Sufiya Ahmed

Sufiya Ahmed
Ahmed in 2020
Born
Surat, India
Years active2012–present

Sufiya Ahmed is a British author of children's literature. Her work includes the young adult (YA) novel Secrets of the Henna Girl (2012) and the middle-grade Rosie Raja and Time Travellers series. She is also known for writing a modern continuation of Enid Blyton's The Famous Five.

Early life

Born at her grandmother's house with origins in Surat, India,[1] Ahmed moved to England with her mother and grew up in Bolton, Greater Manchester and Leytonstone, East London.[2][3]

Career

Ahmed began her career working in advertising and as a researcher in the House of Commons. Her debut young adult (YA) novel Secrets of the Henna Girl was published in 2012.[4][5] Secrets of the Henna Girl won a 2013 Redbridge Children's Book Award in the Teenage category[6] and was shortlisted for a PPC Award[7] and a Sheffield Children's Book Award.[8] Ahmed also won Published Writer of the Year at the 2012 Brit Writers Awards.[3][9]

Ahmed returned to writing in 2020 with the picture book Under the Great Plum Tree, which made the USBBY Outstanding International Book List.[10] She also started a biographical series with My Story: Noor-un-Nissa Inayat Khan.[11] This was followed by My Story: Sophia Duleep Singh in 2022.[12][13]

In 2022, Bloomsbury Education acquired the rights to publish Ahmed's World War II-set Rosie Raja series.[14] Rosie Raja: Churchill's Spy was a Read for Empathy collection pick.[15][16] The third book in the series Rosie Raja: Undercover Codebreaker won Best Crime Fiction for Children at the 2025 CrimeFest Awards.[17]

Ahmed was commissioned by Hachette UK to write modern day-set books continuing Enid Blyton's The Famous Five series.[18] Also in 2023, Little Tiger (a Hardie Grant Publishing imprint) acquired the rights to publish Ahmed's middle-grade Time Travellers series.[19][20]

In 2025, Andersen Press acquired the rights to publish the middle-grade adventure novel Escape from the Child Snatchers.[21]

Bibliography

My Story

  • Noor-un-Nissa Inayat Khan (2020)
  • Sophia Duleep Singh (2022)

Rosie Raja

  • Rosie Raja: Churchill's Spy (2022)
  • Rosie Raja: Mission to Cairo (2023)
  • Rosie Raja: Undercover Codebreaker (2024)

Time Travellers

  • Adventure Calling (2024)
  • Secrets and Spies (2024)

Standalone novels

  • Secrets of the Henna Girl (2012)
  • Under Fire (2025)
  • Escape from the Child Snatchers

Picture books

  • Under the Great Plum Tree (2020)
  • The Best Eid Ever (2024)

The Famous Five Adventures

  • Timmy and the Treasure (2022)
  • Five and the Runaway Dog (2022)
  • Message in a Bottle (2023)
  • The Mysterious Noise (2023)
  • Five and the Missing Prize (2024)
  • The Library Mystery (2024)
  • The Painting Puzzle (2025)
  • Trouble at the Farm (2025)

Reading practice

  • Ruby Ali's Mission Break Up (2021)
  • Here to Stay (2022)
  • Searching for Jamila (2022)
  • Brave Spies (2022)
  • Aran the Home Visit Pharmacist (2022)
  • Zara the Youth Worker (2022)
  • Follow the Moon (2022)
  • The Golden Age of Islam (2023)
  • The Wedding Shoes (2023)
  • Inspiring Feminists (2023)
  • Zakir the Storyteller (2024)
  • The Lost Medal (2024)
  • The Pasta Disaster (2024)
  • The Hyde Park Detectives (2024)

Short stories

  • in Ladybird Tales of Super Heroes (2019)
  • in Bedtime Stories: Amazing Asian Tales from the Past (2022)
  • in War Girls (2024)

Essays

  • in It's Not About the Burqa: Muslim Women on Faith, Feminism, Sexuality and Race (2020), edited by Mariam Khan
  • "Tears and Tantrums" in A Match Made in Heaven: British Muslim Women Write about Love and Desire (2020), edited by Claire Chambers

Other

  • History: A Children's Encyclopedia (2022)
  • Our World in Pictures: The History Book (2023)

References

  1. ^ Thakur, Charu (14 July 2022). "Sufiya Ahmed: The British-Indian author giving South Asians a voice through her books". The Global Indian. Archived from the original on 12 September 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  2. ^ Thiagarajan, Kamala (14 September 2022). "Enid Blyton: The most comforting children's books ever". BBC News. Archived from the original on 10 July 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b Curtis, Joe (6 December 2012). "Leytonstone author wins award for debut novel, Secrets of the Henna Girl". Guardian Series. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Author tells the story of her novel". The Northern Echo. 21 January 2013. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  5. ^ Cole, David (2013). "Secrets of the Henna Girl: an Interview with Sufiya Ahmed". Pen Heaven. Archived from the original on 30 November 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  6. ^ Binns, Daniel (5 July 2013). "Young bookworms enjoy 10th Redbridge's Children's Book Awards at Sir James Hawkey Hall in Woodford Green". Guardian Series. Archived from the original on 18 November 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  7. ^ Williams, Charlotte (31 January 2013). "PPC unveils 2012 awards shortlists". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 25 November 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  8. ^ Wilson, Jennie (15 November 2013). "Sufiya Ahmed talks about the forthcoming Book Award ceremony". Sheffield Chilsren's Book Award. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  9. ^ Robertson, Neil (8 December 2013). "Award-winning author Sufiya Ahmed visits Sharples School". The Bolton News. Archived from the original on 19 November 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  10. ^ "Juvenile Literature". Auburn University Libraries. Archived from the original on 21 November 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  11. ^ "11 books about inspiring and amazing women". Cosmopolitan Middle East. 9 March 2021. Archived from the original on 22 November 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Sophia Duleep Singh: Princess and suffragette inspires children's book". BBC News. 8 September 2022. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  13. ^ "Interview: Sufiya Ahmed on the incredible inspirational stories of British Indian Women". Imagining History. 15 September 2022. Archived from the original on 14 December 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  14. ^ Tivnan, Tom (5 April 2022). "Take two: Bloomsbury Education buys a brace of historical tales". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 21 November 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  15. ^ Tree, Louise. "Rosie Raja: Churchill's Spy". Historical Novel Society. Archived from the original on 15 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  16. ^ Brown, Lauren (8 February 2023). "Books by Ainsworth, Chan and Coehlo among Read for Empathy collection 2023". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  17. ^ Mitchell, Erin (17 May 2025). "Winners of the Final 2025 CrimeFest Awards Announced". Crimespree. Archived from the original on 22 November 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  18. ^ Sharma, Nikita (4 March 2023). "Sufiya Ahmed reimagines Enid Blyton's Famous Five for the ages". Live Mint. Archived from the original on 3 December 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  19. ^ Brown, Lauren (7 March 2023). "Little Tiger moves on Ahmed's new middle grade series". The Bookseller. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  20. ^ Tyson, Sarah (16 February 2024). "Kid's Book Review: Time Travellers". Books Up North. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  21. ^ Brown, Lauren (15 October 2025). "Andersen Press snatches Sufiya Ahmed's 'thrilling' middle-grade adventure". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 26 November 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
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