Bamba Beach: A Bloomsbury Reader

A poignant, contemporary family story set in Goa, India, written by Pratima Mitchell.

Hari's family make their living from fishing, but with no fish left in the bay, times are really hard. To catch the fish further away they need a better boat, but to get a better boat they need to sell fish - Despite family feuds and village superstitions standing in his way, Hari doesn't give up, and it isn't long before help arrives from the most unlikely source.

This thought-provoking story from Pratima Mitchell has engaging black-and-white illustrations by David Dean and is perfect for children who are developing as readers.

The Bloomsbury Readers series is packed with brilliant books to get children reading independently in Key Stage 2, with book-banded stories by award-winning authors like double Carnegie Medal winner Geraldine McCaughrean and Waterstones Prize winner Patrice Lawrence covering a wide range of genres and topics. With charming illustrations, ideas for discussion points and online guided reading notes written by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), this series is ideal for reading both in the classroom and at home. For more information visit www.bloomsburyguidedreading.com.

'Patrice Lawrence, Tony Bradman, Margaret Mahy (...) any list that brings together such a quality line up of authors is going to be welcomed.' - Books for Keeps on the series

Book Band- Dark Blue (Ideal for ages 9+)

About the Author

Pratima Mitchell comes from a family of writers and was first published at the age of eleven. She has written over 22 books, the most recent of which include a picture book, Petar's Song, illustrated by Caroline Binch (Frances Lincoln), and Indian Mutiny for the My Story series (Scholastic). Her latest novel for teens, The Crow Her Brother, will be published by Walker Books in 2009.

About the Illustrator

David Dean spent most of his childhood drawing Star Wars characters and Transformers, and wanted to draw comics before realising that someone must draw book covers - what a fantastic job that would be! David is now an award-winning illustrator specialising in children's illustration and book covers, and lives in Cheshire with his two cats and hundreds of books.