Ghostscape
Joe Layburn(Author)
Frances Lincoln Children's Books (Publisher)
Published on 4. September 2008
Book
Hardback
112 pages
978-1-84507-826-3 (ISBN)
Description
When Aisha comes across a pale, skinny boy called Richard in the school washrooms, of all places, she is as surprised to meet a 1940s boy as he is to see a black girl wearing a headscarf. Aisha is transported back sixty years to the time of the Blitz, when her school was a sanctuary for East Enders fleeing the bombing. But Richard becomes more than just a friendly ghost; he helps Aisha confront her difficulties at home with her mother, where she is torn between two cultures, and at school where a tough schoolmate is determined to give her a hard time. Finally, Aisha decides to find out the history of her area during the Blitz, and what she discovers makes her realise that she must warn Richard about what is going to happen - but how!?
Reviews / Votes
A deeply humane and satisfying story, with some surprise turns and a highly affecting twist tucked into its tail. BooksellerMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Quarto Publishing PLC
Target group
Children/juvenile
Interest Age: From 9 to 11 years
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-84507-826-3 (9781845078263)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Joe Layburn worked for fifteen years as a journalist and television reporter with BBC, ITV and Channel 4, often working on programmes focusing on children, and has been nominated for the Royal Television Society's home current affairs award. In 2002 he switched to teaching, and he now works in East End schools. It was here that he heard the little-known story of South Hallsville School, Canning Town where, during the Blitz, around 500 people fled after their own homes were destroyed - and the school itself was demolished by a bomb. This was the inspiration for his novel, Ghostscape -- Joe's first book for children. John's illustrative background is in visual storytelling. He has worked as a storyboard artist for film and animation companies, as a comic strip artist for Marvel comics, on workshops for BBC Blast and BBC RaW programmes, in schools on visual storytelling projects and illustrated various educational publications including books on Drama and History. His work has appeared in various countries including America, Australia, France and Japan. He lives in a quiet, rural village in Suffolk.