Jasbinder Bilan

Jasbinder Bilan is an award-winning children’s author of numerous magical realist middle-grade novels. Her debut Asha and the Spirit Bird (Chickenhouse, 2019) won The Times/Chicken House prize 2017, was shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Children’s Book prize 2019 and went on to win the Costa Children’s Book award 2019. Her writing is inspired by her family roots in India and explores themes of friendship, family and hope. Tamarind and the Star of Ishta (Chicken House, 2020) won the Indie Book awards 2021 and the Calderdale Children’s Book of the Year 2021. Her latest novel Aarti and the Blue Gods (Chicken House, 2021) explores connections between Eastern and Western mythologies.

Jasbinder contributed to the Book of Hopes (Bloomsbury, 2020) a collection of stories, poems and illustrations edited by children’s author Katherine Rundell to bring joy and hope to children during the pandemic. She has been commissioned to write numerous articles for the Guardian and the Observer. She has spoken at many literature festivals including Edinburgh, Hay, Cheltenham and Charlestone. In September 2022 she will publish her first nonfiction book for children, Incredible India (Walker, 2022). She has been commissioned to write the text for the new Museum of London exhibition exploring London’s prehistory.

Jasbinder is also an English teacher. Her life-long work helping young people achieve their potential is one of her proud achievements. She is dedicated to empowering all young people and encouraging their self-confidence which feeds into her commitment to her work with the RLF. She lives in Bath with her husband.