by Bali Rai
 
Shortlisted Little Rebels Award 2020

Private Fazal Khan leaves his home in India to join Company 32, supporting the British in World War II, including the beach battlefield at Dunkirk. Initially proud to enlist, Fazal begins to question his own loyalty when he starts to encounter hostilities well inside of enemy lines. 1.5 million Indians volunteered towards the UK's efforts during World War 2, forming what is still the biggest volunteer force in modern history. And yet, barely any of those stories are ever heard or told. Now or Never forms part of an important new series -Voices from Scholastic UK (edited by Tony Bradman)- designed to uncover and amplify Black and Minority Ethnic lives in UK History. On being shortlisted for the Little Rebels Award 2020, Bali Rai said about his historical novel "A lot of these stories are unknown...those unheard stories need to be brought to the fore...it's dreadful that we don't understand UK History in the correct way". Age 9-14, paperback 202pp