The Whitbread 2000 Book of the Year is a haunting and captivating work of historical fiction for children.The Coram man takes babies and money from desperate mothers, promising to deliver them safely to a Foundling Hospital in London. Instead, he murders them and buries them by the roadside, to the helpless horror of his mentally ill son, Mish.Mish saves one, Aaron, who grows up happily unaware of his history, proving himself a promising musician. As Aaron's new life takes him closer to his real family, the watchful Mish makes a terrible mistake, delivering Aaron and his best friend Toby back into the hands of the Coram man.It tells the story of a dark time in English history. Fans of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and Goodnight Mr Tom will love this. A great read for children aged 10+.Look out for Jamilla's other titles:The Eye of the HorseThe Robber Baron's DaughterThe Track of the WindWheel of SuryaCoram Boy won the 2000 Whitbread Children's Book of the Year, was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and has been adapted into a highly acclaimed stage play.Jamila Gavin 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.
India, August 1947: Fleeing from their burnt-out village as civil war rages in the Punjab, Marvinder and Jaspal are separated from their mother, Jhoti. Marvinder has already saved her brother's life once, but now they both face a daily fight for survival.Together they escape across India and nearly halfway around the world to England, to find a father they hardly know in a new, hostile culture…A powerful story of culture, class, family and faith set against the backdrop of Indian independence and the Partition of India and Pakistan. Perfect for fans of The Bone Sparrow, Morris Gleitzman’s Once, and Katherine Rundell’s The Wolf Wilder.
The dramatic final volume in the Wheel of Surya trilogy by Whitbread award-winning author of Coram Boy, Jamila Gavin.In 1947 India is rocked by the Independence movement and partition with Pakistan. Their lives disrupted by violence, Jaspal and Marvinder are sent from their Indian village to find their father, who is a student in England. In The Track of the Wind, Jaspal and Marvinder are reunited with their mother in India, but their fight for independence goes on.A story touching on culture, class, faith and family set against the backdrop of Indian independence and the Partition of India and Pakistan. No children’s books about India conveys these issues and themes with the effortless ease of Jamila Gavin. Her diverse voice is the perfect introduction to this period of history, for fans of The Bone Sparrow, Morris Gleitzman's Once, and Katherine Rundell's The Wolf Wilder.
The dramatic second story in the Surya Trilogyby Whitbread award-winning Jamila Gavin, author of Coram Boy.India 1948. “The light has gone out of our world.” Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated. In India, chaos and turmoil reign. In England, Jaspal and Marvinder’s father is in prison. Jaspal cannot forgive him, and longs to return to his village in the Punjab where he feels he belongs. Marvinder has found friends, her first love, and her gift as a violinist. But how can she ignore her mother’s voice calling her back to India? She is torn between two worlds.A story of thesearch for reconciliation, the sequel to Wheel of Surya is a beautifullycrafted story sets against the backdrop of Indian independence and thePartition of India and Pakistan. No children’s books about India conveysthese issues and themes with the effortless ease of Jamila Gavin. Her diversevoice is the perfect introduction to this period of history, for fansof The Bone Sparrow, Morris Gleitzman's Once, and KatherineRundell's The Wolf Wilder.