The Surya Trilogy is an epic story following the fortunes of two generations of an Indian Sikh family and showing the impact of the British Empire and the Partition of India on their lives. The three volumes are The Wheel of Surya (1992), The Eye of the Horse (1994) and The Track of the Wind (1997). All three books were shortlisted for the Guardian Award for which The Wheel of Surya was special runner up in 1993.

Coram Boy won the 2000 Whitbread Prize for a children's book. It is set in the 18th century, based on the Foundling Hospital established by sea captain Thomas Coram. Coram Boy has been dramatised by Helen Edmundson and staged in a highly praised production by the Royal National Theatre and briefly in 2007 on Broadway.

The Three Indian... series, including Three Indian Goddesses and Three Indian Princesses are collections of short stories based around Indian legends.

Nine short stories were collected as The Magic Orange Tree and Other Stories.

Grandpa Chatterji is a series for younger children.One of the books in the series, Grandpa Chatterji, was adapted for television in 1997[1]. Other books in the series are Grandpa Chatterji's Third Eye and Grandpa's Indian Summer.

Jamila Gavin also wrote The Robber Baron's Daughter, Forbidden Memories, I Want to be An Angel, Kamla and Kate, Someone's Watching,Someone's Waiting, The Hideaway and The Wormholers.