Sing to the Dawn

Spotlight Asia

Sing to the Dawn

Category: Asian IP Showcase

Genre: Young Adult

Country: Thailand

Original title: Sing to the Dawn

Language: English

Completed in: 1975

Synopsis:

Dawan, a young village girl who lives in Thailand, wins a scholarship to study in a city school. Her brother, Kwai, places second and is initially jealous, causing a rift between the two previously-close siblings. This hostility is further exacerbated by Dawan’s father, who feels that the city is no place for a female. Dawan faces obstacles at every turn, and eventually overcomes these obstacles and proves to herself and to others that she is fully capable of handling the scholarship and the responsibility it entails.

Publisher’s biography: William Morrow & Co

Founded by William Morrow in 1926, William Morrow and Company is an American publishing house. Acquired by Scott Foresman in 1967, then by Hearst Corporation in 1981, and later by News Corporation in 1999, it now operates under HarperCollins. Renowned for publishing both fiction and non-fiction, its authors include Ray Bradbury, Michael Chabon, Beverly Cleary, Neil Gaiman, and others. Francis Thayer Hobson served as its president and later chairman.

Author’s biography: Minfong Ho

Minfong Ho is a Chinese–American writer. Her works frequently deal with the lives of people living in poverty in Southeast Asian countries. Despite being fiction, her stories are always set against the backdrop of real events, such as the student movement in Thailand in the 1970s and the Cambodian refugee problem with the collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime at the turn of the1970s and 1980s. Her simple yet touching language and her optimistic themes have made her writing popular among children as well as young adults.

Type of IP: Novella
Rights Available: Agreement with Minfong Ho