My Soul, A Shining Tree
Published on 14. August 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
160 pages
978-0-00-861718-9 (ISBN)
Description
????One of the Telegraph's 50 BEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF ALL TIME????
A stunning and heartbreaking new novel from Jamila Gavin, the bestselling and award-winning author of Coram Boy and The Wheel of Surya.
"Flawless" - Telegraph
"A must-read" - The Times
"Exceptional" - The Bookseller Children's Book of the Month
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 cavalry soldier whose grandiose dreams of war lie in tatters; Khudadad Khan, the gunner fighting with the British Army; and a wild walnut tree.
When Lotte's farm is destroyed in the fighting, she and her sister flee with their young neighbour Michael, to take refuge beneath the walnut tree on the ridge - a ridge currently being defended from the encroaching Germans by Indian gunner Khudadad Khan. There, they are joined by traumatised German soldier Ernst, whose horse lies lost in the trenches of the battle raging below. As their perspectives converge, their shared humanity emerges as a light in the darkness of war, safe beneath the branches of the walnut tree that shelters them all.
A stunning and heartbreaking new novel from Jamila Gavin, the bestselling and award-winning author of Coram Boy and The Wheel of Surya.
"Flawless" - Telegraph
"A must-read" - The Times
"Exceptional" - The Bookseller Children's Book of the Month
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 cavalry soldier whose grandiose dreams of war lie in tatters; Khudadad Khan, the gunner fighting with the British Army; and a wild walnut tree.
When Lotte's farm is destroyed in the fighting, she and her sister flee with their young neighbour Michael, to take refuge beneath the walnut tree on the ridge - a ridge currently being defended from the encroaching Germans by Indian gunner Khudadad Khan. There, they are joined by traumatised German soldier Ernst, whose horse lies lost in the trenches of the battle raging below. As their perspectives converge, their shared humanity emerges as a light in the darkness of war, safe beneath the branches of the walnut tree that shelters them all.
Reviews / Votes
"This is a lyrical, flawless work of writing, in which Gavin seamlessly weaves together her haunting confluence of narratives, creating an epic of less than 150 pages ... Whether you are nine or 90, I cannot recommend this book more highly" - Emily Bearn, Telegraph"A superbly poignant and evocative historical novel from a much-loved author" - Imogen Russell-Williams, Guardian
"A quietly powerful novel that is a must-read for anyone interested in the lives behind the history. Superb" - Lucy Bannerman, The Times
"A sweeping war epic about love and courage ... My Soul, a Shining Tree is a truly exceptional novel" - Charlotte Eyre, The Bookseller
Jamila Gavin is one of our greatest writers" - S.F. Said
Readers are bowled over by this timeless book:
"This is an excellent historical fiction book about the world war. I have never read anything by this author but this book is spectacular." - Suleman, aged 14, Toppsta review
"An essential addition to any secondary school collection of war stories"
"A book that will stay with me and is certainly worthy of countless award nominations"
"Beautiful, heartbreaking and courageous, this is such powerful storytelling!"
"An essential and timely book to add to primary and secondary school library and classroom collections"
"Such a powerful and emotive book is a must-read"
Praise for Never Forget You:
"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
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Target group
Children/juvenile
Interest Age: From 9 years
Product notice
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 195 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
115 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-00-861718-9 (9780008617189)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
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.
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.