By Sufiya Ahmed
I was inspired to read this book after finishing The Lion above the Door by Onjali Q Rauf which discusses some of the less well-known people of colour who played an important part in the allies victory of World War two.
This book is part of the ‘My Story’ series which is a collection of historical novels for children published by Scholastic UK. Each book is written as the diary of a person living during an important event in history. It focusses on the life of Noor-un-Nissa Inayat Khan who was a real-life British-Indian World War Two heroine. Written in the first person, it is packed with facts and interesting information about the time as well as teaching you lots of personal details about Noor and her family.
The diary begins in 1927 and describes Noor’s childhood growing up in Paris, France and the death of her father in India. Time then passes and Noor’s diary begins to describe the events of 1940. France is now occupied by Nazi forces and like hundreds of others, Noor’s family is being forced to flee their home.
They seek safety with friends in England but war is drawing closer. Noor is angry that she has had to leave her home and is desperate to stand up to the Nazis who are marching across Europe. She has a job as a nurse caring for the injured soldiers returning from the front but she doesn’t feel like she is really being useful.
After her brother Vilayat joins the navy, she makes up her mind to play her own more active part in the war effort by applying to join the WAAF (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force). She thinks that she will be training to be a wireless operator but Winston Churchill and the Special Operations Executive have bigger plans for her. Noor is going to become an undercover agent in France! Using her knowledge of France and fluent French, she will be smuggled back into France with a new identity so that she can spy on the Nazis and report back to the authorities in London. If the Germans discover who she is and that she is helping the French Resistance then the consequences could be fatal. You will have to read the book yourself to find out about Noor’s experiences and whether she manages to help the allies and survive the war.
My score: 5/5
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