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My Soul, A Shining Tree — Jamila Gavin
A stunning and heartbreaking new novel from Jamila Gavin, the bestselling and award-winning author of Coram Boy and The Wheel of Surya.
Based on the true story of Indian WWI gunner and recipient of the Victoria Cross, Khudadad Khan. The story is told from four perspectives: Lotte, a Belgian farmgirl whose village is the flashpoint for a battle; Ernst, a German teenage infantry soldier whose grandiose dreams of war lie in tatters; Khudadad Khan, the gunner fighting with the British Army; and the walnut tree that shelters them all.
Reviews
“Jamila Gavin is one of our greatest writers” " S.F. Said
“If there are any prizes left for children's books by the end of the year . . . then this thoughtful, engrossing new novel from Jamila Gavin should clean up . . . Gavin draws her characters with such care and detail that we root with all our might for each one as they use their free will to choose their own futures. Never Forget You is a novel to remember” " The Times
“We never lose our sense of engagement with the many characters and events, and quotations add to the rich debate about whether war is justified. An exceptionally well-told and compelling account of friendship, courage and love” " The Sunday Times
About the author
Jamila Gavin MBE was born in Mussoorie, India, in the foothills of the Himalayas. With an Indian father and an English mother, she inherited two rich cultures which ran side by side throughout her life, and which always made her feel she belonged to both countries.
The family finally settled in England where Jamila completed her schooling, was a music student, worked for the BBC and became a mother of two children. It was then that she began writing children's books, and felt a need to reflect the multi-cultural world in which she and her children now lived.
Based on the true story of Indian WWI gunner and recipient of the Victoria Cross, Khudadad Khan. The story is told from four perspectives: Lotte, a Belgian farmgirl whose village is the flashpoint for a battle; Ernst, a German teenage infantry soldier whose grandiose dreams of war lie in tatters; Khudadad Khan, the gunner fighting with the British Army; and the walnut tree that shelters them all.
Reviews
“Jamila Gavin is one of our greatest writers” " S.F. Said
“If there are any prizes left for children's books by the end of the year . . . then this thoughtful, engrossing new novel from Jamila Gavin should clean up . . . Gavin draws her characters with such care and detail that we root with all our might for each one as they use their free will to choose their own futures. Never Forget You is a novel to remember” " The Times
“We never lose our sense of engagement with the many characters and events, and quotations add to the rich debate about whether war is justified. An exceptionally well-told and compelling account of friendship, courage and love” " The Sunday Times
About the author
Jamila Gavin MBE was born in Mussoorie, India, in the foothills of the Himalayas. With an Indian father and an English mother, she inherited two rich cultures which ran side by side throughout her life, and which always made her feel she belonged to both countries.
The family finally settled in England where Jamila completed her schooling, was a music student, worked for the BBC and became a mother of two children. It was then that she began writing children's books, and felt a need to reflect the multi-cultural world in which she and her children now lived.
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