"I hear a sing song voice, soft as a whisper ."
Hanu the Monkey
"I dart my eyes towards the open door and spot the very end of a long honey-coloured tail and what looks like a trail of sparkling gold dust..."
Hanu is the cutest little golden monkey and was inspired by the fact that when I was a baby in India we had a wild monkey called Oma, who sort of adopted our family and I. It was so amazing to be able to write Hanu into the story. He is a rather mysterious monkey and seems to appear in the most unlikely of places. In fact, if you find the map in front of the book he's hiding somewhere!! Can you find him?
Goddess of the Night
"Ishtar lends her name to the morning star. In the West she is known as Venus, but Ishtar came first. All the stories of Venus originate with the myths of the Middle East."
When I was researching Tamarind, I watched a documentary about the goddess Ishtar and I really wanted to shine a light on her story. This is a picture of her - she looks extraordinary doesn't she? She is from the ancient civilisation of Mesapotamia - what is now Iran. She is the first star you see in the evening and the last one to leave the skies at dawn. In the West she is called Venus. If you'd like to visit her for real she is in The British Museum - ask to see the Goddess of the Night! |
The Stone Archway
"There in front of me, lit up by shimmering moonbeams, is a crumbling stone archway smothered in spiralling dark plants, the entrance to a neglected part of the garden."
This is how I imagined the entrance to the secret garden. If you were standing there like Tamarind is right now in the middle of the night what would you do? Would you be brave enough to step under the archway and find out what lies beyond it?
Alakapuri
"The moon is bright and sheds its yellow light over the house. The domed turrets make it look almost like a palace. It sits high up on its mound, the veranda running all around it and the shutters pulled firmly closed."
The family house where Tamarind was born is incredible. It's out in the wilds of the Himalaya and when she first sees it her jaw drops. She can't believe her eyes. I named it after a mythical Himalayan city to conjure up an atmosphere of mystery and magic.
The Secret Garden
"It's like a spell. I shut my eyes, feel the grass tickling my legs...can I hear music on the wind?"
From the moment that Tamarind arrives at the house she feels like something is drawing her to explore the rambling grounds. The wild gardens is out of bounds and full of overgrown plants. Sometimes animals from the Himalaya that surround the house wander into the garden...some of them are quite dangerous! |
Meet the Characters
TAMARIND - " Hi I'm Tamarind and I'm eleven. I was born in the Himalaya but I've lived in Bristol with my dad ever since I was a baby. Dad's leaving me with mum's family for the very first time and I'm feeling a bit nervous because he hasn't told me anything about what happened when my mum died when I was still a baby. When I arrive at the house I'm stunned - it's huge and I think I hear someone call my name from the darkened gardens - but that can't be real can it?"
SUFIA - "Hey, I’m Sufia and I'm Tamarind's 17 year old cousin. I've been away at boarding school so I'm a bit cross when everything is different when I get home for the summer. Tamarind's been put in my room and everyone's all over her - I don't know what the fuss is about. She's so annoying."
ARJUN - "I'm Arjun and I'm also Tamarind's cousin. I'm a boy and I'm nine. I hope we can have some fun together, it can get a bit boring up in the mountains in the summer. I'm good at origami and gaming."
ISHTA - "Hi I'm Ishta and I know the mountains and the secret garden really well - sometimes I sneak in! I've been waiting for someone my age to come and play for ages."
SUFIA - "Hey, I’m Sufia and I'm Tamarind's 17 year old cousin. I've been away at boarding school so I'm a bit cross when everything is different when I get home for the summer. Tamarind's been put in my room and everyone's all over her - I don't know what the fuss is about. She's so annoying."
ARJUN - "I'm Arjun and I'm also Tamarind's cousin. I'm a boy and I'm nine. I hope we can have some fun together, it can get a bit boring up in the mountains in the summer. I'm good at origami and gaming."
ISHTA - "Hi I'm Ishta and I know the mountains and the secret garden really well - sometimes I sneak in! I've been waiting for someone my age to come and play for ages."