FARSHORE presents My Soul, A Shining Tree by award-winning author Jamila Gavin, a deeply moving novel based on the true story of Khudadad Khan, the first Indian soldier to receive the Victoria Cross during World War I.

Told through four intertwined perspectives – Lotte, a Belgian farmgirl; Ernst, a disillusioned young German cavalryman; Khudadad Khan, serving with the British Army; and a steadfast walnut tree – the book weaves a powerful tapestry of courage, loss, and unexpected connection in the shadow of war. Gavin, born in Mussoorie to an Indian father and English mother, brings her rich cross-cultural heritage to this timeless tale, blending intimate human moments with the sweep of history.

Meanwhile, HARPERCOLLINS CHILDREN’S BOOKS introduces The Spick and the Span by debut author-illustrator Pil Van Martin – a wildly inventive middle-grade fantasy set in the chaotic, magic-clogged city of Helm. Here, centuries of careless sorcery have left houses turning into gingerbread, teapots pouring pond water, and floors threatening to erupt into lava.

The real protectors of the city are not the vaunted magicians but the cleaners – fearless, if underappreciated, heroes. Ward, a determined twelve-year-old cleaner, dreams of joining the elite League of Cleaners, but when his friend vanishes and strange magic-eating monsters begin tearing holes in reality, his ambitions must give way to a much bigger fight.

With My Soul, A Shining Tree offering a poignant exploration of a forgotten chapter of history, and The Spick and the Span delivering a laugh-out-loud, high-stakes magical adventure, readers of 2025 are in for a journey that spans from the mud of World War I trenches to the unpredictable streets of an enchanted city where the bravest weapon is… a broom.