Wonderful storytelling--"The Secret of Nightingale Wood" and "Our Castle by the Sea" from author Lucy Strange--perfect books to settle in and read all the way through

The Secret of Nightingale Wood

1919. Mama is ill. Father has taken a job abroad. Nanny Jane is too busy to pay any attention to Henrietta and the things she sees -- or thinks she sees -- in the shadows of their new home, Hope House.

All alone, with only stories for company, Henry discovers that Hope House is full of strange secrets: a forgotten attic, ghostly figures, mysterious firelight that flickers in the trees beyond the garden.

One night she ventures into the darkness of Nightingale Wood. What she finds there will change her whole world...


REVIEWS


"From the first page, I was entirely smitten and compelled to read on until I finished this mysterious and poignant story." -- Pam Munoz Ryan, author of Newbery Honor Book Echo and Esperanza Rising

"Superbly balanced between readability and poetry... this is an assured debut." -- The Guardian (UK)

"Rich with nods to classics...this outstanding debut explores family, grief and mental illness with great skill." -- The Bookseller (UK)

"A gripping novel in Secret Garden mode... Bliss for passionate readers aged nine and older." -- The New Statesman (UK)

"Strange's writing is luminous, and she has created a story about friendship, love and family that is wonderfully involving." -- Literary Review (UK)

"Friendships, family, love and loss all come together in this beautiful debut." -- The Sunday Express (UK)

"Tender, funny, devastating and just about word perfect, I loved every page of this extraordinary book." -- Natasha Farrant, author of The Secret Diary of Lydia Bennet

"A beautifully told story about loss, grief and the restorative power of the imagination." -- M.G. Leonard, author of Beetle Boy


ALSO BY LUCY STRANGE



Our Castle by the Sea
 
In this haunting and compelling follow-up to the instant classic The Secret of Nightingale Wood. Lucy Strange takes a seafaring myth and grounds it in the stark reality of World War II.
 
Growing up in a lighthouse, 11-year-old Pet's world has been one of storms, secret tunnels, and stories about sea monsters. But now the country is at war and the clifftops are a terrifying battleground. Pet will need to muster all her bravery to uncover why her family is being torn apart.

This is the story of a girl who is afraid and unnoticed. A girl who freezes with fear at the enemy planes ripping through the skies overheard. A girl who is somehow destined to become part of the strange, ancient legend of the Daughters of Stone.


Lucy Strange



Lucy Strange worked as an actor, singer, and storyteller before becoming a secondary school English teacher. She lives in Kent, England. The Secret of Nightingale Wood is her first novel.

https://lucystrange.org/