Hope on the Horizon

The debut non-fiction title from bestselling author of The Boy at the Back of the Class, Onjali Q. Rauf. This is your hope handbook: a guide to being kind, showing empathy and making the world a better place.

Growing up, there is so much out of our control, so much we can feel helpless about, and so many terrible things we have to watch grown-ups doing to our world. But when it comes to understanding and righting wrongs – it’s always children who get it first.

In this inspiring and practical handbook, bestselling children’s author and Human Rights campaigner, Onjali Rauf, draws on her experiences working with women’s rights organisations and refugee charities. She introduces readers to some of the most amazing people we can be inspired by (some who are from fictional worlds and some who are very real!). And she tells readers 10 of her top secrets for channelling your frustrations into something positive, developing your empathy toolkit and making the world a better place. From remembering that we are all human beings and that we are all equal, to realising your worth and that nothing is ever done alone, this is Onjali’s rallying call to every child that has ever felt hopeless.

Because with a bit of compassion, a big dollop of hope and even the smallest act of kindness, change will come and together we can make things better. Hope is on the horizon; you just have to find it.

Author Biography

Onjali Q. Rauf (Author)

Winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize in 2019, the Blue Peter Book Prize 2019, and other international accolades since, Onjali Q Rauf’s first book The Boy at the Back of the Class was inspired by a baby met in the refugee camps of Calais, France, whilst on an aid convoy for her organisation, O’s Refugee Aid Team. Telling the story of a group of friends befriending a refugee boy at school with depth and humour, it continues to be a must-read for children and adults around the world.

Rauf’s second release went on to win the Diversity Book Award for Children’s Fiction (UK) 2020. The Star Outside My Window drew on her experiences as founder and CEO of Making Herstory – an organisation working to help women and children flee the impacts of male-led domestic violence. Her ongoing works with homeless communities, food banks, homeless shelters, as well as her personal experiences of racism, sexism and bullying, led to the releases of The Night Bus Hero, The Great Food Bank Heist and ultimately, The Lion Above the Door.

Following an influx of enquiries from children about how to aid refugees and the homeless, or fight for the environment and the rights of women and girls, Rauf wrote her first non-fiction title Hope on the Horizon, as a personal guide to budding young activists everywhere.

In 2023, a deep love for funny sayings coupled with that of travelling, led to the release Where Magic Grows: a collection of of seven original fairy tales in which Rauf celebrates the peoples and cultures of such lands as Syria, Egypt, Japan and India.

Rauf was recognised for her services to literature and women’s rights in the 2022 New Year Honours.

Twitter: OnjaliRauf / MakeHerstory1 / @O_Refugee

Website: www.onjaliqrauf.org

Pippa Curnick (Illustrator)

Pippa Curnick grew up in rural Essex and studied at Camberwell College of Art. She graduated from the University of Derby with a First Class degree in illustration. Pippa’s picture book Lucie Goose was shortlisted for the Evening Standard’s Oscar’s First Book Prize. Her website is www.pippacurnick.com and you can follow her on Insta pippa_curnick and on Twitter PippaCurnick

Isobel Lundie (Illustrator)

I am a children’s book illustrator living in Worthing with my lovely boyfriend and kitten.

I absolutely love what I do and especially love the beginning of projects when i can let my imagination go and create the characters and the worlds they live in.

I have been lucky enough to work in the world of children’s publishing for the last 6 years and have had a lot of fun meeting all the talented writers, designe