PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- A nicely dark retelling of the Bluebeard tale, but switching it around so it is the woman who tells her new husband that he has to respect her need for a place of her own within her mansion. Nia tells Marcus he can go anywhere at all, have the attic for his own, but don't ask to go into the basement where Nia has her very successful jewellery-making studio. New love goes smoothly to begin, but then his controlling behaviour starts to surface, and his sense of entitlement overrides his promise - and Nia has to take action that she hoped never to have to repeat… This one's definitely for older readers! Lindy Jones
Malorie Blackman (Author) Malorie Blackman has written over seventy books for children and young adults, including the Noughts & Crosses series, Thief and a science-fiction thriller, Chasing the Stars. Many of her books have also been adapted for stage and television, including a BAFTA-award-winning BBC production of Pig-Heart Boy and a Pilot Theatre stage adaptation by Sabrina Mahfouz of Noughts & Crosses. There is also a major BBC production of Noughts & Crosses, with Roc Nation (Jay-Z's entertainment company) curating the soundtrack as executive music producer. In 2005 Malorie was honoured with the Eleanor Farjeon Award in recognition of her distinguished contribution to the world of children's books. In 2008 she received an OBE for her services to children's literature, and between 2013 and 2015 she was the Children's Laureate. Most recently Malorie wrote for the Doctor Who series on BBC One, and the fifth novel in her Noughts & Crosses series, Crossfire, was published by Penguin Random House Children's in summer 2019. Laura Barrett (Illustrator) Laura Barrett is an illustrator inspired by the darker side of folk and fairy tales, and enjoys working in the medium of traditional Scherenschnitte (paper cutting). Since graduating from University of the Arts London and with over 10 years of industry experience, Laura has worked with a stellar client list including the BBC and The Guardian. Laura works from her home studio in South East London.
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- A nicely dark retelling of the Bluebeard tale, but switching it around so it is the woman who tells her new husband that he has to respect her need for a place of her own within her mansion. Nia tells Marcus he can go anywhere at all, have the attic for his own, but don't ask to go into the basement where Nia has her very successful jewellery-making studio. New love goes smoothly to begin, but then his controlling behaviour starts to surface, and his sense of entitlement overrides his promise - and Nia has to take action that she hoped never to have to repeat… This one's definitely for older readers! Lindy Jones
As macabre as the original... the same dark, sinister atmosphere overshadows the old, murderous story -- Eithne Farry * Sunday Express *
