Khyrunnisa A. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Khyrunnisa A.
Khyrunnisa A; Creator & author of the Butterfingers' series.
Born	Trivandrum, Kerala, India
Nationality	Indian
Education	University of Kerala
Genre	Children's literature, Realistic fiction, Humour

Khyrunnisa A. is an Indian author who writes fun stories for children and also for adults. She is best known for creating the hilarious character 'Butterfingers'. This character first appeared in the popular Indian children's magazine Tinkle.

Butterfingers, whose real name is Amar Kishen, is a thirteen-year-old boy. He is known for being a bit clumsy, which is how he got his nickname! You can find his adventures in a series of novels and short story collections. These books are published by Puffin, which is a children's book part of Penguin Random House India.

Khyrunnisa A. has also written books for grown-ups. These include Tongue in Cheek: The Funny Side of Life (2019) and Chuckle Merry Spin: Us in the U.S (2022). The second book is a funny travel story about her trip to the U.S.

Animal Stories and Other Books

Khyrunnisa A. has written many other exciting books.

• The Lizard of Oz and Other Stories (2019) is a book of animal stories for young readers.
• The Crocodile Who Ate Butter Chicken For Breakfast and Other Stories (2020) is another collection of animal tales.
• In 2021, Baby and Dubdub was published. It's a sweet and funny story about a boy, a dog, and a baby.
• The Couch Potato Who Said Ouch and Other Funny Stories (2024) is a collection of twenty funny stories.
• Ka Kha Ga (2024) is a picture book.
• Her latest book, Agassi and the Great Cycle Race, was published in 2025.

The Butterfingers Series

The Butterfingers series is very popular!

• Her first three novels were Howzzat Butterfingers! (2010), Goal, Butterfingers! (2012), and Clean Bowled, Butterfingers! (2015).
• After these, she wrote three collections of short stories: The Misadventures of Butterfingers (2016), Run, It's Butterfingers Again! (2017), and Of Course It’s Butterfingers! (2018).
• Smash It, Butterfingers! (2021) is a fun novel about badminton.
• All the Butterfingers books were launched by Shashi Tharoor, a well-known writer and Member of Parliament.

Some of her books have been translated into other languages.

• In 2022, Howzzat Butterfingers! was translated into Malayalam as Itha Butterfingers!.
• In 2024, her adult book Tongue in Cheek was translated into Malayalam as Kulchayum Phulkayum... Pinne Nyanum.

In 2023, a comic book called The World of Butterfingers: Adventure in Texas and Other Stories was released. It features Butterfingers and was illustrated by Abhijeet Kini.

Awards and Recognition

Khyrunnisa A. has won many awards for her writing.

• In 1996, her story 'Butterfingers' won second prize in the Tinkle Short Story competition.
• She then won first prize in the same competition for seven years in a row (1997-2003)!
• In 2007, she won the important Unisun Children's Fiction Award.
• She has also won five Children's Book Trust prizes.

Her book Smash it, Butterfingers! was considered for the Sahitya Akademi's Bal Sahitya Puraskar in 2024. It was also listed as one of the top ten books for children in 2021 by the Times of India. The Couch Potato Who Said Ouch and Other Funny Stories was also recognized for an award in 2024.

About Khyrunnisa A.

Khyrunnisa A. was born in Trivandrum, Kerala, India. Her parents, A.R. Bijli and Ayesha Bijli, moved to Trivandrum because her father believed it was the best place for his eight children to get a good education.

She still lives in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, with her husband, P. Vijaya Kumar. He used to be an English professor. They have a son named Amar Vijaykumar, who is an engineer. He is married to Arpitha Sridhara, and they both work in the USA. Their son, Neil, was born in Dallas in 2021.

Education Background

Khyrunnisa A. went to school at Holy Angel's Convent Trivandrum. She studied at All Saints College and University College, Trivandrum. She earned the 3rd rank for her BA English Literature degree at Kerala University.

Her Career Journey

Before becoming a full-time writer, Khyrunnisa A. worked as an associate professor of English at All Saints' College in Thiruvananthapuram. She also worked at Punjab National Bank for two years before deciding to teach.

She used to write columns for newspapers like The New Indian Express and The Hindu. In The Hindu MetroPlus, she had a popular funny column called 'Inside View'. She has also written for other publications like Outlook Traveller.

The World of Butterfingers

The Butterfingers series is all about the adventures of Amar Kishen, a thirteen-year-old student. He goes to a made-up school called Green Park Higher Secondary School. Amar's clumsy ways and funny mistakes earned him the nickname Butterfingers.

The character 'Butterfingers' is named after Khyrunnisa's own son, Amar. Butterfingers first appeared in Tinkle magazine in 2006 as a regular comic strip. The drawings for the comic were done by Abhijeet Kini, a graphic artist from Mumbai.

Butterfingers Books and Stories

The Butterfingers book series started with the novel Howzzat Butterfingers! in 2010. This book is a funny story about cricket.

• In 2012, Goal, Butterfingers! came out. It's an adventure story about football and also talks about protecting the environment.
• The third book, Clean Bowled, Butterfingers! (2015), is another cricket story. In this book, Amar and his friends invent a new game called 'Crack It' when their cricket gear is stolen. This game has its own silly rules!

The series also includes collections of short stories:

• The Misadventures of Butterfingers (2016)
• Run! It's Butterfingers Again! (2017)
• Of Course It's Butterfingers! (2018)
• In 2021, Smash It, Butterfingers! was published, focusing on badminton.

In 2022, Itha Butterfingers! was released, which is the Malayalam translation of Howzzat Butterfingers!. Also, a hundred-page comic book, The World of Butterfingers: Adventure in Texas and Other Stories, was published in 2023. It has three stories about Butterfingers.

What People Say About Butterfingers

Many famous people have praised the Butterfingers books.

• Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, a former Indian cricket captain, said Howzzat Butterfingers! was "great fun!"
• The cricketer V. V. S. Laxman called Clean Bowled Butterfingers an "exuberant mix of school, cricket and fun."
• Shashi Tharoor said that Khyrunnisa has "enriched Indian writing with world-class children's literature." He also called Butterfingers "a gift to the children of our nation!"