Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind

“This first novel is, on several counts, one of the most exciting YA books

to appear recently. Staples is so steeped in her story and its Pakistani

setting that the use of a first-person voice for a desert child rings

authentic–the voice is clear, consistent, and convincing. Shabanu and her

sister are to marry brothers as soon as they all come of age. But she will

eventually lose her betrothed and be promised to a wealthy landowner to settle

a feud. The richness and tragedy of a whole culture are reflected in the fate

of this girl’s family. Through an involving plot Staples has given readers

insight into lives totally different from their own, but into emotions

resoundingly familiar.”–(starred) Bulletin, Center for Children’s Books.