{"id":12393,"date":"2020-07-05T14:29:42","date_gmt":"2020-07-05T18:29:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/library.ryerson.ca\/asianheritage\/?page_id=12393"},"modified":"2025-12-12T15:27:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T20:27:48","slug":"michelle-kadarusman","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/library.torontomu.ca\/asianheritage\/authors\/michelle-kadarusman\/","title":{"rendered":"Michelle Kadarusman"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Michelle Kadarusman was born in Australia and grew up in Melbourne. She lived for a decade in Indonesia, the homeland of her father, prior to immigrating to Canada more than twenty years ago. Kadarusman writes for children and teens, founded a literacy agency, and works for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. She resides in Toronto.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Fiction (Juvenile)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Berani<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Toronto: Pajama Press, 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Malia has had a privileged upbringing in Indonesia, but since her Indonesian father died, her Canadian mother wants to return to her own family on the other side of the world. Malia is determined to stay. Indonesia is her home, and she loves it. Besides, if she leaves, how can she continue to fight for her country\u2019s precious rainforests?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ari knows he is lucky to be going to school and competing on the chess team, even if it means an endless round of chores at his uncle\u2019s restaurant. Back in his home village, he and his cousin Suni dreamed about getting a chance like this. But now he is here without her, and the guilt is crushing him. As if that weren\u2019t enough, he\u2019s horribly worried about Ginger Juice, his uncle\u2019s orangutan. The too-small cage where she lives is clearly hurting her body and her mind, but where else can she go? The rainforest where she was born is a palm oil plantation now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Awards and Honours<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

2023 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award (Finalist)
2023 Governor General’s Literary Awards–Young People’s Literature: Text, English <\/a>(Finalist)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Fiction (Juvenile)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Girl of the Southern Sea<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Toronto: Pajama Press, 2019.
PZ7.K122 G57 2019<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)<\/h4>\n

Ma misses the sun, warmth and colors of their faraway homeland, but her daughter sees magic in everything \u2014 the clouds in the winter sky, the \u201cfirework\u201d display when she throws an armful of snow into the air, making snow angels, tasting snowflakes. And in the end, her joy is contagious. Home is where family is, after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the time she was a little girl, Nia has dreamed up adventures about the Javanese mythical princess, Dewi Kadita. Now fourteen, Nia would love nothing more than to continue her education and become a writer. But high school costs too much. Her father sells banana fritters at the train station, but too much of his earnings go toward his drinking habit. Too often Nia is left alone to take over the food cart as well as care for her brother and their home in the Jakarta slums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Nia is determined to find a way to earn her school fees. After she survives a minibus accident unharmed and the locals say she is blessed with \u2018good luck magic,\u2019 Nia exploits the notion for all its worth by charging double for her fried bananas. Selling superstitions can be dangerous, and when the tide turns it becomes clear that Nia\u2019s future is being mapped without her consent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Nia is to write a new story for herself, she must overcome more obstacles than she could ever have conceived of for her mythical princess, and summon courage she isn\u2019t sure she has.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Awards and Honours<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

2019 Governor General\u2019s Literary Award: Young People\u2019s Literature \u2013 Text (Finalist)
2019 CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens <\/em>Starred Selection
2019 Junior Library Guild Selection
2020 Diamond Willow (Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Awards)(Finalist)
2020 USSBY (United States Board on Books for Young People) Outstanding International Books
2021-22 Hackmatack Children’s Choice Award<\/a> — English fiction (Finalist)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Fiction (Juvenile)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Music for Tigers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Toronto: Pajama Press, 2020.
PZ7.K122 M87 2020<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)<\/h4>\n

Ma misses the sun, warmth and colors of their faraway homeland, but her daughter sees magic in everything \u2014 the clouds in the winter sky, the \u201cfirework\u201d display when she throws an armful of snow into the air, making snow angels, tasting snowflakes. And in the end, her joy is contagious. Home is where family is, after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shipped halfway around the world to spend the summer with her mom\u2019s eccentric Australian relatives, middle schooler and passionate violinist Louisa is prepared to be resentful. But life at the family\u2019s remote camp in the Tasmanian rainforest is intriguing, to say the least. There are pig-footed bandicoots, scary spiders, weird noises and odors in the night, and a quirky boy named Colin who cooks the most amazing meals. Not the least strange is her Uncle Ruff, with his unusual pet and veiled hints about something named Convict Rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Louisa learns the truth: Convict Rock is a sanctuary established by her great-grandmother Eleanor\u2014a sanctuary for Tasmanian tigers, Australia\u2019s huge marsupials that were famously hunted into extinction almost a hundred years ago. Or so the world believes. Hidden in the rainforest at Convict Rock, one tiger remains. But now the sanctuary is threatened by a mining operation, and the last Tasmanian tiger must be lured deeper into the forest. The problem is, not since her great-grandmother has a member of the family been able to earn the shy tigers\u2019 trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the summer progresses, Louisa forges unexpected connections with Colin, with the forest, and\u2014through Eleanor\u2019s journal\u2014with her great-grandmother. She begins to suspect the key to saving the tiger is her very own music. But will her plan work? Or will the enigmatic Tasmanian tiger disappear once again, this time forever?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Awards and Honours<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

2020 Junior Library Guild Selection<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Fiction (Young adult)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Out of It<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Toronto: James Lorimer, 2014. (Series: SideStreets)<\/p>\n\n\n

Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)<\/h4>\n

Ma misses the sun, warmth and colors of their faraway homeland, but her daughter sees magic in everything \u2014 the clouds in the winter sky, the \u201cfirework\u201d display when she throws an armful of snow into the air, making snow angels, tasting snowflakes. And in the end, her joy is contagious. Home is where family is, after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suri and Lacey have been best friends since kindergarten. Suri, the photographer, has always been the safe, responsible one, afraid to take risks. Now that the pair is in high school, she”s afraid that her more outgoing and adventurous friend will outgrow her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Then Lacey”s wild, risk-taking personality leads her down a dangerous path — and Suri is afraid of losing her for real. But if she chases Lacey down that same path of drinking, partying, hooking up with older guys, and drugs, will Suri be able to save her friend — or herself?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Fiction (Juvenile, Picture book)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Room for More<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Illustrated by Maggie Zeng.
Toronto: Pajama Press, 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

When a fire sweeps through the Australian bush, wombats Dig and Scratch are glad to have a cool, damp burrow to keep them safe. But Dig notices that other animals are not so lucky. When Dig invites a wallaby mother and her joey to shelter with them, Scratch grumbles. When Dig beckons to a koala, Scratch complains. And when Dig welcomes in a tiger snake, Scratch is fit to be tied\u2014but Dig is sure there\u2019s always room for more. And when the rains come to douse the fire and bring a new threat of flooding, a crowd of creatures may turn out to be just what the wombats need.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Fiction (Juvenile)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Seabird<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Toronto: Pajama Press, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Inspired by a true story, Seabird<\/em> follows the early teen years of Kartini, whose forced isolation ignites her desire for freedom and the right to have a say in the decisions that shape her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kartini was born in 1879 during Dutch-colonized Indonesia, then known as the Dutch East Indies. Due to her high-born status, Kartini is forced to enter home seclusion just before her twelfth birthday with the intention that she will remain home until she is married.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During seclusion, Kartini, who is fluent in the Dutch language, begins a self-directed education and writes letters to a former schoolmate named Lesty. This period of isolation sparks her interest in feminist thinking and ignites her desire to improve education opportunities for all Javanese girls and women.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Fiction (Juvenile)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Theory of Hummingbirds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Toronto: Pajama Press, 2017.
PZ7.K122 T46 2017<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)<\/h4>\n

Ma misses the sun, warmth and colors of their faraway homeland, but her daughter sees magic in everything \u2014 the clouds in the winter sky, the \u201cfirework\u201d display when she throws an armful of snow into the air, making snow angels, tasting snowflakes. And in the end, her joy is contagious. Home is where family is, after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHummingbirds and angels don\u2019t need two good feet. They have wings.\u201d That\u2019s what Alba\u2019s mother always says. Of course, Alba doesn\u2019t have wings or two good feet: she has Cleo. Cleo is the name Alba has given to her left foot, which was born twisted in the wrong direction. When she points this out, though, her mother just smiles like the world has some surprise in store she doesn\u2019t know about yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, Alba has her own surprise planned. After one final surgery and one final cast, Cleo is almost ready to meet the world straight on\u2014just in time to run in the sixth grade cross-country race. Unfortunately, Alba\u2019s best friend Levi thinks there\u2019s no way she can pull it off. And she thinks there\u2019s no way he\u2019s right about the school librarian hiding a wormhole in her office. Tempers flare. Sharp words fly faster than hummingbirds. And soon it looks like both friends will be stuck proving their theories on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Awards and Honours<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

2018 Diamond Willow (Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Awards)(Finalist)
2018 CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens<\/em> Starred Selection<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Fiction (Juvenile, Short stories)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We the Sea Turtles: A Collection of Island Stories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Toronto: Pajama Press, 2023.
PZ7.K122 W48 2023<\/a>
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Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

On islands around the world\u2014from Manhattan to Phillip Island, Australia, to Komodo Island and beyond\u2014nine children face life-changing moments: escaping a flood; embracing their identity; discovering that the adults in their lives can ease the burden of their eco-anxiety. And although each child couldn\u2019t be more different, one thing connects them all: a turtle swam into each of their lives at a critical moment, and left them changed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Links<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Michelle Kadarusman on Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Publisher James Lorimer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Publisher Pajama Press<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author Profile by Inderjit Deogum in Quill & Quire<\/a> website, posted 29 June 2022<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Michelle Kadarusman was born in Australia and grew up in Melbourne. She lived for a decade in Indonesia, the homeland of her father, prior to immigrating to Canada more than twenty years ago. Kadarusman writes for children and teens, founded … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"parent":16,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-12393","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.torontomu.ca\/asianheritage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.torontomu.ca\/asianheritage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.torontomu.ca\/asianheritage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.torontomu.ca\/asianheritage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.torontomu.ca\/asianheritage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12393"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/library.torontomu.ca\/asianheritage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21035,"href":"https:\/\/library.torontomu.ca\/asianheritage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12393\/revisions\/21035"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.torontomu.ca\/asianheritage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.torontomu.ca\/asianheritage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}