'I have no idea how long I have been incarcerated in these ancient walls . . . Let me explain how I find myself in this predicament . . .' Set in the hot houses of a stately home in eighteenth century England, a gardener falls from grace when the Duke sets him the impossible task of growing prize pineapples fit to show off in high society. The gardener's star falls further when he is replaced by Mr Amicus, a pineapple 'specialist', whom he believes to be a charlatan and a trickster - but nevertheless miraculously produces fruit to delight the Duke. Determined to uncover Mr Amicus's tricks, the gardener sneaks into the pineapple house to uncover the mysterious shrouded birdcage Mr Amicus carries with him. And what he finds changes his life for ever . . . A cautionary tale with echoes of myth and fairy tale, this bewitching fable will make you careful what you wish for.

 

This book has been graded for interest at 16+ years.

There are 32 pages in this book. This book was published 2019 by Hot Key Books .

Patrick Ness is the award-winning and bestselling author of the Chaos Walking trilogy, A Monster Calls, More Than This, The Rest of Us Just Live Here and Release. John Green has described him as "an insanely beautiful writer". He has won every major prize in children's fiction, including the Carnegie Medal twice. He has written the screenplay for the film of A Monster Calls and the BBC Doctor Who spin-off, Class. The first Chaos Walking film is slated for release in 2020. He lives in Los Angeles, USA. Rovina Cai creates illustrations that evoke a sense of intrigue and she is often inspired by the past. From myths and fairy-tales to gothic novels, she loves stories that bring a little bit of magic and wonder to the present day. She lives in Melbourne, Australia. Her website is www. sallygardner. net and you can follow her on Twitter @TheSallyGardner