Naeli and the Secret Song – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Family, friendship, Victorian London, deception.
Children’s book title: Naeli and the Secret Song.
Children’s author: Jasbinder Bilan.
Genre: Children’s fiction.
Published by: Chicken House.
ISBN: 9781915947031.
Recommended for children aged: 8-12 year-olds.
First published: Paperback June 2025.
This children’s book is ideal for: studying the 1870s and exploring the differences between cultures and social classes. It’s also a great choice for readers in the recommended age range who enjoy historical mysteries set in another time period.
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Our review:
Naeli’s greatest passion and talent is playing the violin, and she treasures the special instrument her father gifted to her. When her mother passes away from malaria, Naeli is left completely alone, apart from her ayah, Vanya. Her papa, an English doctor, had returned to his homeland many years earlier when his own father was gravely ill, and no one had heard from him since.
A year later, Naeli receives an unsigned letter containing a ticket to travel to London, some money, and a request that she bring her violin. Determined to discover whether her father has finally made contact, Naeli swallows her fear and begins the long journey.
Travelling by sea takes three months, and Naeli, along with her friend Jack, whom she met as they boarded the ship, wonders what the future holds. Taken first to a pie shop in Bethnal Green, Naeli is put to work, but is no closer to finding her papa. She is then sent to her Uncle Daniel’s home, where she learns that her father is missing, presumed dead, and that her uncle is obsessed with her violin.
After a frightening confrontation, Naeli flees her uncle’s home, locates Jack at his English boarding school, and persuades him to travel with her to her ancestral home in Northumberland. What the two youngsters discover there both shocks and amazes them. Danger lurks around every corner, but Naeli and Jack know that only their bravery and perseverance can prevent a grave miscarriage of justice – if they can find the evidence they need.
Our verdict:
Naeli and the Secret Song is a historical novel that moves seamlessly from India, via a long ocean journey, to Victorian England. The dangers and solutions to the problems faced by Jack and Naeli are revealed gradually, with just enough hints to keep the reader one or two steps ahead. There are still surprises, and, because of the time period, everything the duo wants to do takes time, planning, and courage. There is nowhere easy to find the information they need, nor anyone to help them in their quest, making for a compelling and entertaining read. A glossary might have made some elements clearer, but most things are explained.
The differences between the lives of boys and girls in India during this time are made very clear, and the author’s notes show that she carried out a great deal of research. The presence of British troops, as well as medical and religious workers living in India, changed many lives, often leaving families fragmented or abandoned altogether.
Teaching points and book club discussion ideas:
- Naeli and Jack’s lives were privileged but not easy. Jack hated his English school, but Naeli was more fortunate. What work might she have done had she remained in Hyderabad?
- Naeli and Jack had no easy way to find the information they required. Make a list of all the things they needed to know, including information about the people they met, travel costs and requirements, as well as details about medicines and treatment. How much easier would it have been if they needed that information today? Where would you find these things if there were no internet?
- Naeli’s ayah couldn’t read – how did they decide to keep in touch? In a cross-curricular activity with art, draw a comic strip of Naeli’s adventure so Vanya will know what happened.
- Read a free extract.
Many thanks to Chicken House for the review copy.
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