The Time Travellers series by Sufiya Ahmed continues to take an honest look at history, celebrating the people and cultures who have been ignored in the Western perspective. Readers are encouraged to think about what empire and trade actually meant for those whose lands were being invaded and the lasting impact of this exploitation.
In Secrets and Spies, we join Suhana, Mia and Ayaan on a visit to the Scottish Museum in Edinburgh. As they wonder how intriguing artefacts from 18th century India have ended up in a Scottish museum, their time travel app whisks them away. They end up in 1799 and they’re no longer in Edinburgh – they’re in a royal court in India that has been surrounded by the East India Company. A battle is looming and lives are in danger. Their mission: to save the young princess. But who is this princess? Why does she need to be saved? What impact will she have on the future?
As the three time travellers face danger, battles and the looting of treasure, they learn so much about the time period. The food, customs, clothing, worries and dreams of the people come to life all around them. They are forced to look at history again from a new point of view, applying what they’ve learned in Islamic classes at the mosque in their own time and their growing realisation that certain people have been ignored in the pages of history. They won’t let that happen this time. Their young princess and her descendants are too important.
This series challenges readers to think carefully about the history they learn at school and in the museums they visit. An extended section at the end of the book presents facts about India and the British Empire, biographies of Princess Casimebi and her great grandaughter Noor-un-Nissa Inayat Khan who became a WWII spy. Their determination and courage deserve a place in history as much as anyone else. Readers are prompted to ask questions, consider who is being presented – and who is being excluded. It’s through stories like this that everyone will become more aware of the global story in our history – not just the conquests of the British.
Thank you to Little Tiger for a copy of this powerful book.
You can read my review of the first book in the series, Adventure Calling, below.
Click on the cover below to find out more or purchase on-line from Bookshop.org:
Click on the cover below to find out more or purchase on-line from Amazon:
Books by Kate Heap:
Click on the image to purchase from Bookshop.org:
Purchase from Amazon:
Disclosure: If you buy books using the links above, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org whose fees support independent bookshops. As an Amazon Associate, Scope for Imagination earns from qualifying purchases.
Scope for Imagination 