Jamila Gavin was born in Mussoorie, India, in the foothills of the Himalayas. With an Indian father and an English mother, she inherited two rich cultures that ran side by side throughout her life and always made her feel she belonged to both countries. Jamila's family moved to England when she was 11. She studied music and worked for the BBC before having a family of her own and becoming a children's writer, wanting to reflect the multicultural world in which she and her children now lived.