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Hiba Noor Khan

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Hiba Noor Khan
Alma mater

Hiba Noor Khan is an English children's author and physics teacher. Her middle grade historical fiction novel Safiyyah's War (2023) won a 2024 Jhalak Prize among other accolades.

Early life and education

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Of Pakistani descent, Khan grew up in Essex[1] and attended Chelmsford County High School for Girls (CCHS).[2] She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Manchester in 2014.[3] She completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PCGE) at Keble College, Oxford in 2015.[4] She later pursued a Master of Arts (MA) in Global Diplomacy at SOAS University of London.[5]

Career

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Khan worked as a school physics teacher in Lancashire[3] and as an aid worker in Tanzania and Turkey.[6] She assisted in policy research for the 2015 Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life.[7]

In 2019, Khan was commissioned to write an installment of Penguin Random House's Extraordinary Lives series about Malala Yousafzai.[8] Via Macmillan, Khan published her first picture book The Little War Cat in 2020, with illustrations provided by fellow CCHS alumnus Laura Chamberlain. Khan had been inspired by the true story of Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel, an Aleppo ambulance driver who rescued over 30 cats during the Syrian Civil War.[6][9]

Khan then wrote the non-fiction picture book Inspiring Inventors Who Are Changing Our Future (2022) for Walker Books' People Power series, illustrated by Salini Perera.[10] Macmillan also picked up Khan's physics book How to Spaghettify Your Dog (2023), illustrated by Harry Woodgate and another non-fiction work One Home: Eighteen Stories of Hope from Young Activists, illustrated by Rachael Dean.[11]

At the start of 2023, Andersen Press acquired the rights to publish Khan's debut middle grade novel Safiyyah's War later that year.[12] Told from the perspective of an 11-year-old Muslim girl, the novel is based on the true story of how the Grand Mosque of Paris during World War II protected Jews by forging identity documents and allowing them to seek shelter in the catacombs.[13][14] Safiyyah's War won the 2024 Jhalak Prize[15] and an Indie Book Award for Children's Fiction.[16] It was also shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal[17] and the Branford Boase Award.[18]

Khan is set to reunite with Andersen Press for the release of her second novel The Line They Drew Through Us in 2025.[19]

Bibliography

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Fiction

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  • The Little War Cat (2020)
  • Safiyyah's War (2023)
  • The Line They Drew Through Us (2025)

Non-fiction

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  • The Extraordinary Life of Malala Yousafzai (2019) (part of Extraordinary Lives series)
  • Inspiring Inventors Who Are Changing Our Future (2022) (part of People Power series)
  • How to Spaghettify Your Dog (2023)
  • One Home: Eighteen Stories of Hope from Young Activists (2024)

Accolades

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Year Award Category Title Result Ref
2024 Jhalak Prize Children's and Young Adult Safiyyah's War Won [15][20]
Carnegie Medal Shortlisted [17]
Indie Book Awards (UK) Children's Fiction Won [16]
Branford Boase Award Shortlisted [18]
The Week Junior Book Awards Children's Book of the Year – Older Fiction Won [21]
Children's Book of the Year – STEM How to Spaghettify Your Dog Shortlisted [22][a]
Kirkus Prize Middle Grade Safiyyah's War Pending [23]

Notes

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  1. ^ Shared with Harry Woodgate

References

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  1. ^ Khan, Hiba Noor (11 January 2024). "How Reconnecting With My Culture Helped Me Reclaim My Faith". Amaliah. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  2. ^ "More News from Former Students..." (PDF). Chelmsford County High School for Girls: Alumnae Newsletter. 2020. p. 17. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b Javed, Saman (31 August 2023). "Hiba Noor Khan Q&A: 'I want to shed light on the forgotten heroes of the past'". Hyphen. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  4. ^ "Matriculation: At Graduate Level" (PDF). The Record: 2014/15. p. 14. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  5. ^ "Hiba Noor Khan". Aziz Foundation. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Writing for children: Hiba Noor Khan". The Asian Writer. 25 February 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  7. ^ "Hiba Noor Khan". Watson Little. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Extraordinary Lives". Penguin Books. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  9. ^ Nettleton, Louise A (27 September 2020). "The Little War Cat by Hiba Noor Khan and Laura Chamberlain (Review)". Book Murmuration. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  10. ^ "Hiba Noor Khan & Salini Perera". ReadingZone. September 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  11. ^ "Trio of Khan titles go to MCB and Walker". Watson, Little (WL). 27 August 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  12. ^ Kemp-Habib, Alice (27 January 2023). "Andersen Press snaps up evocative debut from Noor Khan". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  13. ^ Jones, Nicolette; Bannerman, Lucy (30 June 2023). "Best children's books for summer 2023". The Times. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  14. ^ Cary, Alice (May 2024). "Safiyyah's War by Hiba Noor Khan". Book Page. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  15. ^ a b Spanoudi, Melinda (30 May 2024). "Yepoka Yeebo and Hiba Noor Khan win the Jhalak Prizes". The Bookseller. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  16. ^ a b Clarke, Naomi (20 June 2024). "Novel which explores representation in publishing among Indie Book Award winners". The Independent. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  17. ^ a b Creamer, Ella (13 March 2024). "Carnegie medal for children's books shortlist announced". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  18. ^ a b Wood, Heloise (25 April 2024). "Beth Lincoln, Ayaan Mohamud and Matt Goodfellow tussle for 2024 Branford Boase Award". The Bookseller. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  19. ^ Fraser, Katie (18 September 2024). "Andersen Press to publish Hiba Noor Khan's 'unforgettable' novel as a super-lead title". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  20. ^ "Hiba Noor Khan is announced as the Jhalak Prize 2024 Children's and YA Winner". Love Reading 4 Kids. 31 May 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  21. ^ "Winners of The Week Junior Book Awards 2024 announced". The Week Junior. 1 October 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  22. ^ Fraser, Katie (11 June 2024). "Susie Dent, Jamie Oliver and Adam Rutherford shortlisted for The Week Junior Book Awards 2024". The Bookseller. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  23. ^ Allen, Brittany (28 August 2024). "Here are the finalists for the 2024 Kirkus Prize". Literary Hub. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
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