This was a such a beautiful and emotional read. I was so invested in this and couldn't stop reading. I'm going to buy a copy and make sure as many children in my class as possible read this. I also love books for children written in verse as they make them a much more approachable read for the reluctant readers.

🤎This book is beautiful. I loved the protagonist Estie, and her internal conflict as she tries to reconcile what’s happened to her and the betrayal she feels at her Mum’s dismissal of her story. You gradually uncover what led to her expulsion as she is trying to process her emotions. It’s a story that has family relationships, friendship and community at the very heart.

There are so many interesting and powerful relationships throughout the book. The vibe is extremely Scottish but it also weaves in Estie’s mixed race heritage, micro aggressions and the Sudanese heritage of Idris and his family. It’s a compelling mystery to unravel and lends itself perfectly to the verse structure. I adored it.

Nadine's poetry is so joyful, light, natural, absorbing, that you are swept along on the current of the stories she tells.

“If you’re reading this now, then it means that time has come: to be brave. To expose the crime, and the truth. To free my story.” This has been one of those awesome reads that I wished I’d read in print first! Now I have my own paperback copy, I can really appreciate the layout of the story as it is told through verse, together with the stunning illustrations by one of my favourite creators, and especially the map, newspaper clippings and more! I loved it even without the treats and trimmings!

Without stories we cannot get to the truth, and Estie Noor’s adventure in Scotland away from her turbulent life in England takes her into a world that finally gives her permission to live her life in her own skin, with a community that is filled with love, caring and diversity; plus some family that see her and celebrate her, rebuild her confidence and light. Estie’s is a big story for such a young girl - she’s been expelled from school.

Expelled. Her mum is horrified and closes off, packing Estie off to her sister’s in the small town of Brunstane in Scotland. However Estie is feeling right now (hurt, disconnected, angry, frightened) regular readers will know this means change, a new beginning, and that the author’s got something exciting for us up her ink stained purple sleeves.

All the while Estie battles with coming to terms with and unpicking the events leading up to her expulsion, she is distracted by newfound friendships, especially with her cousin Idris, a quirky kid who loves his made up sayings and also has type 2 diabetes. However, there’s nothing like the local legendary myth-serious cat, Bean, coughing up an key intended for Estie that lands the children with a mystery to solve, filled with paper craft clues hidden around town, for which they must work out the answer to a riddle each time. The town’s annual Art Fair is fast approaching, and the wonderfully community (with LGBTQ+ inclusive characters) are all pulling together - baking cakes, creating fantastic bookshop window displays and more.

There are wisps of Agatha Christie in the nature of local community, everyone’s a suspect, the super sleuths Idris and Estie (after all kinds of plot twists) closing in for the final reveal… While there is a lot of fun going on in the book, this is a story about a child, a child who has suffered incredibly from being educated by a racist teacher, a child who stood up for herself and her belonging and passion to help others learn about people like Maud Sulter, Sophia Duleep Singh, and Jayaben Desai.

“‘Princess Sophia Duleep Singh was one of Britain’s suffragettes. Her father was an Indian maharaja, and her mother had a German father and Ethiopian mother.’ He raised his eyebrows at me. ‘I think you’re confusing your non-fiction with fiction.’ It was like someone had taken all the air from my throat.” Estie made up her mind to review more books that her teacher abhorred hearing about. ‘I think that if we learn about stories from a ... a variety of people with different journeys and experiences ... that it speaks to the journeys within us and ... recognises the equal value and potential of everyone and ...’ … ‘Just because you’ve not heard of a book, doesn’t mean it’s not good,’ I bit back, my voice rising before I even had time to think. ‘You don’t get to define what’s good or not, or whose stories get told.’ Mr Morton’s eyes narrowed. ‘I am the teacher. You are the pupil. OUT. NOW.’”

Estie is blind-sided by her mum not rescuing and supporting her daughter, but believing the teacher’s truth over her own daughter’s. Of course, readers learn more of Estie’s mum’s past together with Estie’s own journey as the tale unfolds, but there is a pain that is palpable through the words and expressions, a pain that needs to be released somehow, whether that’s howling like a wolf into the night sky, or through writing stories for others to learn from, creating artwork, or even taking part in an organised protest.

This is Estie’s STORY and she’s fought the overwhelming narratives around colourism that became the filter for her whole identity. She breaks free and embraces her mixed heritage, her skin, her hair, her power, her creativity, her life re-sets. Her truth matters. Readers get a fast-forward glimpse into Estie’s wonderful life aged 17 at the end of the book too. So lovely.

The author has taken care to leave real the reader with some superb further information about paper sculptures (Edinburgh has its own mystery paper artist, with sculptures appearing anonymously across the city) and many more personal touches to encourage children play with words like Idris, or how to create the perfect hot chocolate, or come up with your own fabulous iced bun design in the footsteps of Linsey and Lyndsey’s lovely bakery in the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful verse novel about the power of stories and how we tell those stories. Estie is a brilliant protagonist who is struggling with her own story and past whilst also putting her feet forward and trying to solve the mystery of who "the storyteller" is. The strength of this book is also in the cast of supporting characters: from the detached parent who has lost her way, to the aunt who seems perfect but has a secret, to the best friend (incidentally diabetic - which I loved as I'd never seen this represented in kidlit before), to the nosy gossipy neighbour, the grumpy art dealer and the quirky bookshop owner. I loved the fast-pacing in this and was swept along on an adventure! Highly recommend and can't wait to see what the author writes next!

A beautifully written mystery verse novel by the immensely talented Nadine Aisha Passat. A story about secrets, treasure, truth and identity.

I didn't finish the book, I stopped after 15%. I did enjoy the bit of it that I read, I just couldn't gel with the writing style

A 384 page middle grade story about a girl finding her voice, while solving a town mystery, one artistic clue at a time. I sought out this book, not only to get lost in the adventure, but primarily, because of the author's name and the character's name in the title. While a few Urdu food words find there way in, there is no Islam (or desi culture) in the book aside from Muslamic sounding names: Rumana, Idris and Zahra Al-Tayeb, Noor. Idris and his family from Sudan might or might not be Muslim, it does mention that his mother, Hawa, wears a head wrap, but that could just as easily be culture or fashion. And through the lens of an Islamic school librarian, the book while well-written and engaging, does come with a few Islamic flags that adults should know about before deciding if the book is appropriate or not for the 8-11 year old readers in their care. There is a piano that features heavily in the story and the music that comes from it, there is also little art sculptures in human form that are being made from newspaper, there is a lesbian couple that run the local bakery, and a bookstore owner writing a gay romance.
The surface story is the adventure of solving the clues and protagonist trusting people after being let down by those that she thought would stand up for her, but the book has layers of finding your story and truth and the voice to speak up for yourself. It also has commentary on racism, and bullying coming from adults, being a good friend, forgiveness, fact checking, and family, both biological and found.
Extra bonus was Idris: a confident, pump-wearing-type one diabetic-checking-in-with-Hawa kid.

This is a lyrical story about a young girl's coming of age, and how she faces an unexpected challenge. Estie has always got along well with her mother, a single parent from an immigrant community, until an incident at school rocks the foundations of their relationship.

Her mother's failure to understand what is happening, and the lack of a father figure in her life, leads to a situation where Estie goes to stay with her Aunt Rumana, her mother's estranged sister in Brunstane. There she slowly learns to trust again and to rebuild her sense of home through participating in a most unexpected and mysterious quest.

This is a warm, insightful story about family, found family, and the importance of being open to the happy surprises life can offer.

As most great verse novels are, this one is filled with BIG emotions. Estie has a lot going on - moving to Scotland is just one of the things she has to contend with, the other is the relationship with her mum. But as things unravel, feelings get bigger and Estie has a lot to deal with.
Beautifully written.
Emma Perry

In the highly competitive world of children’s books Estie Noor stands out - being right at the top. What a cracking story to engage and pull the readers in. The characters in particular are outstanding: developing, changing and letting us see more of their personalities as the story goes on. An absolutely inspirational piece of writing that will have kids smuggling the torches for after lights out reading.

I first discovered this author when I read The Stories Grandma Forgot (and how I found them) several months ago. It was an absolute page turner, a story of hope, heart and family. It was also told in verse, something I have come to appreciate and respect as an art form and incredible way to tell a story.
Spotting Estie Noor on Netgalley, I immediately requested and once downloaded, it was near on impossible to stop reading. Estie has been expelled from school but it hasn’t strengthened her or her relationship with her mum. It has pushed her truth and her voice deep inside. When she is sent to live with her Aunt Ru for the summer, Estie begins to heal and to discover more about herself.

She also learns more about her mum and aunt, fiery sisters who grew up together in a town that adored them. Estie finds a new home and begins to find ways to share her voice and truth. She and new friend Idris, also discover a mystery to be solved. Discovering an intricate paper castle, the pair discover a clue that leads them to a story, a truth needing to be told.

The community around this story is welcoming, diverse, inclusive and they form a family. When secrets are discovered, truths revealed and artists vindicated, the Noor family can finally reunite.

Verse novels have this power to hit right to the heart of the story. Characters are fully formed and share their traits while the plot unfolds quickly and with power. Verse novels are an absolute must for my reading diet and I truly hope for more from Nadine. She writes with a truth about heritage, family and having a voice. I love her style, characters and use of language.

If you haven’t yet discovered the talents of Nadine, then I urge you to visit your local library or bookstore.

Estie has been expelled from school, which would be bad enough, but her mum doesn't even want to hear her side of what happened. Estie goes to stay with Aunt Ru, her mum's sister, who she barely knows, in Brunstane, Scotland. Estie begins to get to know some of the people in her aunt's close-knit community and reluctantly begins to help with preparations for the annual art fair. She meets a local boy of her age, Idris, and together, they discover a mystery, revealing the untold story of a Brunstane resident.

I really enjoyed this story. I liked the variety of the characters, especially Idris and Aunt Ru - I think everyone would benefit from having their own Aunt Ru! Some of the characters, I felt I'd like to know more about (Holly, Zahra and Marve for starters) so I am really hoping that the author plans to revisit Brunstane in the future!

Our Year 6s are particularly enjoying books in verse at the moment and I am looking forward to sharing this one with them.

Written in verse, this mystery novel shows the importance of finding your voice and finding the truth.

Estie Noor is sent to Scotland to stay with her Aunt Ru, after being expelled from school. Feeling angry and hurt that no one has listened to her side of the story, Estie attempts to bury the truth about what actually happened in the run up to Mr Morton accusing her of wrong doing. But, with the help of her new friend Idris and a mystery they both uncover and solve, Estie finds a way to tell her story and be heard.

A beautifully set story of friendship, family and finding your voice, and, yourself. The stories scene setting and character descriptions create a small town that the reader feels part of, as the story develops. Who wouldn’t want to live in Brunstane, with its friendly bookshop, cafe, Historical castle and waterfall. A lovely read, that will inspire readers to find their own voice.

Thank you to Net Galley and Hachettekids for the opportunity to read The Hidden Story of Estie Noor prior to its release.