The Destiny of Minou Moonshine

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An awesome alt-India middle grade book, with adventure and emotional twists, tied together with friendships and the family we find, and an incredible heroine in Minou, who fights for freedom and Queendom!' - Roopa Farooki, author of A Double Detectives Medical Mystery: The Cure for a Crime The story of a queendom set in an alternate colonial India, blending Frances Hardinge with Kipling's Kim. A debut rich in fantasy, friendship and faith, and an original steampunk adventure that sparkles with storytelling magic. 'A land that loses its stories loses its way.' The Destiny of Minou Moonshine’ is a captivating and atmospheric read, perfect for fans of Nizrana Farook and Radiya Hafiza’s ‘Rumaysa’. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m sure it will be popular in the library. As a child, I loved fantasy adventures" says Gita. "At the time, I never expected to find a small brown girl within those stories. I was determined that my fantasy adventure would be about a girl like me who discovers both her inheritance and her very own magic." High adventure and a lavish, sensory world of mystery, magic and mechanical marvels. With an indomitable hero in Minou Moonshine, this is an inspiring, delightful read - young readers are in for a ripping ride.' - Finbar Hawkins, author of Witch

I’d published short fiction in Wasafiri and Bellevue Literary Review, and was first invited as a guest lecturer. Minou lives in a very different version of India which is ruled by the General and where worship of the goddess, The Dark Lady is forbidden. She is use to her life with Dima, her adopted grandmother until one day everything changes. Dima is murdered but Minou has little time to grieve when she joins the rebel group the Green Orchids who are trying to overthrow the General but then finds herself in the walls of the General’s Palace. Minou’s life is about to change forever. Magical, multi-sensory storytelling...that will enchant readers, rest in memories and spark imaginations.'—Sita Brahmachari, Yoto-Carnegie shortlisted author of WHEN SHADOWS FALL Masterful, a wonderfully original fantasy adventure that feels like a timeless classic. A brilliant new voice in the world of children's fiction.'—Anthony McGowan, winner of the 2020 CILIP Carnegie Medal for LARKMinou is a feisty and determined protagonist who fiercely protects and defends her friends, but when her world is upended, will Minou have the courage to step into her destiny? Zephyr has scooped two standalone middle-grade titles by debut children’s author Gita Ralleigh. A pre-empt was made for world all-languages rights to The Destiny of Minou Moonshine and a second book, from Catherine Pellegrino at Marjacq.

Following on from her two poetry books, CLCC lecturer Gita Ralleigh has written her first children's novel, The Destiny of Minou Moonshine. The story of a Queendom set in an alternate colonial India, blending Frances Hardinge with Kipling'sKim. A debut rich in fantasy, friendship and faith, and an original adventure that sparkles with storytelling magic. About the BookWhen Dima is killed, Minou’s future lies in the Home for Orphan Girls but, knowing she’ll hate it there, she joins a band of rebels, takes matters into her own hands and goes searching for the legendary diamond, the Dark Lady and her own destiny. Minou, or ‘Sparrow’ as she is known to her friends, has lived on a dilapidated houseboat with her adopted Grandmother since the day she was found abandoned as a baby during the monsoon, thirteen years earlier. Their home, the former Queendom of Moonlally is suffering under the oppressive rule of a tyrannical General, but a rebel force called The Green Orchid are fighting for freedom and to restore the power of the goddess called the ‘Dark Lady’. and a goddess, the Dark Lady, who guides Minou to her destiny. I cannot wait for young readers to meet her." Masterful, a wonderfully original fantasy adventure that feels like a timeless classic. A brilliant new voice in the world of children's fiction."