Books with author Rachna Gilmore

A girl of mixed heritage discovers that both cultures are important parts of who she is.Mr. Toller grins. "I guess we plain old regular Canadians need to know the history of other places to get a real and balanced view."Plain old regular.As in white.It jolts through me like lightning. I almost bought his idea of regular--that's why I was afraid to read my grandmother's story. My heart pounds, but I have to say it."Mr. Toller, I AM a regular Canadian."Hey, Tara, what's your mother tongue?It's questions like these that make fourteen-year-old Tara Mehta boil, especially when they're asked by teachers who ought to know better. Yes, her parents were raised in India, but Tara has lived in Ottawa her whole life -- she's as Canadian as everybody else. There are much more important things than where her family came from. Jeff, for instance. He's the new guy with the blue eyes and a brain that actually works. But then she meets her grandmother for the first time. Naniji fought with Gandhi in the Indian Indepence movement, and she's horrified to learn that her grandchildren know almost nothing about their heritage. Tara resents her grandmother's attitude until she learns how Naniji came to join the fight for indepence. Shocked and angered by the history that she's never been taught in school, Tara decides to tell Naniji's story to her class. In the wake of the violently mixed reactions that follow, Tara comes to realize that most people need to expand their definition of what it means to be a "regular" Canadian -- including herself.

A girl of mixed heritage discovers that both cultures are important parts of who she is.Mr. Toller grins. "I guess we plain old regular Canadians need to know the history of other places to get a real and balanced view."Plain old regular.As in white.It jolts through me like lightning. I almost bought his idea of regular--that's why I was afraid to read my grandmother's story. My heart pounds, but I have to say it."Mr. Toller, I AM a regular Canadian."Hey, Tara, what's your mother tongue?It's questions like these that make fourteen-year-old Tara Mehta boil, especially when they're asked by teachers who ought to know better. Yes, her parents were raised in India, but Tara has lived in Ottawa her whole life -- she's as Canadian as everybody else. There are much more important things than where her family came from. Jeff, for instance. He's the new guy with the blue eyes and a brain that actually works. But then she meets her grandmother for the first time. Naniji fought with Gandhi in the Indian Indepence movement, and she's horrified to learn that her grandchildren know almost nothing about their heritage. Tara resents her grandmother's attitude until she learns how Naniji came to join the fight for indepence. Shocked and angered by the history that she's never been taught in school, Tara decides to tell Naniji's story to her class. In the wake of the violently mixed reactions that follow, Tara comes to realize that most people need to expand their definition of what it means to be a "regular" Canadian -- including herself.

Hey Tara, what's your mother tongue? Questions like this make fifteen-year-old Tara Mehta's blood boil, especially when asked by a teacher who ought to know better. Yes, her parents were raised in India, but Tara has lived in Ottawa her whole life - she's as Canadian as everybody else. There are much more important things than where her family came from. Jeff, for instance. He's the new guy with the blue eyes and a brain that actually works. But then she meets her grandmother for the first time. Dadiji fought with Gandhi in the Indian independence movement, and she's horrified to learn that her grandchildren know almost nothing about her heritage. Tara resents her grandmother's attitude until she learns how Dadiji came to join the fight for independence. Shocked and angered by the history that she's never been taught in school, Tara decides to tell Dadiji's story to her class. In the wake of the violently mixed reactions that follow, Tara comes to realize that most people need to expand their definition of what it means to be a "regular" Canadian - including herself.

Mina, 11, enjoys playing computer games and watching TV, and has decidedly mixed feelings about her Indian heritage. She loves her Nanaji (grandfather), but is sometimes embarrassed by his old-fashioned ideas and customs. When she overhears the most popular girl at school refer to Nanaji as "a stupid old geek who can't even talk right," Mina is hurt and incensed. She vows to get revenge during her family's annual party celebrating Holi, the Indian festival of color. Instead of squirting Ashley with the traditional harmless colored powders that are the hallmark of the celebration, Mina plans to barrage her foe with a concoction that will leave a more permanent impression. In the end, the scheme backfires, and Nanaji helps his granddaughter to see that her stunt is less about revenge than about coming to terms with her own ambivalent feelings toward him.

Nobby, short for Zenobia, meets an older girl, Zilla, when her family goes on holiday. Zilla is developmentally disabled, but much more fun than the average teenager. The friendship grows until Uncle Chad shows up. He is snooty and sometimes unthinkingly cruel to Zilla. Prejudices and attitudes take a surprising turn when Uncle Chad gets hurt during a storm and it is Zilla who generously comes to the rescue.

It’s the Depression, but Red’s family is managing better thanmost on their Prince Edward Island farm. Hard working andresourceful, they have enough to eat and to help others, evenif at times they are mocked by their neighbours for puttingeducation ahead of farm work. Eleven-year-old Red has plentyof chores around the farm, and the days can be long, but hestill gets the odd break to go swimming or fishing, provided hishomework is done. Red’s older sister, Ellen, teaches at the localschool, and if Red doesn’t shine, she will not only punish him,but also make sure their parents hear about it.But then Red’s father’s hand is seriously injured and thefamily’s situation looks dire. Red steps up to the challenge,finishing the tobacco boxes that his father makes and helpingshovel out a train stuck in the snow. Stubborn and even pigheaded,Red does make mistakes along the way (such as pretendingto be dead so that his younger sister will stop followinghim), but his heart is always in the right place.