Jasmine Skies

Sita was born in Derby in 1966, to an Indian doctor from Kolkata and an English nurse from the Lake District. She has a BA in English Literature and an MA in Arts Education. Her many projects and writing commissions have been produced in theatres, universities, schools and community groups throughout Britain and America. She is the author of Artichoke Hearts, Jasmine Skies, Kite Spirit and Red Leaves. Sita lives and works in North London with her husband, three children and a temperamental cat.

'I really wish Sita had been writing when I was growing up as this beautiful heartfelt book explores so eloquently the need to find your history in order to find yourself' Meera Syal 'Sometimes second books can be disappointing. This one most certainly isn't. In fact, I think it's even better than the first. Sita's skill lies in making her reader really feel that intimate tug and pull of family relationships as well as the confusing ups and downs of teenage love, and in this book she also shows us facets of India not often seen in children's books' Lucy Coates scribblecitycentral.blogspot.com Sita's debut novel, Artichoke Hearts, won the 2011 Waterstone's Children's Book Prize and has been longlisted for the Carnegie Medal. It has also been shortlisted for the Redbridge Children's Book Award, the Berkshire Book Award, the Romantic Novel Award (young adult category), Peters Book of the Year, the Fabulous Awards for Books and the Ealing Readers Award. 'A thoughtful, tender and uplifting novel, which continues the story of Mira, now two years older, as she negotiates challenging new experiences, the complexities of family and friendship, and the uncertainty of teenage love' Booktrust 'It's like unpeeling the petals of a flower, smelling, touching, feeling - and yet with a fine thread of a plotline winding its way through, keeping the tension and making one want to read on and on to know what happens' Jamila Gavin