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Escape from Amritsar

by Bali Rai

Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 8+

Published by Bloomsbury, 2025

  • Coming-of-age
  • Historical
  • Thriller

About this book

It’s April 1919. In the city of Amritsar in Northern India, tensions between the local population and the British rulers have been rising for longer than Arjan can remember. But last night the city burned amid riots, chaos and bloodshed. 

And Arjan’s father was arrested and taken away by soldiers.  

When it becomes clear that, despite his innocence, his father will not be released but is due to be transported to Lahore where he will face imprisonment, and possibly death, Arjan is determined to rescue him. But how?  

In this vivid and nail-biting account of one boy’s determination to get justice in an unjust world, Arjan finds help in unexpected places, but it is his absolute commitment to his family that shines through. 

Exploring one of the dark chapters in the history of the British Empire, this is a story of repression, and the desperation of the British to hang on to power, condensed into the events of just one day. 

At 100 pages, this is a short, accessible and instantly engaging book which is ideal for Key Stage 2 class projects and discussions as well as being a great addition to any school or home library. 

About the author

Bali Rai was born in 1971 and raised as a working class Punjabi in Leicester. He grew up in a deprived area of Leicester, a city which is almost unique in terms of cultural mix and his style of writing is firmly grounded in the reality that he has seen around him since he was a child. The senior school he attended was about 80% BAME - 20% white children in terms of ethnic makeup.

Bali Rai has been writing short stories and poetry since the age of eight. As a child he made up wild and exciting stories and his imagination has been vivid ever since. At school he excelled at English language and told his teachers that he would one day be a writer.

He left school with eight GCSE’s and English was always his favourite subject. After school he did three a-levels at a local sixth form - none of which was English Literature, which he now regrets. He went on to graduate from Southbank University in London with a 2:1 in politics and since then he has had various jobs in retail, cinema, and telesales and has kept a keen, almost obsessive, interest in current affairs.

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