© Red Photographic
10 books
Frost Hollow Hall
The gates to Frost Hollow Hall loomed before us. They were great tall things, the ironwork all twisted leaves and queer-looking flowers. And they were very definitely shut. Tilly’s heart sinks. Will’s at the door of their cottage, daring her to come ice-skating up at Frost Hollow Hall. No one goes near the place these days. Rumour has it that the house is haunted . . .
The Girl Who Walked On Air
Louie, who was abandoned at Chipchase’s Travelling Circus as a baby, dreams of becoming a ‘Showstopper’, but Mr Chipchase keeps her hidden, tucked away in the ticket booth.
No Death-Defying Stunts for her. But Louie has been secretly practising her act – tightrope-walking – and dreams of being the Girl Who Walked on Air… she just needs to be given the chance to shine. And the circus needs her too – Wellbeloved’s rival show is stealing their crowds.
They need a Showstopper. Desperate, Mr Chipchase reluctantly lets Louie perform.
She is a sensation, and gets an offer from the sinister Mr Wellbeloved himself to perform… over Niagara Falls. But nothing is quite as it seems and soon Louie’s bravery is tested not just on the highwire but in confronting her past and the shady characters in the world of the circus . . .
In Darkling Wood
You’re telling me there are fairies in this wood?
When Alice’s brother gets a longed-for chance for a heart transplant, Alice is suddenly bundled off to her estranged grandmother’s house. There’s nothing good about staying with Nell, except for the beautiful Darkling Wood at the end of her garden – but Nell wants to have it cut down. Alice feels at home there, at peace, and even finds a friend, Flo. But Flo doesn’t seem to go to the local school and no one in town has heard of a girl with that name. When Flo shows Alice the surprising secrets of Darkling Wood, Alice starts to wonder, what is real? And can she find out in time to save the wood from destruction?
The Snow Sister
Ever since her sister, Agnes, died, Pearl has a tradition every time it snows.
She makes a person out of snow. A snow sister. It makes Christmas feel a little less lonely. On Christmas Eve, her father receives a letter about a long-lost relative’s will.
Is their luck about to change? In anticipation of a better Christmas, Pearl goes to beg credit at Mr Noble’s grocery to get ingredients for a Christmas pudding.
But she is refused, and chased down the street where she is hit by a hansom cab. The snow is falling so hard that they can’t take her home.
She’ll have to stay at Flintfield Manor overnight, in a haunted room . . .
Will Pearl make it home for Christmas?
The Week At World's End
The hotly anticipated new standalone from the bestselling and award-winning Queen of Historical Fiction, Emma Carroll.
Britain, 1962
‘Who are you?’ I asked.
‘You don’t know who I am? You mean, it’s not been on the news?’
The girl glanced from Ray to me and back again.
‘It’s better I don’t tell you,’ she said firmly.
Nothing ever happens in World’s End Close. So when Stevie discovers a runaway girl in her coal shed, the first thing she does is fetch her best friend, Ray. Both are dying for a bit of adventure, and when the girl begs for help, they readily agree.
Yet they soon realise they’ve taken on more than they bargained for. The girl, Anna, reveals she’s on the run from people who are trying to poison her. Meanwhile, on the news, the Americans and Russians are arguing over missiles in Cuba.
As the threat of war grows, Anna’s behaviour becomes more mysterious. And when Stevie unearths a dark family secret, she wonders if Anna has come to World’s End Close on purpose, with a special message just for her . . .
An enthralling thriller, perfect for our tumultuous times.
‘The Hilary Mantel of children’s fiction.’The Telegraph
‘Rightfully owns the title “Queen of Historical Fiction”.’BookTrust
‘Historical fiction at its finest.’Bookseller
‘Echoes of Michael Morpurgo and Nina Bawden.’The Times
Strange Star
They were coming tonight to tell ghost stories. ‘A tale to freeze the blood,’ was the only rule.
Switzerland, 1816. On a stormy summer night, Lord Byron and his guests are gathered round the fire. Felix, their serving boy, can’t wait to hear their creepy tales. Yet real life is about to take a chilling turn- more chilling than any tale. Frantic pounding at the front door reveals a stranger, a girl covered in the most unusual scars. She claims to be looking for her sister, supposedly snatched from England by a woman called Mary Shelley. Someone else has followed her here too, she says. And the girl is terrified.
This breathtaking new book from Emma Carroll, the critically-acclaimed author of Frost Hollow Hall, The Girl Who Walked On Air, In Darkling Wood and The Snow Sister, is a deliciously creepy story inspired by the creation of Frankenstein, and is brought to life by a leading talent in children’s literature.
Letters from the Lighthouse
We weren’t supposed to be going to the pictures that night. We weren’t even meant to be outside, not in a blackout, and definitely not when German bombs had been falling on London all month like pennies from a jar.
February, 1941. After months of bombing raids in London, twelve-year-old Olive Bradshaw and her little brother Cliff are evacuated to the Devon coast. The only person with two spare beds is Mr Ephraim, the local lighthouse keeper. But he’s not used to company and he certainly doesn’t want any evacuees.
Desperate to be helpful, Olive becomes his post-girl, carrying secret messages (as she likes to think of the letters) to the villagers. But Olive has a secret of her own. Her older sister Sukie went missing in an air raid, and she’s desperate to discover what happened to her. And then she finds a strange coded note which seems to link Sukie to Devon, and to something dark and impossibly dangerous.
Secrets of a Sun King
A discovery from ancient Egypt . . .
A cursed package . . .
The untold story of a young pharaoh . . .
When Lilian Kaye finds a parcel on her grandad’s doorstep, she is shocked to see who sent it: a famous Egyptologist, found dead that very morning, according to every newspaper in England!
The mysterious package holds the key to a story . . . about a king whose tomb archaeologists are desperately hunting for.
Lil and her friends must embark on an incredible journey – to return the package to its resting place, to protect those they love, and to break the deadly pharaoh’s curse . . .
When we were Warriors
A body washed up on the beach . . .
Evacuation to an old house with forbidden rooms and dark secrets . . .
An animal rescue service . . .
Set in World War Two, Emma Carroll explores the resilience, resourcefulness and inventiveness of children when their lives fall to pieces. Introducing some compelling new characters, as well as revisiting some familiar settings, these adventures are sure to win over new readers, as well as fans of old favourites such as Letters from the Lighthouse and Frost Hollow Hall.
The Somerset Tsunami
A sinking boat . . .
A girl in disguise . . .
A disappearing sea . . .
When Fortune Sharpe carves a boat from a tree with her beloved brother, Gem, she’s only having a bit of fun. But now is not the time for a girl to be drawing attention to herself. She is sent away to find work dressed as a boy. Luckily a rich manor house is hiring.
Yet Barrow Hill’s inhabitants harbour dangerous secrets of their own, the suspicious owner is hunting for witches, and the house itself is a little too close to the sea . . .
