Find a book
Donate
book cover

The Royal Rebel

by Bali Rai, illustrated by Rachael Dean

Interest age: 9 to 11
Reading age: 8+

Published by Barrington Stoke, 2021

About this book

Set between 1884 and 1928, this short novel is based on the true story of Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, daughter of the last Sikh ruler of the Punjab and goddaughter of Queen Victoria.

Sophia grows up in a lavish Suffolk mansion, yet her childhood is marred by her mother’s depression, her father’s bankruptcy and some devastating bereavements. She moves many times and even attempts to return to India, but Sophia struggles to call anywhere home. As an adult, the princess uses her privileged position to raise money and awareness for many worthy causes, most notably the women’s suffrage movement, where she campaigns tirelessly to help secure votes for British women.

This fascinating tale highlights a troubling period of British history in an accessible manner. It explores the appalling impact of British rule on India, as well as the brutal treatment faced by women in Britain who demanded equality.

The book has a dyslexia-friendly layout, with plenty of space around the text to minimise blurring, a special typeface which avoids confusing letter shapes and thick, tinted paper to ensure words don’t show through the pages and confuse the eye. Black-and-white illustrations border the bottom of each page, providing visual appeal.

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.

More books like this

Explore our Bookfinder
Share this page Twitter Facebook LinkedIn