King for a Day

Best Books, Kirkus Reviews Junior Library Guild Selection, Junior Library Guild Best Books for Kids & Teens, Canadian Children’s Book Centre Best Books of the Year, Honorable Mention, The Huffington Post Best Multicultural Books, Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Books Choices, Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) South Asia Book Award Highly Commended Book, South Asia National Outreach Consortium (SANOC) Malik, a Pakistani boy who uses a wheelchair, is excited to compete in the annual kite-flying festival of Basant. Can his kite defeat the bully’s and make him King of the festival? Basant is here, with feasts and parties to celebrate the arrival of spring. But what Malik is looking forward to most is doing battle from his rooftop with Falcon, the special kite he has built for speed. Today is Malik’s chance to be the best kite fighter, the king of Basant. In two fierce battles, Malik takes down the kites flown by the bully next door. Then Malik moves on, guiding Falcon into leaps, swirls, and dives, slashing strings and plucking kites from the sky. By the end of the day, Malik has a big pile of captured kites. He is the king! But then the bully reappears, trying to take a kite from a girl in the alley below. With a sudden act of kingly generosity, Malik finds the perfect way to help the girl. This lively, contemporary story introduces readers to a centuries-old festival and the traditional sport of kite fighting, and to a spirited, determined young boy who masters the sport while finding his own way to face and overcome life’s challenges.