• World All Languages: Andersen Press
  • Published: 6th July 2023
  • Agent: Megan Carroll

Safiyyah’s War

Hiba Noor Khan

Shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing 2024

Winner of the Children’s & YA Jhalak Prize 2024

Shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2024

Shortlisted for the Children’s Fiction Indie Book Award 2024

Perfect reading for fans of Katherine Rundell and Emma Carroll, Safiyyah’s War is a riveting, deeply poignant period novel set in occupied Paris which finds the titular girl engaged in dangerous Resistance work after her father is arrested by the Nazis.

War comes to the streets of Paris and Safiyyah’s life changes for ever. Her best friend’s family have fled, and the bombing makes her afraid to leave the mosque where she lives. But when her father is arrested by the Nazis for his secret Resistance work, it falls to Safiyyah to run the dangerous errands around the city. It’s not long before hundreds of persecuted Jews seek sanctuary at the mosque. Can Safiyyah find the courage to enter the treacherous catacombs under Paris and lead the Jews to safety?

“Safiyyah's War has the soul of a classic and the urgency of a story for our times.”
Kiran Millwood Hargrave
“All at once, Safiyyah's War broke my heart and filled me with immense hope.”
A F Steadman
“Safiyyah is a protagonist I was rooting for all throughout... This book shines through with kindness and empathy at its very heart.”
Nizrana Farook
“Beautifully written, full of compassion and hope, Safiyyah's War is an important and much needed WWII story that puts a spotlight on a rarely heard part of history.”
A M Dassu
“Beautiful, vivid writing . . . A moving story of resistance and unity, the power of community and faith. I absolutely loved it!”
Radiya Hafiza
“Luminously written, this is an extraordinary story of bravery filled with truth and light and hope.”
Katya Balen
“I was swept away by this richly evocative and beautifully told story. Heart-wrenching and hopeful, this is a book that shines a bright light in the darkness.”
Rashmi Sirdeshpande
“A rich and inspiring story full of courage and resistance at the darkest of times.”
Anna Fargher
“I adored this book in all its intricacies.. has the makings of a classic.”
Aisha Bushby
“A beautiful and sensitively written story which will stay with me for a very long time.”
A M Howell
“Luminous prose and a young heroine with 'a spark in her eyes' who dreams of being an explorer make this novel, inspired by the Muslims who sheltered hundreds of Jews in the Grand Mosque in Paris during the French Resistance, a riveting read for children and adults alike.”
New York Times

Awards

  • "Jhalak Prize for Children's & YA 2024"
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Other books by Hiba Noor Khan