When Nush swaps clothes with her brother and takes his place on the very special trip that her father, the Maharaja, is taking to visit Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace she finds herself on an adventure of a lifetime.
While the Maharaja's mission is to persuade the Queen of England to curb the activities of the British East India Company, Nush’s mission is more direct: she plans to steal back the precious emerald which the British East India Company stole in the past. Feisty Nush keeps her eyes open at all times but will she ever find what she is looking for?
Jasbindar Bilan’s thrilling and lightly told adventure captures the powerful heritage that Nush comes from and the fun she has playing with the royal children.
A stunning new historical children's novel from Costa Award-winning author of Asha & the Spirit Bird.
Anushka is furious. As princess of an Indian kingdom, she has watched the British East India Company take land and her family's most divine jewel – an emerald the size of an apple. So when her father, the Maharaja, decides to visit Queen Victoria at Buckinham Palace, Nush goes too – determined to bring back the gem that can heal her country.
A fabulous new historical direction from Costa-winning and Waterstones-shortlisted author, Jasbinder Bilan. Themes of colonialism and identity, mixed with an action-packed royal mystery.
'A gorgeous sumptuous read from a master storyteller.' - Hannah Gold
'A jewel of a book - shining light on historical events through memorable characters and a pacy plot.' - Booktrust
'Utterly enchanting, whilst unashamedly exploring the crucial themes of feminism, equality and colonialism.' - Joseph Elliott
Praise for Jasbinder Bilan:
‘A light-filled, huge-hearted delight.’ - Katherine Rundel
'Atmospheric, dreamy, charged with wonder and menace, loss, sorrow and delight.’ - Times Literary Supplement
‘Beautifully written, richly atmospheric and touchingly spiritual.’ - Daily Mail
Author
About Jasbinder Bilan
Jasbinder Bilan was born in India, close to the Himalayas, before moving to Nottingham as a child. She graduated from Bath Spa University and has gone on to write several books for children, winning a plethora of awards for her work. Her debut novel Asha and the Spirit Bird was awarded the Times/Chicken House Prize and the Costa Children’s Book Award, as well as being shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, longlisted for the Jhalak Prize and nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Jasbinder is also an active member of Authors4Oceans, an organisation campaigning to clean our oceans of plastic.
