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A Sudden Storm
It's Arjan's sixteenth birthday and he's celebrating with his mates – going to see a film and then get a Nando's. He's looking forward to some good banter and wondering what might happen with Jem, who's been looking at him differently these days …
But the night comes to a dramatic and violent end when Arjan is targeted by a group of racist thugs, who single him out due to the colour of his skin and the turban that he wears as a symbol of his commitment to his faith and culture.
Is the life of a good friend and beloved son really worth so little?
But the night comes to a dramatic and violent end when Arjan is targeted by a group of racist thugs, who single him out due to the colour of his skin and the turban that he wears as a symbol of his commitment to his faith and culture.
Is the life of a good friend and beloved son really worth so little?
- GenresYoung Adult
72 pages, Paperback
First published October 5, 2023
11 people want to read
About the author
Bali Rai
80 books72 followersBali Rai was born in 1971 and grew up in Leicester. As a child, Bali wanted to be a footballer or to write stories. Always an avid reader, he hails Sue Townsend, Douglas Adams and Robert Swindells as his writing heroes. Bali grew up reading Dr Seuss and Meg and Mog and his first book purchase was The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. He realised he wasn't good enough to play for Liverpool F.C. and after gaining a politics degree in London he returned to his home city and combined a variety of jobs in pubs and clubs with completing his first novel. Bali set about writing a story he had been thinking about for many years. He wanted to write accessible material for children of all ages and backgrounds and realising there were no British Asian authors writing for children, he saw a gap. Bali hopes his novels capture the unique ethnic mix of the UK, of which he is proud to be a part.
Bali writes stories inspired by his working class Punjabi/Sikh background, but his aim was always that his writing should be enjoyed by readers everywhere, irrespective of class or culture. His has the ability to tackle the harsh realities of growing up in the UK and blend this with humour and often a overriding optimism. Bali visits schools and libraries in every major UK city, averaging 70 school and library events a year.
His first book, (un)arranged marriage, created a huge amount of interest and won many awards, including the Angus Book Award and the Leicester Book of the Year. It was also shortlisted for the prestigious Branford Boase first novel award. Rani and Sukh and The Whisper were both shortlisted for the Booktrust Teenage Prize.
All of Bali’s teen titles have been short-listed for awards across the UK, including twice making the Booktrust Teenage Prize shortlist. His third novel Rani and Sukh has represented the UK at the International IBBY awards and this title has its own Facebook tribute group set up by fans. Bali’s first three novels appear in The Ultimate Teenage Book Guide. Bali also writes shorter novels for Barrington Stoke, his first book, Dream On, was selected for the Booktrust’s inaugural Booked Up list. He also writes the hugely popular Soccer Squad series for younger readers.
Bali writes stories inspired by his working class Punjabi/Sikh background, but his aim was always that his writing should be enjoyed by readers everywhere, irrespective of class or culture. His has the ability to tackle the harsh realities of growing up in the UK and blend this with humour and often a overriding optimism. Bali visits schools and libraries in every major UK city, averaging 70 school and library events a year.
His first book, (un)arranged marriage, created a huge amount of interest and won many awards, including the Angus Book Award and the Leicester Book of the Year. It was also shortlisted for the prestigious Branford Boase first novel award. Rani and Sukh and The Whisper were both shortlisted for the Booktrust Teenage Prize.
All of Bali’s teen titles have been short-listed for awards across the UK, including twice making the Booktrust Teenage Prize shortlist. His third novel Rani and Sukh has represented the UK at the International IBBY awards and this title has its own Facebook tribute group set up by fans. Bali’s first three novels appear in The Ultimate Teenage Book Guide. Bali also writes shorter novels for Barrington Stoke, his first book, Dream On, was selected for the Booktrust’s inaugural Booked Up list. He also writes the hugely popular Soccer Squad series for younger readers.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 4, 2023
Barrington Stoke quite often produce books that touch upon real world subjects, and will deal with important issues or subjects that young readers should be aware of. Most of the time this is done through stories that have happy endings, that feel like adventure stories, and the notes at the end of the book go over the real world influence and let younger readers know that there's some truth in what they've just read. On occasion, however, a book will come along that doesn't have a happy ending, that ends up hitting hard and makes the lesson it's trying to impart impossible to ignore. A Sudden Storm is one of these stories.
The story centres on Arjan, a young boy who's celebrating turning sixteen. Despite offering to stay home with his parents to help his dad do a few jobs around the house, Arjan has a fun night ahead of him and his friends. He's planning to meet up with them, watch a cheesy action movie, and then head out for a meal after; and hopefully see what happens with Jem, the girl that he likes. On his way home that day Arjan is almost hit by a van when he goes to cross the street. If that wasn't bad enough, the men in the van racially abuse him for wearing a turban, yelling at him that he's an immigrant even though he was born in England, and calling him a terrorist.
Despite this, Arjan tries to not let it ruin his day, and continues with his plans to see his friends. He puts on some nice clothes, a snazzy red turban that his family and friends say makes him look great. He's full of energy and happiness at getting to be with his friends, and things are going great until they head for a meal after their movie. At the restaurant one of the men from the van is there, and continues to abuse him in the bathroom, calling him a terrorist, telling him that it's wrong for him to be friends with a white girl, and throwing racial slurs at him. Arjan once again tries to ignore this, doesn't respond in anger, and continues to enjoy his evening.
Unfortunately, Arjan and his friends decide to walk back rather than get the bus, and it leads to tragic circumstances. The man from the van is back, and he's got a group of friends with him. He chases after Arjan and his friends, and Arjan is beaten to death by them. The book ends in violence, with the last thing Arjan sees is the man insulting him before kicking him to death. The final chapter of the book is a last message from Arjan, his spirit lamenting the events of that night, wondering why people would become so hateful to him, why his life had to end just because they didn't like who he was.
The authors note at the end of the book tells readers about Ricky Reel, a young British Sikh man who went missing after a racially motivated attack in London in 1997. After being missing for a week Ricky's body was found in the Thames. The police initially ruled his death an accident, claiming the racist attack on him played no part in it, and it wasn't until his family campaigned further that the police would even consider that he'd been murdered.
A Sudden Storm follows a very similar path to Ricky's story, and the end chapter very much implies that Arjan, like Ricky, is dumped in the river following his murder. It's a harsh and brutal end to the story, one that you're half expecting to end in a happy way, with a lesson about never responding to racist bullying with violence, and how Arjan is the better man because of his actions. But sadly there are times in life when you just don't get a happy ending. And children need to hear that too.
I'm sure that there will be some parents learning about what this book is and thinking that they'll not be letting their kids read it because its sad, because it has racism and violence in it. But whilst there are children growing up who have to live with racism and violence thrown their way, whilst there are people who worry about their safety when they leave their home because they could become a target just for who they are everyone should hear stories like this; even children. If we refuse to show kids this kind of reality, if they don't learn how cruel and awful racism is, if they don't grow up learning that even if someone looks different to you they're still people with lives then people will turn a blind eye to things. They'll look the other way when someone is abused and degraded. They may even grow up to be the ones doing it.
A Sudden Storm is a book that will leave young readers feeling bad I'm sure, but it might also be one of the more important books that Barrington Stoke has produced. Yes, the books that teach about environmentalism and protecting the planet are important, but I can't help but feel that, sadly, this is the one that will be the most relatable and relevant to most of their lives. Racism and bigotry are very much real and alive in the world today, and young readers need to be aware of that.
As with other Barrington Stoke books A Sudden Storm comes with illustrations, provided by David Shephard. The illustrations are in black and white, and accompany key points in the narrative. Most of them show the happy parts of the story, Arjan and his father laughing and joking, his mother helping him get ready for his birthday night out, his friends hanging out with him, Jem and him flirting with each other. They show the joy and the good times that he gets to have. But they also show the bad. We see him being screamed at by racists, we see the man who kills him chasing after him. We see the terror on Arjan's face moments before he dies. The illustrations help to tell the tragedy of his story, and will help younger readers connect with him and events more.
A Sudden Storm is a hard book to read, but one that's well worth the time to do so. It teaches important lessons to younger readers, even if there's a very good chance that it will leave a harsh impression upon them. Stories like this need to be told.
The story centres on Arjan, a young boy who's celebrating turning sixteen. Despite offering to stay home with his parents to help his dad do a few jobs around the house, Arjan has a fun night ahead of him and his friends. He's planning to meet up with them, watch a cheesy action movie, and then head out for a meal after; and hopefully see what happens with Jem, the girl that he likes. On his way home that day Arjan is almost hit by a van when he goes to cross the street. If that wasn't bad enough, the men in the van racially abuse him for wearing a turban, yelling at him that he's an immigrant even though he was born in England, and calling him a terrorist.
Despite this, Arjan tries to not let it ruin his day, and continues with his plans to see his friends. He puts on some nice clothes, a snazzy red turban that his family and friends say makes him look great. He's full of energy and happiness at getting to be with his friends, and things are going great until they head for a meal after their movie. At the restaurant one of the men from the van is there, and continues to abuse him in the bathroom, calling him a terrorist, telling him that it's wrong for him to be friends with a white girl, and throwing racial slurs at him. Arjan once again tries to ignore this, doesn't respond in anger, and continues to enjoy his evening.
Unfortunately, Arjan and his friends decide to walk back rather than get the bus, and it leads to tragic circumstances. The man from the van is back, and he's got a group of friends with him. He chases after Arjan and his friends, and Arjan is beaten to death by them. The book ends in violence, with the last thing Arjan sees is the man insulting him before kicking him to death. The final chapter of the book is a last message from Arjan, his spirit lamenting the events of that night, wondering why people would become so hateful to him, why his life had to end just because they didn't like who he was.
The authors note at the end of the book tells readers about Ricky Reel, a young British Sikh man who went missing after a racially motivated attack in London in 1997. After being missing for a week Ricky's body was found in the Thames. The police initially ruled his death an accident, claiming the racist attack on him played no part in it, and it wasn't until his family campaigned further that the police would even consider that he'd been murdered.
A Sudden Storm follows a very similar path to Ricky's story, and the end chapter very much implies that Arjan, like Ricky, is dumped in the river following his murder. It's a harsh and brutal end to the story, one that you're half expecting to end in a happy way, with a lesson about never responding to racist bullying with violence, and how Arjan is the better man because of his actions. But sadly there are times in life when you just don't get a happy ending. And children need to hear that too.
I'm sure that there will be some parents learning about what this book is and thinking that they'll not be letting their kids read it because its sad, because it has racism and violence in it. But whilst there are children growing up who have to live with racism and violence thrown their way, whilst there are people who worry about their safety when they leave their home because they could become a target just for who they are everyone should hear stories like this; even children. If we refuse to show kids this kind of reality, if they don't learn how cruel and awful racism is, if they don't grow up learning that even if someone looks different to you they're still people with lives then people will turn a blind eye to things. They'll look the other way when someone is abused and degraded. They may even grow up to be the ones doing it.
A Sudden Storm is a book that will leave young readers feeling bad I'm sure, but it might also be one of the more important books that Barrington Stoke has produced. Yes, the books that teach about environmentalism and protecting the planet are important, but I can't help but feel that, sadly, this is the one that will be the most relatable and relevant to most of their lives. Racism and bigotry are very much real and alive in the world today, and young readers need to be aware of that.
As with other Barrington Stoke books A Sudden Storm comes with illustrations, provided by David Shephard. The illustrations are in black and white, and accompany key points in the narrative. Most of them show the happy parts of the story, Arjan and his father laughing and joking, his mother helping him get ready for his birthday night out, his friends hanging out with him, Jem and him flirting with each other. They show the joy and the good times that he gets to have. But they also show the bad. We see him being screamed at by racists, we see the man who kills him chasing after him. We see the terror on Arjan's face moments before he dies. The illustrations help to tell the tragedy of his story, and will help younger readers connect with him and events more.
A Sudden Storm is a hard book to read, but one that's well worth the time to do so. It teaches important lessons to younger readers, even if there's a very good chance that it will leave a harsh impression upon them. Stories like this need to be told.
July 23, 2024
From reading this book I learnt about how cruel people can be for things as simple as being different culturally. In Sudden Storm, the main character is an Indian Sikh, born and raised in England. During the book he has an encounter with two racists who insult him for his turban: “Probably can’t hear with that nappy on your head, what are you? Taliban?” This question voices the ignorance of the men, showing blatant racism and disdain towards a kid, simply for having a different look, and culture to them. It also foreshadows the later encounter that the protagonist has later at the end of the book and The writer tries to make you understand how this may feel for the person on the receiving end, even if it is just some insults. The writer makes you understand this so that when cases like these happen in real life, people know to stand up and not let it happen. By doing this we can avoid tragedies such as ones described in this book and save lives. During the book when Arjan, the main character, is being chased by the racists, he makes it very clear that he is in distress and when he tries to cross the road to escape, nobody comes to his aid. The writer does this to try to teach you to be more aware of your surroundings in case of a situation like this. So that if and when it happens, you can help make a difference and possibly stop a tragedy from occurring. Even though this book is fictional, it is heavily inspired by similar cases of murder and racism. For example the book is based on the death of Ricky Reel, whose body washed up in the River Thames. The true cause of his death was never officially stated but he is believed to be a victim of racially motivated murder. This is a real life example of the ignorance and cruelty of humans for something as insignificant as a piece of headwear.
May 8, 2025
This book didn't even take me that long probably atleast 10 minutes. But wow Bali Rai is such a good author the way he writes is just amazing. The fact that it was his 16th birthday and he was just celebrating with his friends like a normal person actually breaks my heart. I kinda knew where this was going but I loved the idea of the main character being a Sikh. It just spreads the awareness of racism and being whichever race shouldn't be another person's problem. None of his friends deserved that. Jem and Arjun are cute I mean I wanted to know if they ever got together but it was a good book. I enjoyed it....
December 6, 2023
A brilliant, hard-hitting book for young people about a young boy who suffers a racist attack while out with friends, targeted by racist yobs for being Sikh and wearing his turban. This book is inspired by the sadly true story of Ricky Reel who was a victim of a hate crime in 1999.
October 28, 2024
Young adult fiction: simple story with economic prose following racial violence in the UK. Pictures also feature to support writing with large font and spacing in a 70 page novella. Engaging characters that buzz a bit and feel of the contemporary setting.
November 18, 2024
A dark & disturbing tale, based on a real tragedy. This is not an easy book to read but could well be used to spark discussions and conversations.
April 4, 2025
Too short
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews