Scholastic Asian Book Award: Telling Asian tales

Currently heading into its fourth edition, the Scholastic Asian Book Award (Saba) has emerged as a much-needed avenue to uncover quality books for children and young adults by Asian writers telling uniquely Asian stories.

Since its inception in 2011, the Saba has been responsible for publishing works by authors from all over Asia, including India, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Here are the winning books of the 2012 Saba, which arrived in Malaysian bookstores recently:

Bungee Cord Hair by Ching Yeung Russell (winner, from Hong Kong) – This semi-autobiographical novel, written in free-verse, is told from the point of view of a young girl who is forced to leave her beloved grandmother in mainland China to live with her parents in Hong Kong. It is at this turbulent stage that her journey of self-discovery begins, as she discovers what really makes her happy.

Not In The Stars by Pauline Loh (first runner-up, Singapore) – Both Mui and Justin are haunted by a mysterious past. Justin was a kidnapping victim years ago, and still faces nightmares, while Mui comes to work as a servant at his house, believing she can help him. But there is more to the story than Mui initially reveals. Why does she seem strangely familiar to Justin? And what is the link between these two very different people who are both troubled by past experiences?

Hidden In Plain Sight by Ang Su-Lin (second runner-up, Singapore) – Jen and her cousins discover a Chinese puzzle hidden in an old sofa, which leads them on a treasure hunt through pre-Independence Singapore as they unravel clues, codes and ciphers to solve the mystery behind the puzzle. 

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Scholastic Asian Book Award: Winning writing