My Soul, a Shining Tree

by Jamila Gavin

Based on the true story of Indian WWI gunner and recipient of the Victoria Cross, Khudadad Khan. The story is told from four Lotte, a Belgian farmgirl whose village is the flashpoint for a battle; Ernst, a German teenage infantry soldier whose grandiose dreams of war lie in tatters; Khudadad Khan, the gunner fighting with the British Army; and the walnut tree that shelters them all.

Genres: Middle Grade, Historical

Paperback

About the author

Jamila Gavin was born in Mussoorie, India, in the foothills of the Himalayas, to an Indian father and an English mother. Jamila has written many books with multicultural themes for children and young adults. She won the Whitbread Children’s Book Award in 2000 and was runner-up for the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. Her work has been adapted for stage and television. Jamila Gavin lives in England.

Reviews

[Flora Mercer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poignant story of war - the human reality and emotions

[Lio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Adding three extra characters to a short story does not a novel make. 🙃

[Mahi Aggarwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of those stories that stays with you even after you finish reading. It takes us back to the First World War and shows how different people’s lives were changed forever. What I liked most is that it doesn’t just show one side of the war, but many voices together.

We meet Lotte, a young Belgian girl, who loses her family and her home when the Germans invade. Reading about her struggles to protect her sister and survive made me feel so emotional. Then there is Ernst, a German boy who goes to war with excitement, believing he will be a hero. But soon, he learns how harsh and painful the reality of fighting really is. And Khudadad Khan, an Indian soldier, touched me the most. He left his home, fought with courage, and still faced unfair treatment. His story reminded me how many sacrifices by Indian soldiers often remain forgotten.

The shining tree in the book is such a powerful image. It felt like a silent witness to everything - the loss, the suffering, the courage, and also the small sparks of hope. It shows that even in the darkest times, something can stand strong.

The book is not easy to read emotionally because it shows the truth of war ~ the deaths, the fear, the broken families. But it is beautifully written and very meaningful. It makes us think about the cost of war, especially on children and ordinary people who just want to live in peace.

For me, this book is not only about war, but also about humanity, courage, and survival. It left me sad, thoughtful, and also grateful. I think this is a book every reader should pick up at least once, because it makes you feel the pain of the past and understand it in a very real way, made you think about the cost of war and how ordinary people, had to go through so much

[Milly Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Children’s Fiction category winner in this year’s Nero Book Awards. I really enjoyed this and believe that children should be told about WW1 - the old saying that we learn from the past. This is told in 4 voices. We have Lotte, a young Belgian child. She and her little sister are separated from their mother when the Germans invade - her father had already enlisted to fight. We have Ernst, a young German boy who lies about his age to enlist, believing that he will be a her0. He is excited to fight. We have Khudadad Khan (KK), an Indian soldier who is fighting for the British. And we also have the voice of the walnut tree that stands on the edge of Lotte’s family farm. Giving the youngster a voice shows the effect of war on children. The fear and the hunger. Lotte and her sister are resilient little characters that you adore, but Ernst you feel for. This young German boy was so eager to join the army but the reality was more that he could bear. His emotion, his terror are so sad to read. As for KK, he is another soldier that you feel emotion for, his desire to help ‘little England’ and the horrors that he faces. As for the walnut tree, this is the witness to all that is good and bad about humanity. It sees loss, courage and fear. It provides food with its walnuts and shelter under its branches. I hope that this beautifully written book will make young readers think about the human cost of war because it does show the reailty - the broken families, death and fear. It doesn’t sugar coat the message for a young audience.

[Katy Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on real lives, moving WWI connected stories.

This had me in tears a few times, as such stories often do. Three individuals, so very different but connected by experience, location and loss.

Belgian farmgirl Lotte climbs her walnut tree and sees Germans approaching as 1918 events spread outward and Europe begins to be affected. Connected to her and her acquaintances is German schoolboy Ernst, with family in Lotte's village but his father's background means he's been trained in a military school and at 15 is ready for the excitement of war. And KK, Khudadad Khan is an Indian ready to fight for his British Empire, sent to Belgium with his countryman.

Their intertwining narratives give us multiple perspectives on the war. I wasn't convinced with the 'walnut tree' motif and centre of the story, I didn't think this was needed really, the stories were enough. Seeing evacuation as well as the horrors 0f war (thankfully not graphically described for the age group) gave a lot of information about WWI - evacuation TO England maybe not something young readers will know about compared to the evacuation stories they'll have heard of from WWII.

This was quite short but still emotional and resonant. Letters home, the male and female stories of young people to empathise with, it teaches a lot and was a great example of stories from the period.

For ages 10 and above.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

🪾My Soul, a Shining Tree by Jamila Gavin🪾


🪾 An informative and beautifully written WW1 story, where a walnut tree in Belgium centred the story and united the characters, regardless of their differences.

🪾 I think my Year 6 class will like this book, as we have just been learning about World War 1 and used John McCrae’s, Flanders Fields for inspiration. There is a lot of historical and geographical language, which older children would enjoy.

🪾 I particularly liked having the point of view of the children and how war affected each of them differently. You really got a sense of the poverty they would have endured. For example, ‘stealing’ food from their neighbours. Also, how propaganda was used to recruit such young lambs to the slaughter. Some of the scenes are quite shocking, but not too gory for upper key stage two.

🪾 This is my first Jamila Gavin book and I would definitely read another. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Sarah H · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read from a perspective of 3 narrators, each starkly different, where they come together under a century old walnut tree, during WW1. The tree briefly becomes the narrator too, adding a fourth voice. I liked the thoughtful quotes added, to give a young reader time to contemplate, and the situation where the Begium family had married from Germany and had the horror of family members fighting both sides to deal with, although it wasn't explored enough in my opinion.
The writing style of this author is rich, although I feel the flow sometimes judders. In my edition a date was written as 2014 instead of 1914, which threw me off, as I was thinking has it jumped into the future and old relatives are coming to find ww1 graves.
The conclusion also threw me off as why 3 children were approaching the walnut tree? Did Michel return to Belgium too?

[Mugdha Mahajan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once, in the middle of a terrible war, four very different voices had a story to tell. A brave soldier far from home, a farm girl who just wanted peace, a boy who thought war was a game until he saw the truth, and a great old walnut tree that stood tall and watched it all.

This book doesn’t just tell history- it feels like sitting under that tree and listening to their voices one by one. It shows how scary war can be, but also how courage, kindness, and hope can shine even in the darkest times.

It’s the kind of story that makes you think about the world, but in a way that even young readers can understand and feel.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Feel like this was trying to do too much in two few pages

[Gemma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

[Vonprice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful and poignant WWI story for anyone aged 10+
You can read my review here: http://vsviewfromthebookshelves.home....