Kristina Rahim explores family and identity in Max and Ella, Stuck Together
About Author
Author of The Doughnut Club Kristina Rahim returns with a new novel about family and identity, Max and Ella, Stuck Together!
Kristina Rahim is a writer who lives in London with her wife and two daughters. Before writing, Kristina worked in the property industry, building homes out of disused garages and scraps of land. She now spends her days building middle grade and YA novels.
Kristina was runner-up in the Golden Egg Award for fiction in 2022. Her debut middle grade novel, The Doughnut Club, was named as the winner of the PFD Queer Fiction Prize 2023.
Find her on Instagram @krahimwrites, @krahim.bsky.social on Bluesky and @KWBwrites on X
Interview
June 2026
Exploring identity and families in Kristina Rahim's Max and Ella, Stuck Together
Author of The Doughnut Club Kristina Rahim returns with her new novel, Max and Ella, Stuck Together, which explores identity, non-traditional families and the kinds of questions donor-conceived children might have.
ReadingZone caught up with Kristina to find out more about her novel and why she feels it's important for children and young people to have access to stories like these.
More about Max and Ella, Stuck Together: Max and Ella have never met and know almost nothing about each other, but both have the same biological father. When their families decide it's time to meet, neither Max nor Ella are happy, and the weekend soon goes from bad to worse as a mountain hike turns into a life-threatening situation.
Review: "A positive and empowering story about celebrating your own sense of belonging and identity."
Q&A with Kristina Rahem
"For the children themselves who may come from an unconventional family, finding books with
main characters who are like them makes them feel seen and better understood."
1. Can you tell us about yourself and what got you started in writing for children and young people?
My wife and I live in London with our two daughters. Before becoming a full-time author, I used to work in the property industry. However, during the Covid lockdown, I found myself looking for something new. On our daily walks, my daughters and I used to make up stories together as we circled the local parks. I soon realised I was enjoying this more than they were, and I found myself scribbling down plot ideas and new characters whenever I had a moment to myself.
These notes turned into full length drafts. I found writer friends and critique partners and researched what you needed to do to try and become a published author. After a few failed attempts to get signed with a literary agent, I finally took the plunge and decided to write the story I think I was always wanting to write. A story which shone a light on an unconventional family but did so in a way I hoped was accessible and engaging for all children.
That story was The Doughnut Club, which was the one which meant the most to me out of all those early stories I wrote, and was the one which I won a writing competition, got me signed with my literary agent and a three-book publishing deal with Nosy Crow.
2. What happens in your new book, Max and Ella, Stuck Together?
Max and Ella, Stuck Together is a book about two families thrown together because of a decision their parents made years before. It's a dual narrative book, so the chapters alternate between the two main characters, Max and Ella, throughout the story.
But, what's it all about? Well, you've got Max . . . he has two mums and they used a known sperm donor called Hari to help have him. Max hadn't thought about meeting Hari, until his mums suggested it. After a tough year starting secondary school, his confidence has been knocked, and he's been hit with a bout of stage fright. With a charity concert coming up, the last thing Max wants to do is let down his friends. Maybe meeting Hari will help him understand himself better, so he can figure out who he wants to be?
Then there's Ella . . . She's Hari's daughter. Hari was a donor before Ella was born. She's fine with it, but she's not fine with the idea of sharing him with some other kid she's never met. With her mum working abroad and her best friend starting a different senior school, Ella's dealing with enough change already. Now this decision her dad made in his past is messing with her future and she's not happy.
When Max ends up gatecrashing Ella's family hiking weekend, things do not go to plan, and they are both pushed to the edge . . . in more ways than one.
3. What kinds of themes do you explore through the novel?
Even though Max is donor-conceived and is experiencing meeting his donor for the first time in this story, that is not just what this story is about. Throughout the book, we see both Max and Ella go through a variety of experiences and emotions common for a lot of young people: experiences of bullying, feeling as though your friendships are changing, trying to understand yourself more and moments of losing your confidence.
But of course, there is plenty of action and adventure thrown at our characters as well! The situation Max and Ella find themselves stuck in allows for a great deal of fun, chaos and the occasional nail-biting sprinkling of mountain peril!
4. What kinds of questions do you tackle through these novels about donor-conceived children and non-traditional families, and why is it important for young people to have access to stories that explore these questions?
Classrooms across the country, and the world, have a mix of children and young people from all different family set ups. Therefore, representing different families in books, TV shows and films helps create a greater awareness of all the beautiful families there can be.
When children read about characters whose lives are different from their own, they are given the opportunity to step into someone else's shoes and see the world through their eyes. This builds empathy, which encourages a more understanding and inclusive world. For the children themselves who may come from an unconventional family, finding books with main characters who are like them makes them feel seen and better understood.
I have been lucky enough to visit several schools over this past year to talk about my books, and more often than not, I have had a pupil come up to me to tell me they have a donor too, or they have two dads or a solo mum by choice, and how they were excited to see a character like them in a book. Whenever this happens, it reminds me why books like this are important.
5. How did you research questions that donor-conceived children might have for this novel? Do you draw on families or characters you know for your novels?
My wife and I have two daughters ourselves, so we have first-hand knowledge of the kinds of questions children of donors may have. We have also seen and heard the questions children their age may have about family set ups that look different from theirs.
In the months leading up to the launch of The Doughnut Club, the question I was asked most by any children I would meet was, 'What's your book about?' I would often be struck by the blank faces I would receive after describing my main character as being donor-conceived. This only confirmed to me the need for more stories out there in the world for 9-12 year olds which include characters from different families, because these families exist and deserve to be represented and understood.
However, even though these stories may centre around donor-conceived characters, that isn't only what they are about. They each cover themes, fun and adventures experienced by all children, no matter how they came into the world.
6. Max and Ella, Stuck Together is told through alternate chapters by Max and Ella so the reader really gets to find out what each of them feels, but what sorts of challenges did that bring?
When I first had the idea for Max and Ella, Stuck Together, and imagining what it might be like for two families who are connected this way to be thrown together, I immediately felt the best way to tell this story would be as a dual narrative. However, this was something I had never done before. My editor was so supportive about the idea and just told me to give it a try and see where the story takes me. At times, it felt like I was writing two stories at the same time, which in a way I was.
I tend to write in first person for my novels, as I like getting under the skin of my characters and allowing the reader themselves to experience everything they do. At the start of the novel, we see Max and Ella as individuals and how their world is before they meet. Setting this up was important, so when they come together, the reader knows them well enough to get behind them when each challenge is thrown their way. This allows for the reader to truly appreciate the changes both Max and Ella go through on this adventure.
7. Max and Ella face a number of challenges and adventures through the novel, but what would you like readers to take from their stories?
The one take home I hope readers get from Max and Ella, Stuck Together is that, who you are as a person is not all down to the genes you inherit, but it's also the people who raise you, the friends you make and the experiences you have that come together to make you uniquely you.
8. There's a 'biscuit challenge' in the novel, so, bourbon, custard cream or something else entirely - what wins your biscuit battle?
It's bourbon biscuits all the way for me. I like how you can either carefully take them apart and enjoy each section separately, or you can enjoy dunking them whole in a cup of tea!
In the lead up to the book launch, I carried out an online vote for the best biscuit with my followers on Instagram. Bourbon and chocolate digestive made it into the final, and I am disappointed to report that digestives came out top in the end!
9. Do you have more novels planned? What are you writing currently?
I'm currently working on my third middle grade novel, which is due to come out May 2027. I am not sure how much I am allowed to say about it though, but it's set in a music festival and tells the story of a main character called Isla Gray who tells a lie to impress the popular kids at school - but bigger the lie gets, the harder it is for her to come clean with the truth.
10. What kinds of things do you enjoy doing when you're away from your desk? Does your family, like Max and Ella's, enjoy outdoor adventures like mountain walks?
My wife and I love going for long hikes and outdoor adventures, but as our daughters have got older, it has become harder to convince them to join us! We do all love being by the coast though. Rain or shine, I'd say being by the ocean is my happy place.
Image of Kristina Rahim by Jo Mieszkowski
Creative Challenge: Write a scene about overcoming a fear for your character
In Max and Ella, Stuck Together, Ella has to face her fears and overcome them to succeed in getting help for Hari. Can you write a scene where your main character has to overcome a fear to complete a mission?
Perhaps your main character is on a quest to find a precious treasure before it is stolen by thieves. Imagine this treasure is buried at the back of a dark cave, and your main character must go in and find the treasure before the thieves get to it first. BUT, your main character is afraid of the dark - OR, afraid of spiders, or snakes, or some other creature that this creepy cave is full of.
Can you describe how your character might feel when they first see the cave and what they need to walk through to get to the treasure. How will find the strength and bravery to overcome their fear? How can you show how scared or nervous they are through your writing? How do they react and feel when they succeed in their quest?
School Visits by Kritina Rahim
Meeting young readers and aspiring authors is one of my favourite parts of being an author. I have found my school events are best suited to Year 5 and Year 6 in primary and Year 7 and 8 in senior schools.
I offer highly interactive assemblies for up 300 pupils and/or creative writing workshops for up to 35 pupils at a time. My workshops explore what makes a strong opening line and how you can hook a reader in. Another workshop helps spark imaginations to create engaging characters and we discuss ways to use dialogue as a tool to help readers understand these characters we create.
To find out more about my school visits and contact me to discuss availability, please go to my website www.kristinarahim.com or DM me via Instagram @krahimwrites
Max and Ella, Stuck Together
The Doughnut Club
