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Frances Hardinge spent a large part of her childhood in a huge old house that inspired her to write strange stories from an early age. She read English at Oxford University, then got a job at a software company. However, a few years later a persistent friend finally managed to bully Frances into sending a few chapters of Fly By Night, her first children's novel, to a publisher. Macmillan made her an immediate offer. The book went on to publish to huge critical acclaim and win the Branford Boase First Novel Award. She has since written many highly acclaimed children's novels, including Fly By Night's sequel Twilight Robbery, as well as the Carnegie-shortlisted Cuckoo Song and the Costa Book of the Year winner, The Lie Tree. Emily Gravett has a rare talent for creating exceptional books for children. The winner of two CILIP Kate Greenaway Medals, her skill and wit are second to none. Emily first sprang into the limelight with the ground-breaking Wolves, which has been followed by such modern classics as Meerkat Mail, Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears, Monkey and Me and Again! and the fabulous Bear and Hare series for younger readers, as well as the beautiful Tidy, Old Hat, Cyril and Pat and Meerkat Christmas. Each book is unique and different from the last - and each features endearing, beautifully drawn characters that touch the heart and tickle the funny bone. Emily lives in Brighton with her family.
A fabulously eerie tale that boldly confronts mortality.. the stunning illustrations by Emily Gravett cleverly capture the narrative's haunting mood.. the book is deceptively multi-layered * The Telegraph * With its silver-sprinkled jacket, this elegiac story, part way between picture book and novella, is perfect for autumn.. with each word carefully and often surprisingly chosen, this gothic fable weaves a frisson-filled spell. * The Sunday Times * Heightened by Gravett’s blue-white expanses and stark black bricks and timbers, Hardinge’s spare coming-of-age parable is laced with her trademark wisdom and subtlety.. this is ideal for 11+ readers who enjoy highly illustrated storytelling. * The Guardian's 'five best young adult books of 2023' * With “Island of Whispers,” Frances Hardinge delivers. * NY Times *
