Acclaimed novelist Scarlett Thomas, who is professor of creative writing and contemporary fiction at the University, publishes her first children’s book on 6 April.
The author of international bestseller The End of Mr Y, Professor Thomas has now written what is described as a book ‘packed with evil publishers and ominous booksellers, magical worlds and secret powers’.
Aimed at 9-12 year-olds, the book – Dragon’s Green – is published by Canongate. The author will tour UK schools during April and May to coincide with hardback publication and again in September to coincide with paperback publication.
The plot revolves around Effie Truelove, who is a pupil at the Tusitala School for the Gifted, Troubled and Strange. When her grandfather is brutally attacked, Effie promises to look after his magical books. But then shady book-collector Leonard Levar gets hold of them and Effie has to embark on the most dangerous adventure of her life.
Professor Thomas, of the School of English, is the author of nine books. Her most recent publications include The Seed Collectors; Monkeys with Typewriters; Our Tragic Universe; and The End of Mr Y. Her work has been translated into 24 languages, longlisted for the Orange Broadband Prize and shortlisted for the South African Boeke Prize.
In 2001 she was included in the Independent on Sunday’s list of the UK’s 20 best young writers, and in 2002 she won an Elle Style Award for the novel Going Out. She has written short fiction, reviews and articles for various anthologies and publications, including Nature Magazine, the Guardian and the New York Times. She has also had stories broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and nature writing broadcast on Radio 3. She has read at many literary festivals and music festivals.
Dragon’s Green