Julia Eccleshare's Pick of the Month, July 2015 There’s magic afoot in this cleverly constructed story which interweaves two stories of girls growing up a century apart and yet becoming friends as they each come to terms with hopes and fears. Present-day Alice is sent to live with Nell, her previously unknown grandmother on November 11 when her brother is rushed into hospital to undergo life-saving heart surgery. Nell’s house is surrounded by dark woods which she is determined to cut down much to the dislike of her neighbours. Exploring the woods Alice meets Flo, a strangely dressed girl in a red coat. On 11 November one hundred years earlier, Flo is also waiting for the safe return of her brother. Armistice has been declared. Surely now he will come home from the war? Flo introduces Alice to the magic of the woodlands and to fairies who she believes live in it. Can Alice believe in the magic too and will it help her brother survive? Emma Carroll uses the idea of fairies and the magical opportunities they can bring creatively. ~ Julia Eccleshare
'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?
‘A moving story of families, friendship and fairies but most of all of hope’ The Bookbag
‘This book confirms [Carroll’s] position as a leading children's author.’ Bookseller
Author
About Emma Carroll
Once told by the poet Ted Hughes her writing was 'dangerous', it took Emma Carroll twenty years of teaching English and a life-changing cancer diagnosis to feel brave enough to give her dream of being an author a try. Nowadays, she's a bestselling writer, and has been nominated for and the winner of numerous national, regional and schools awards - including the Books Are My Bag Readers' Award, Branford Boase, CILIP Carnegie Medal, Young Quills, Teach Primary and the Waterstones Book Prize.
Emma's home is in the Somerset hills with her husband and two terriers. She still can't believe her luck that she gets to write dangerous books for a living.
