared by Jasbinder Bilan (@jasbinderbilan) on Oct 21, 2018 at 9:00am PDT

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The Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Award

In 2017, something very exciting happened - I entered The Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Award with my story Song Of The Mountain and won!  This became my debut novel Asha And The Spirit Bird.
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Watch the Chicken House video from the day the finalists were judged and the winner announced .
 
 Click on the logos below to read more about the award from The Times and Chicken House!
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© COPYRIGHT 2018. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. COVER ARTWORK BY AITCH
  • Home
  • Meet Jasbinder
    • About Me
    • Inspiration
    • Gallery
  • Asha's World
  • Tamarind's World
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Blog