Year of The Rat
No. of pages 352
'You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll love this book' The Sun
'Lingers in the mind long after the final word has been read' Malorie Blackman, former Children's Laureate
'I always thought you'd know, somehow, if something terrible was going to happen. I thought you'd sense it, like when the air goes damp and heavy before a storm and you know you'd better hide yourself away somewhere safe until it all blows over. But it turns out it's not like that at all. There's no scary music playing in the background like in films. No warning signs. Not even a lonely magpie. One for sorrow, Mum used to say. Quick, look for another.'
The world can tip at any moment ... a fact that fifteen-year-old Pearl is all too aware of when her mum dies after giving birth to her baby sister. Told across the year following her mother's death, Pearl's story is full of bittersweet humour and heartbreaking honesty about how you deal with grief that cuts you to the bone, as she tries not only to come to terms with losing her mum, but also the fact that her sister - The Rat - is a constant reminder of why her mum is no longer around...
Shortlisted for the Branford Boase prize and longlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal, this breataking novel from YA bookprize shortlisted author Clare Furniss, will make you laugh, cry and hold your loved ones a little bit tighter. Perfect for fans of Jenny Downham,Meg Rosoff and Sara Barnard.
This book has been graded for interest at 12+ years.
There are 352 pages in this book. This book was published 2017 by Simon & Schuster Ltd .
Clare Furniss is a writer living in the UK. She studied at Cambridge University and is completing an MA in writing for young people. She is the author of The Year of the Rat and How Not to Disappear.
Carnegie Award
Branford Boase Award
Telegraph Best YA Books: 2014
Siblings in fiction
Blended Families in fiction
Parents in fiction
Death And Dying in fiction
Emotions And Feelings in fiction
This book has been nominated for the following award:
Branford Boase Award
This book was recognised by the Branford Boase Award. The Branford Boase Award is awarded annually for an outstanding first novel to a first-time writer of a book for young people. At the same time, it marks the important contribution of the editor in identifying and nurturing new talent.