The Hidden Story of Estie Noor

by Nadine Aisha Jassat

No one wanted to hear Estie's side of the story. Now she's on a mission to make sure the truth is heard . . . A page-turning mystery novel in verse about identity, friendship and learning to use your voice, with accessible text and beautiful illustrations throughout.

When twelve-year-old Estie is expelled from school, she's sent to stay with her aunt in Scotland over the summer. Even though nobody, not even her mum, asked to hear her side of the story.

Estie's determined to keep her barriers up and stick to herself until the holidays are over. But when she comes across an intricately folded paper castle with a secret message written inside - a message from someone desperate to tell their own unbelieved story - a chord is struck, and Estie can't help but follow the clues to the next piece of artwork. Who are these messages from? And what will their secret reveal about the town?

In helping to uncover the anonymous artist's truth, Estie just might find the words to tell her own. . .

Genres: Muslims

348 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 9, 2024

About the author

Nadine Aisha Jassat is the author of poetry collection Let Me Tell You This, described by Nikita Gill (The Girl and The Goddess) as 'beautifully written, immense and full of passion'. She is the author of two middle-grade mystery novels in verse: The Stories Grandma Forgot (And How I Found Them) described by Sophie Anderson (The House With Chicken Legs) as ‘one of those books that truly makes the world a better place,' and The Hidden Story of Estie Noor, described by Maisie Chan (Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths) as a ‘warm hug of a book', where 'finding the power of telling your own story is central to this joyful tale of kindness and community.’

Nadine has taught and performed internationally and across media, including BBC Scotland’s The Big Scottish Book Club and Author’s Live. She has been published widely, and features in popular anthologies such as Picador’s It’s Not About the Burqa (Shortlisted for Foyles Non-Fiction Book of the Year), Polygon’s The People’s City, and Bloodaxe's Staying Human. Her work has drawn significant acclaim, with her writing for adults shortlisted for the Edwin Morgan Poetry Award, a Herald Scottish Culture Award for Outstanding Literature, and winning a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award; and her writing for children longlisted for a UKLA Book Award, shortlisted for an Alexandra Palace Book Award, and more.

Nadine lives in Scotland, and grew up in the North of England with a Yorkshire mum and Zimbabwean Dad. She is of mixed heritage; a heritage which can only be told in stories.

Reviews

[Hannah Rials Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another absolute stunner from Jassat! This is an extraordinary heart warming tale of family, of truth, of mystery and story, and of friendship! I’m easily becoming very obsessed by her verse novels for kids that always deal with whatever topic she’s addressing so sensitively and with such grace. I feel like I’m reading Kate DiCamillo but in verse. Loved it!

[Florence · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly heartwarming and empowering tale of the power of art and stories, and learning how to find the strength to tell your side.
Huge love for toffee sunrises, mango moons, and bean 🐈‍⬛

[Mrs Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a powerful book! I loved this from the beginning. Such an interesting way to write but I loved the flow. I loved meeting the characters and discovering the different truths as it went along. Just amazing!

[Kirin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 384 page middle grade story about a girl finding her voice, while solving a town mystery, one artistic clue at a time. I sought out this book, not only to get lost in the adventure, but primarily, because of the author's name and the character's name in the title. While a few Urdu food words find there way in, there is no Islam (or desi culture) in the book aside from Muslamic sounding names: Rumana, Idris and Zahra Al-Tayeb, Noor. Idris and his family from Sudan might or might not be Muslim, it does mention that his mother, Hawa, wears a head wrap, but that could just as easily be culture or fashion. And through the lens of an Islamic school librarian, the book while well-written and engaging, does come with a few Islamic flags that adults should know about before deciding if the book is appropriate or not for the 8-11 year old readers in their care. There is a piano that features heavily in the story and the music that comes from it, there is also little art sculptures in human form that are being made from newspaper, there is a lesbian couple that run the local bakery, and a bookstore owner writing a gay romance.
The surface story is the adventure of solving the clues and protagonist trusting people after being let down by those that she thought would stand up for her, but the book has layers of finding your story and truth and the voice to speak up for yourself. It also has commentary on racism, and bullying coming from adults, being a good friend, forgiveness, fact checking, and family, both biological and found.
Extra bonus was Idris: a confident, pump-wearing-type one diabetic-checking-in-with-Hawa kid.

[Nic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been meaning to pick this up for a while & then saw a couple of recent reviews which made me go for it.

Estie Noor has been expelled from school. Her relationship with her mum is breaking down. Auntie Ru steps in to take Estie for a couple of weeks- some space from her mum sounds like a good idea. Can a visit to the small Scottish town where her mum grew up help Estie unpick her life and reconnect with people?

Several initriguing mysteries unfold as the stories are told. We find out more about Estie herself, her family’s past, the secrets of Brunstane and the events running up to Estie’s expulsion from school.

A novel told in verse. I thought some of it felt a bit more prosey than some other verse novels I’ve read- but there is a lot of storytelling going on here. I liked the ongoing glossary of terms from different languages from scots to Sudanese Arabic, & multiculturalism is a gorgeous thread that runs through the book.

The book tackles subjects such as the education system, racism, family, heritage, community, the importance of storytelling and is pretty uplifting overall. Prepare to viscerally dislike the villains of the piece. (There’s a teacher in this giving Keedie/ A Kind of Spark’s Miss Murphy a run for her money.)

I look forward to putting this into the hands of kids in my class.

[EveryBooksaTreasure Sarah Nixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in verse, this mystery novel shows the importance of finding your voice and finding the truth.

Estie Noor is sent to Scotland to stay with her Aunt Ru, after being expelled from school. Feeling angry and hurt that no one has listened to her side of the story, Estie attempts to bury the truth about what actually happened in the run up to Mr Morton accusing her of wrong doing. But, with the help of her new friend Idris and a mystery they both uncover and solve, Estie finds a way to tell her story and be heard.

A beautifully set story of friendship, family and finding your voice, and, yourself. The stories scene setting and character descriptions create a small town that the reader feels part of, as the story develops. Who wouldn’t want to live in Brunstane, with its friendly bookshop, cafe, Historical castle and waterfall. A lovely read, that will inspire readers to find their own voice.

Thank you to Net Galley and Hachettekids for the opportunity to read The Hidden Story of Estie Noor prior to its release.

[Farah G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lyrical story about a young girl's coming of age, and how she faces an unexpected challenge. Estie has always got along well with her mother, a single parent from an immigrant community, until an incident at school rocks the foundations of their relationship.

Her mother's failure to understand what is happening, and the lack of a father figure in her life, leads to a situation where Estie goes to stay with her Aunt Rumana, her mother's estranged sister in Brunstane. There she slowly learns to trust again and to rebuild her sense of home through participating in a most unexpected and mysterious quest.

This is a warm, insightful story about family, found family, and the importance of being open to the happy surprises life can offer.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[BookBairn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful verse novel about the power of stories and how we tell those stories. Estie is a brilliant protagonist who is struggling with her own story and past whilst also putting her feet forward and trying to solve the mystery of who "the storyteller" is. The strength of this book is also in the cast of supporting characters: from the detached parent who has lost her way, to the aunt who seems perfect but has a secret, to the best friend (incidentally diabetic - which I loved as I'd never seen this represented in kidlit before), to the nosy gossipy neighbour, the grumpy art dealer and the quirky bookshop owner. I loved the fast-pacing in this and was swept along on an adventure! Highly recommend and can't wait to see what the author writes next!

[Christopher Trend · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story about finding your voice, justice and finding your truth. Focussed on everyone having a story Estie Noor follows clues to find hers. An interesting style in being written in a poetic structure; though I’m not sure if that really works as to me it reads like prose. Still a great book and well worth reading.

[MISS RACHEL · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read – a gripping middle grade adventure that I will happily recommend in my school Library.

Estie goes to stay with her aunt in Scotland after being expelled from school. Only as the story progresses does the reason behind her expulsion gradually get revealed and, as it does, so does the darker side to her experiences of racism at school.

Once in Scotland, Estie teams up with Idris to solve a mystery in their town – in part revolving around the art festival, in part stirring up things from many years past.

This was well written and highlighted different aspects of racism and how it has been experienced by different people at different times.

Thank you to Net Galley and Hachettekids for the opportunity to read The Hidden Story of Estie Noor prior to its release.

[Joyfulls · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is something special. It was so addictive, cosy, and comforting.

[Tarini Govindsamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

So interesting and so fun to read