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Book of the Month: All That Chandni Knows
In May, we are discussing Khushboo Patel’s debut upper MG book, All That Chandni Knows (ATCK). The next books we will review are here. ATCK is set in 1999 in Vadodara, India. It is Patel’s debut novel-in-verse, a coming-of-age story about the difficult truths behind seemingly perfect home settings. The book released in the US…
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Book of the Month: Ramin Abbas Has Major Questions
In April, we are discussing Ahmad Saber’s recent YA book, Ramin Abbas Has Major Questions. You will see our upcoming books to be reviewed here. Ramin Abbas is asking the questions we rarely see in literature describing a queer Muslim teen’s experiences. The book was released in the US in March, 2026. Note: this review was…
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Book of the month: Young World by Soman Chainani
In March, we will be discussing Soman Chainani’s book, Young World. We already have books picked out for the first few months of 2026. You will see them here. Young World is a provocative political thriller giving the baton to young people who imagine the world from their POV. The book will release in the US…
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Kitabi Qisse: Saadia Faruqi on the strongest Heart
Last year, we announced the winners of the Ash Rose Michael Readers’ Choice Honors. For our community, the best Middle Grade book in all of 2025 was The Strongest Heart by Saadia Faruqi. It’s a book with a strong emotional core and complex characters. Before its release, in one of our Varta events, Saadia had…
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Our Word of the Year is: Weave Together and Build Your Creative Agency
We began a new year, and this is as good a time as any to share some themes and ideas for the new year. First thing: we hope to reengage in our mission to build your creative agency and confidence (especially for kids and aspiring storytellers). We believe our creative vision exists because it’s what…
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What to Expect During the Varta Storytelling Festival in Ann Arbor
We are so excited to welcome everyone to be a part of our Varta storytelling festival at the downtown Ann Arbor District Library (AADL) on October 13th. This festival has been created in partnership with AADL, University of Michigan’s Center of South Asian Studies (CSAS), and the Michigan Asia Pacific American Affairs Commission (MAPAAC). Here…
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Back to School Tips for Bookish Parents
back to school tips
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August theme: A book club as you head back to school
Everyone is going back to school with millions of dollars in deficits that school districts have to figure out. This usually has a direct impact on art and cultural programming in schools. So, while we don’t claim to solve this issue as parents or as a nonprofit, we think there are ways for us to…
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Kitabi Qisse S2: Salma Hussain on Creating Stories That challenge stereotypes
Recently, we connected with writer Salma Hussain who talked about creating stories that challenge stereotypes. The Secret Diary of Mona Hassan came out in 2022 and talks about the story of a little funky and rebellious girl who is immigrating to Canada. Salma talks about her inspiration to create such a character and more. Salma…
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Kitabi qisse s2: books celebrating our differences ft. children’s book writer meera Sriram
For immigrant parents raising kids in different places than where we grew up, parenting can be challenging. The balance between authentic expression of who we are, and the context of our children is often difficult. Books present a gateway. Children’s book author, Meera Sriram talks about books celebrating our differences and adding context. Meera talked…
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