About The Book
Eddie feels invisible – his sister Scarlet isn’t well and nobody seems to remember that he’s here. Out in the forest, as the ice hardens and winter gets deeper, the world is quiet. But there’s a monster deep among the trees – a monster that’s growing with every sad and angry thought Eddie says out loud. When a little red bird takes him to meet Mari, a strange and fierce girl with blurred edges just like him, she shows Eddie how to be loud, how to make new friends at school and enjoy the music he loves again. As Scarlet’s big operation approaches and Eddie gathers his courage to finally be heard, will he find his way back through the snow and put the monster to rest once and for all?
Capturing the rare beauty of winter’s silence, Sarah Ann Juckes’ powerful exploration of the experience of child illness, the healing power of nature, and the joy of finding hope is a future classic to be savoured every winter, beautifully illustrated by Linde Faas.
Reading age: 7+
About the Author
Sarah Ann Juckes writes books for young people. Her YA debut Outside (Penguin) was nominated for the Carnegie Medal Award 2020, shortlisted for Mslexia’s Children’s Novel Award, and longlisted for the Bath Novel Award. Her second YA novel, The World Between Us was published in March 2021, and The Hunt for the Nightingale is her first Middle Grade Novel. She works with writers from all over the world via Jericho Writers and is on the board for Creative Future – a charity supporting under-represented writers. You can often find her hibernating in her writing shed in East Sussex, with her cat.
