"A fascinating story that reveals lots about the past and the present."
May 2025 Debut of the Month
Janeen Hayat’s debut novel tells the stories of four girls, two of whom live in present day England, two who meet in Delhi in 1929.
A family history project at school is the start of a tentative friendship between Evie and Maryam, and the extraordinary discovery that their great-grandmothers, Kathy and Sofia, were close friends, as revealed in coded letters between the two sent during and after the Second World War.
Both sets of girls are equally well-drawn and their stories, while specific to them, show readers so much about British rule in India, the fight for independence, Partition and women’s lives in their great grandmothers’ times. There’s also an equally sensitive and nuanced description of bullying and the courage needed to call it out.
Well-written and skilfully structured, the story holds our attention from start to finish and leaves readers with lots to think about, past and present, and characters to remember.
Evie and Maryam are in the same class at school, uneasily thrown together at the start of a new term as they start a project together looking into their family trees. The two girls don't think they have much in common - Maryam feels like an outsider at school with the other girls whose parents all seem to know each other, and Evie thinks Maryam is a bit odd.
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the best books for 9-12 year olds · the best books for teenagers
Evie and Maryam are in the same class at school, uneasily thrown together at the start of a new term as they start a project together looking into their family trees. The two girls don't think they have much in common - Maryam feels like an outsider at school with the other girls whose parents all seem to know each other, and Evie thinks Maryam is a bit odd.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Evie and Maryam's Family Tree and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
Evie and Maryam's Family Tree features in the following genres: Featured Books for 9+ readers, Featured Books for 11+ readers, Debuts of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Stories about Family and Friends, Historical Fiction, School Stories, People / Places, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Countries, cultures and national identity, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s / Teenage: General interest, Shortlisted for The Week Junior Book Award
Paperback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
Evie and Maryam's Family Tree was written by Janeen Hayat and published by Guppy Books an imprint of Guppy Publishing Ltd
Evie and Maryam's Family Tree has 345 pages
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.
