The Boy Who Lost His Spark

<p><b>From Maggie O'Farrell, the best-selling and award-winning author of <i>Hamnet</i> – now a Bafta and Golden Globe-winning film starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal – comes a stunningly illustrated picture book about a boy who overcomes the unhappiness of moving house and, through the power of storytelling,</b><b> regains his inner spark.</b><br><br><b>- An <i>ideal </i>gift and a truly enchanting read.</b><br><b>- Perfect for children aged 5-8 with themes of family bonds, dyslexia, moving house, myth and folklore.<br></b><br>When Jem and his family move to the countryside, he doesn’t like his new home one bit. It’s an old cottage on the side of a hill, where strange things keep happening: shoes are filled up with conkers, the stairs become tangled in a woollen maze. Jem’s sister Verity is certain it is the work of a “nouka”, an ancient creature from local folklore that lives deep down inside the hill. Jem, however, is adamant that there is no such thing...<br><br>But this small mythical creature, so attuned to the hearts and minds of others, <i>does </i>exist. And, what’s more, it is determined, through mischief and mayhem, to help Jem reignite the spark within himself once more.<br><br><i>- WINNER of the KPMG Children's Books Ireland Honour Award for Fiction<br>- Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Illustration</i><br><i>- Best Children’s and YA Books of 2022, Guardian</i><br><i>- RTE.ie Best Irish Children's Books of 2022</i><br><br><b>The second book in a trilogy of modern fairy tales by Maggie O'Farrell and Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini featuring children with real life problems and the mythical creatures that attend to them.</b><b> Look out for <i>Where Snow Angels Go</i> and <i>When the Stammer Came to Stay.</i></b><br><br><b>“An autumnal balm for anyone in need of a little magic in their lives." – Alex O'Connell, <i>Children's Book of the Week, the Times</i></b><br><br><b>“A glorious book, perfect as a gift.” – <i>LoveReading4Kids</i></b><br><br><b>“This beautiful book will tug at the heart of any reader regardless of age. […] No one would be unhappy after seeing the stunning illustrations that accompany this extraordinary story.” – <i>Sunday Times</i></b><br><br><b>“A gentle, empowering tale with entrancing illustrations.” – <i>Daily Mail</i></b><br><br><b>“Wonderfully magical" – <i>Mariella Frostrup, Times Radio</i></b><br><br><b>“Dramatic, incredibly evocative and full of atmosphere this is a stunning read." - <i>Armadillo Magazine</i></b><br><br><b>“<i>The Boy Who Lost His Spark</i>, undeniably has a magical, timeless quality to it, reminiscent of those ancient Celtic legends. […] timeless" – <i>Irish Independent</i></b><br><br><b>“Exploring how we deal with pain, loneliness and tough emotions when we face changes and challenges, it’s a beautiful book for everyone." – <i>Pick Me Up’s Book of the Week</i></b><br><br><b>“An enchanting book. The stunning illustrations are such a treasure, creating an atmosphere and sense of wonder about the story.” – <i>The School Librarian</i></b><br><br><b>“A really delightful story for 7-9 years. The story is beautifully told and the full colour illustrations are just gorgeous and really enhance the text. I loved it and it is an ideal book for an adult to read to a child or class or for a child to read alone.” – <i>Read for Good</i></b></p>

Maggie O'Farrell is an award-winning Irish-British author. Her books for adults have received international acclaim; she has won the 2013 Costa Novel Award for <i>The Hand That First Held Mine, </i>the 2020 Waterstones Book of the Year Award and the 2020 Women's Fiction Prize for <i>Hamnet, </i>and her non-fiction book <i>I Am I Am I Am </i>reached number 1 on the <i>Sunday Times</i> bestseller list. <i>Where Snow Angels Go </i>was her first book for children, and it won the Indie Book of the Month. <i>The Boy Who Lost His Spark</i>, its follow up title, won the the KPMG Children's Books Ireland Honour Award for Fiction<i>.</i> She lives in Edinburgh with her family.

Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini studied Fine Art in Milan and moved to London to study Photography at the London College of Printing. She is now an illustrator of both detailed paintings and graphic surface patterns. She has illustrated <i>Where Snow Angels Go</i> and<i> </i><i>The Boy Who Lost His Spark </i>by Maggie O'Farrell, <i>The Night I Met Father Christmas </i>by Ben Miller and <i>The Seeing Stitch </i>by Jane Yolan. Daniela lives in London. Follow her on Twitter as @DJTerrazzini and Instagram as @danielajterrazzini.