Asha & the Spirit Bird

what happens is Ashas dad stopped giving money toher and her mum. she goes on a mission to save her father
my favourite charactor is asha as she is very brave

BRILLIANT! I felt the warmth, the vibrancy and the colours of the Indian culture with every page. This is an incredible journey tale for Asha and her friend Jeevan. Adventure, friendship, courage, bravery, fear, mystery, magic - this book has it all.

I loved this book because it was so interesting. Asha and her friend had a big adventure to find Asha's Papa because he had not sent any money and they were worried about him. I liked Asha's attitude as she was not going to give up.
I would recommend this book.

This fictional book is filled with mixed emotions - sad and happy.

My favourite character was the Spirit Bird.

I would not go out of my way to recommend this book however if people ask I would not discourage them away from reading it.

I liked Asha the best. I liked to the book as there was a spirit bird in it and I also liked the name of the bir

I really liked Asha the spirit bird and I’ll recommend it to one of my friends

A great book for all who like adventure. Follow Asha and her best friend Jeevan, from the foothills of the Himalayas make the pilgrimage of a lifetime to find Ashas farther.
This book in 3 words
Indian, adventurous and wild
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I liked this book which is all about Asha, a Hindu girl trying to find her father with her best friend Jeevan. as they journey over the Himalayan mountains, they overcome difficulties such as being put in a garbage site and Jeevan having a life threatening fever. However, every time the overcome a new challenge, Asha sees a bird who she believes to be her Nanjee. I liked this book. At the end, Asha sees her papa and takes him home.

It was a great story but a bit long winded. Great characters

This captivating novel is about a girl Asha who goes on a death-defying journey to find her father. Asha & the Spirit Bird is one of my favourite books; it has my three favourite genres combined- Adventure, Romance, Fantasy. I really enjoyed this bokk and it was hard to put down, for I always was eager to know what would happen next. This story is unique, with many twists and a taste of Indian culture. Bilan's award-winning book made me cry tears of joy, sadness and empathy- I shall definitely give this heart-warming masterpiece 5 stars!

I really enjoyed this book and I loved Asha's adventure, I think it was a super fun book to read and would definitely recommend it!

I found this book quite slow going. It was an interesting read, but didn't really grab my attention. I would recommend it to others as it shows how other people live.

The Indian setting for this ‘seeking parent’ quest is delightful and feels authentic - right down to the seediness of a big city and the jeopardy therein. We have a plucky heroine and a down to earth side kick (whom I liked rather better). I’m not convinced by the supernatural element but it is exciting and would appeal to children. My last quibble is the fact that it is written in the present historic - as so many children’s books now are. I always think it makes the writing seem more infantile but maybe that is just me. Overall it is fast paced and accessible and I would pitch it to averagely competent Year 4s and older children.

I really enjoyed this book because it has a wonderful sense of adventure and although it is a little slow at the beginning, it is totally worth reading.

My favourite character is Asha because she is courageous, brave and strong after what she did in the Himalaya mountains.

The cover art for this book is really beautiful, I expected big things especially after reading the reviews and hearing of the plaudits it had received. I read this aloud as a bedtime book for my year 6 son.

Sadly, we both found this book extremely disappointing. It is not badly written but it is very slow and the plot barely credible in places. A lot of things happen in the book, however scenarios are introduced and then completely resolved within single chapters (often within just a few pages). For this reason we had no real sense of tension building before resolution or development of plot or character.
The segment of the book when they reach the city abruptly introduces violence, abduction, drugging and child labour which jars with the narrative to date and seems out of place. I appreciate that the author wanted to portray dangers of the urban environment in contrast to dangers in the natural world but these interludes seemed incongruous. The escape from the junkyard is incredible - it stretches incredulity - even bearing in mind the spirit world dimension of the story. The discovery of the unconscious father with probable brain damage and then his miraculous recovery, the triumphant return home and discovery of the family gold could be seen coming a mile off.

If I had to choose a character I liked it would have to be Raj with his motor rickshaw taxi- despite the fact that on hearing their abduction story he failed to mention at the time that he co-ran a shelter for street children and stated his wife's occupation as cushion maker. Asha had even seen Lakshmi welcome the children at the Zandapur Shelter (p219) prior to meeting Raj but then she is surprised when she is welcomed by Lakshmi and is told that she and Raj run the shelter after they take in her and Jeevan (p229). Too many lucky coincidences and plot holes.

I really wanted to like this book but sadly neither my son nor I found it memorable. Hopefully this is a one off - I may try Jasbinder Bilan's other book to see how I get on with that. I can not recommend this book, it was not for me, but I know others have enjoyed it.

Asha’s dad lives in the city and and she misses him. But suddenly he stopped sending his wages and a ruthless moneylender ransacks their home . Asha comes up with a plan with her friend , Jeevan, to find her dad. But the journey is dangerous: they have to face mountains , hunger, tiredness and even snow leopards. Although, Asha has a sense that her nanijee (grandma ) is watching over her as a spirit bird .

I received this book as a birthday present from a colleague. I loved the authenticity of it - even though I don't share the cultural background of the author, there was a clear sense of 'truth' (even though there's a lot of magical realism in the book) and the sense that the cultural markers within (lots of Hindi words and customs referenced) are genuine and unpatronising.

This is a fast-paced adventure with everything you could wish for: a brave heroine, a steadfast best friend who's like Sam to Frodo, some mystical elements, a lot of drama and tension. A very exciting read!

I started reading this to my class this term, and they're already hooked. The children who share a similar background to Asha, the protagonist and Jeevan, her best friends are SO chuffed that they're able to act as 'experts' when I ask them questions about pronunciation and for a little more contextual background. This is why we need more books representing BAME backgrounds!

My favourite character was the spirit bird, always looking over Asha

this was a book about bravery

I loved reading Asha and the Spirit Bird! I was originally drawn to this book because the story is set in India and my Gran used to tell us tales of when she used to live there as a child.

I loved Asha's spirited and determined character, I feel she would be a great inspiration to children! I could also really feel the special bond between Asha and Jeevan throughout - fantastic writing by Jasbinder. The story is full of culture and you can really imagine being right there, experiencing all the tastes, smells and scenery of the Himalayas. It's also brilliant that there is a glossary of Hindi and Punjabi words. I highly recommend this adventure and would love to read this one in class.

A really wonderful book which tackled some real problems and the harsh realities of children’s lives in some parts of the world. A fantastic adventure with just a sprinkling of magic made for a great read and an exciting story. This book dealt with some intense themes and challenging topics, I would recommend to slightly older children who will understand it’s important message.

I loved this adventure book so much i couldn't put it down.
I would recommend this to 10-13 confident readers.

This was a good book but bad in places.

This is such a great book. Asha is such an amazing character, the way she believes in her nanijee is wonderful and inspiring. So is the relationship she and her best friend Jeevan have, both willing to risk their lives for each other.