Saraswatis Way

If the gods wanted Akash to have an education, he is told, they would give him one. But Akash has spent his entire twelve years poor and hungry. So he decides to take control of his own life and try for a scholarship to the city school where he can pursue his beloved math. But will challenging destiny prove to be more than he has bargained for? In this raw and powerful novel, fate and self-determination come together in unexpected ways, offering an unsentimental look at the realities of India.

Saraswati's Way is a 2011 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year.

Monika Schroder

I grew up in Germany in a small town near the Ruhr Valley. After finishing my university education with a master’s degree in history and social studies, I worked for several years as a research assistant in the German parliament. In 1995, I met my future husband while on a vacation in Egypt. At the time he was a teacher at Cairo American College, and in the summer of 1996 I joined him in Cairo. Since then I have taught in international schools in Egypt, Chile and Oman. In 2002, we moved to India where I am currently the elementary school librarian at the American Embassy School in New Delhi.

I love to travel to new places and to learn about different cultures. Of course, for my job as children’s librarian I read a lot of children’s books, but I also make time for adult literature, mostly historical fiction novels. If I’m not reading or writing, I love to bake or watch movies. And when my husband and I visit Germany, which we do each summer, we like to hike in the beautiful German forests.