‘If you want to invent something nobody has ever thought of before, you need to read the things that others don’t read, look in the spaces other people are not in…’

Layla believes she was right to stand up for herself against a bully, but it’s landed her a suspension - not the way she (or her parents) would have wished to begin her time at her fancy new school! This is just a setback though, and she’s determined to prove that she does deserve her scholarship by making new friends and setting her sights on inventing something that could win the big robotics competition.

But where to begin?

You Must Be Layla introduces Sudanese-born author, broadcaster, social advocate and mechanical engineer Yassmin Abdel-Magied as an exciting new voice in children’s writing.

Praise for You Must Be Layla: ‘This warm, humorous account of a larger-than-life Sudanese girl navigating a posh Australian school is an engaging read’ Guardian ‘Fresh funny and empowering’ BookTrust ‘A one-of-a-kind bundle of comedy and compassion’ LoveReading