Sita Brahmachari


Sita Brahmachari is a British author known for her work in children's and young adult literature. Her debut novel, Artichoke Hearts, later published in the United States as Mira in the Present Tense, won the 2011 Waterstones Children's Book Prize. In 2025, Brahmachari was made a of the Royal Society of Literature.

Early life and education

Brahmachari was born in Derby, England in 1966. Her father was a doctor from Kolkata, who emigrated from India in the 1950s, and her mother was a nurse from Lake District.
After completing her A-levels, Brahmachari worked as an au pair in France, and attended Le Cours Florent Drama College. She later attended Bristol University and completed a Master of Arts at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Career

Brahmachari's debut novel, Artichoke Hearts, which was later published in the United States as Mira in the Present Tense, was based on her mother-in-law and published by Macmillan in 2011. The book won the 2011 Waterstones Children's Book Prize. The novel was followed by Jasmine Skies, which was nominated for the Carnegie Medal.
The following year, Brahmachari took on the position of Writer-in-Residence at the Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants. The same year, she became Patron of Reading at Fortismere School.
Brahmachari also wrote the script for The Arrival, a play based on a graphic novel by Shaun Tan, which was produced by Kristine Landon-Smith in 2013.
In 2015, Brahmachari was appointed as an online writer-in-residence with BookTrust for a six-month term.
She has also been a human rights ambassador for Amnesty International.

Awards and recognitions

In 2018, Tender Earth was on the IBBY honour list for writing. In 2018, Where the River Runs Gold was selected as the Waterstone's Children’s Book of the Month. In 2020, When Secrets Set Sail was selected as a Blackwell’s Children’s Book of the Month. In 2021, When Shadows Fall was named one of the best children's books of the year by The Guardian and The Times.
YearTitleAwardResultRef.
2011Artichoke HeartsWaterstones Children's Books PrizeWinner
2012Artichoke HeartsRedbridge Children's Book AwardWinner
2012Artichoke HeartsCarnegie MedalLonglist
2013Jasmine SkiesCarnegie MedalLonglist
2014Kite SpiritUKLA Book AwardLonglist
2016Red LeavesCarnegie MedalNominee
2018Tender EarthLittle Rebels AwardShortlist
2018Tender EarthIBBY Certificate of HonourWinner
2018Tender EarthCarnegie MedalNominee
2018Worry AngelsJhalak PrizeLonglist
2019Worry AngelsCarnegie MedalNominee
2019Zebra Crossing Soul SongCarnegie MedalNominee
2023When Shadows FallCarnegie MedalShortlist

Publications

Novels

Mira Levenson series

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Standalone books

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Novellas

Phoenix Brothers. Oxford University Press 2025.

Plays

Contributions

Re-Imagine India-UK Cultural Relations in the 21st Century ISBN 978-9382951346I'll Be Home for Christmas ISBN 978-1847157720Here I Stand ISBN 1406373648A Country of Refuge ISBN 978-1783522682A Country to Call Home ISBN 978-1783526048Diverse Shorts ISBN 978-1906101510The Book of Hopes ISBN 978-1526629883Iridescent Adolescent ISBN 978-1906101688Swallowed by a Whale - How to Survive the Writing Life ISBN 9780712353038Letters From Lockdown ISBN 978-1526364364Poems for Schools Our Rights - Stories and Poems About Children's Rights ISBN 9781913074210