Join the South Asia Book Award (SABA) for the second of three webinars in the 2023 Meet the Authors Series for a chance to meet the winning author of the 2023 SABA, Middle Grade Readers Category! Participants will be entered to win one of 20 available copies of Thirst. Sign up for the other two webinars in the series here.
About Thirst
The riveting story of a heroic girl who fights for her belief that water should be for everyone.
Minni lives in the poorest part of Mumbai, where access to water is limited to a few hours a day and the communal taps have long lines. Lately, though, even that access is threatened by severe water shortages and thieves who are stealing this precious commodity—an act that Minni accidentally witnesses one night. Meanwhile, in the high-rise building where she just started to work, she discovers that water streams out of every faucet and there’s even a rooftop swimming pool. What Minni also discovers there is one of the water mafia bosses. Now she must decide whether to expose him and risk her job and maybe her life. How did something as simple as access to water get so complicated?
About the Author
Varsha Bajaj is the author of the middle-grade novels Count Me In and Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood, which was shortlisted for the Cybils Award and included on the Spirit of Texas Reading Program. She also wrote the picture books The Home Builders and This Is Our Baby, Born Today (a Bank Street Best Book). She grew up in Mumbai, India, and when she came to the United States to obtain her master’s degree, her adjustment to the country was aided by her awareness of the culture through books. She lives in Houston, Texas.
About the South Asia Book Award
The South Asia Book Award, administered by the South Asia National Outreach Consortium, is given annually for up to three outstanding works of literature, from picture books to young adult novels, which accurately and skillfully portray the experience of individuals living in South Asia, or of South Asians living in other parts of the world. Honor Books and Highly Commended Books will also be recognized by the award committee for their contribution to this body of literature on the region. See all past winners, as well as educational resources, on our website: https://southasiabookaward.wisc.edu/
