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Author: Juckes, Sarah Ann

General fiction (Children’s/YA)

Published on 4 July 2024 by Simon & Schuster Ltd in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 288 pages
198 x 130 x 22 | 260g

Find your voice in the waves in a heartfelt and hopeful story of family, friendship, and learning to accept change from the critically-acclaimed partnership, Sarah Ann Juckes and Sharon King-Chai, selected for Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month with The Night Animals.

Martha was raised on her nana’s stories. Even if no one else believes them, Martha knows that they’re magic.  Now those stories are helping Martha hold things together when everything around her is falling apart – out-of-towners moving into her family’s old house, her nana’s mysterious illness, and the tourists flooding the town who don’t seem to care about the sea or the animals it’s home to.

But Martha has found one creature who understands – a black seal pup that seems to appear whenever Martha needs it most. Could she be the key to fixing everything that’s wrong, or will Martha need to fight her way through the storm herself? Illustrated by the award-winning Sharon King-Chai, Sarah Ann Juckes’ emotional novel follows a young girl trying to protect her family and her community, who must learn that not all changes are bad. For fans of The Last Bear and Julia and the Shark.

Praise for Sarah Ann Juckes   ‘Will break your heart and mend it together again’ – Piers Torday on The Hunt for the Nightingale   ‘Full of hope, beauty & ultimately a healing song to nature’ – Hannah Gold on The Hunt for the Nightingale ‘An incredibly moving story of feeling lost and finding your way again’ – Lisa Thompson on The Hunt for the Nightingale ‘An iridescent story that shines with hope and love’ – Katya Balen on The Night Animals ‘A beautiful story about ghosts, friendship, and the courage it takes to ask for help’ –  Emma Carroll on The Night Animals