From award winning author Lucy Strange comes a thrilling story of six sisters who must fight against circumstance and fate, gorgeously told and steeped in history and legend.
On a poor farm surrounded by marshlands, six sisters -- Grace, Willa, Freya, and triplets Deedee, Darcy, and Dolly -- live in fear of their father and the superstition that haunts him: The Curse of the Six Daughters. Their beloved grandmother tries to protect them, but the future seems bleak.
When the Full Moon Fayre makes a rare visit to Hollow-in-the-Marsh, the girls slip out to see the famous Shadow Man, an enigmatic puppeteer. Afterwards, oldest sister Grace is missing.
Following the Full Moor Fayre into the Lost Marsh, Willa will have to battle her inner doubts and the legends that have haunted her family. Can she save her sister from one fate, and outrun her own?
The thrilling new novel from acclaimed author Lucy Strange, author of The Secret of Nightingale Wood, The Ghost of Midnight Lake and the Waterstones Prize-shortlisted Our Castle by the Sea.
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Gr 3–7—Strange (Secret of Nightingale Wood) immerses readers in a timeless historical fiction tale based on the real exploits of locals residing in Britain's Romney Marsh. The marsh is located in East Sussex where the author wholeheartedly conveys the loneliness and isolation of the villagers. Narrator Willa Fernsby, 12, is one of six motherless girls living on a farm with their abusive father and ahead-of-her-times grammy. Willa's dad is tortured by superstition and an elusive curse forces him to marry off his eldest daughter, Grace. When Grace runs away, Willa goes on a quest to bring her back and salvage her family. Readers will be swept up in the beguiling setting, rural folklore, witchcraft, adventure, and sisterhood. The ending paves the way for a sequel featuring further experiences of the Fernsby girls. This is an age-appropriate mystery for those who enjoy reading about divergent experiences of young women who don't fit the mold in history. VERDICT Strange has crafted a novel that is ideal for fans of Alcott's Little Women, and those who like stories of capable and tenacious girls overcoming adversity.—Laura Dooley-Taylor