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Jamila
was born in India in the foothills of the Himalayas. Her
father was Indian and her mother English. Her earliest memories
are of travelling by sea between India and England on huge
ocean liners. Jamila came to live permanently in England
when she was nearly twelve years old.
Jamila
says that, being half Indian and half English, she got used
to describing herself as 'half and half. But although it
is sometimes expected that people Iike me will be confused
or torn between two very different cultures, I was brought
up to value and admire my duaI inheritance and I only feel
enriched.'
Jamila
says that she has always liked writing and telling stories,
even when she was a very young child, but it was only when
her own two children were beginning to read that she began
taking a serious interest in children's books. Jamila also
loves reading and says that she would read anything, even
the back of a cornflakes packet!
There
are now many more children Iike Jamila in Britain, coming
from different ethnic backgrounds. She felt that there were
not enough books which reflected this. All children need
to read books about characters with whom they can identify
and Jamila very much wanted to write for and about children
of different ethnic backgrounds.
Jamila
still has a few ambitions, one is sailing up the Amazon
River and another is to take part in the Monte Carlo Rally!
Coram
Boy won the 2000 Whitbread Book Award.
The Wheel of Surya was the runner-up
for the 1993 Guardian Newspaper Children's
Fiction Award and shortlisted for the Federation
of Children's Books Award. It is also a GCSE set
book.
Grandpa Chatterji has been televised for Channel
4.
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