Maddy Again (Blue Door 5) (The Blue Door Series) - Softcover

Pamela Brown

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1782691936 ISBN 13: 9781782691938

Publisher: Pushkin Children's Books, 2019

Synopsis

The fifth and final book in the Blue Door series, which starts with The Swish of the Curtain, the classic story that inspired actors from Maggie Smith to Eileen Atkins

'I wanted to act before I read [The Swish of the Curtain], and afterwards there was no stopping me' Maggie Smith

Maddy got up and did her Junior Miss speech, trying not to overdo the comedy. Her American accent was hideous, and very funny, and all the class began to giggle. They clapped when she had finished, and Mr Manyweather roared with laughter 'What a little horror!' he cried. 'I've never seen anything so nauseating, but excellent!'

Maddy is on her own again at the Actors' Guild in London, while the others work at the Blue Door Theatre. But she's not entirely alone: she has a new roommate, a new chaperone and an inspiring new teacher, Mr Manyweather, brought in to introduce students to the exciting world of television.

With these new friends, can Maddy survive her first taste of failure or is she embarking on her greatest acting adventure yet?

About this title

Review:

PRAISE FOR THE SWISH OF THE CURTAIN

'I wanted to act before I read this book, and afterwards there was no stopping me' -- Maggie Smith

'An enchanting book. a must for any child who wants to become an actor' -- Eileen Atkins

'Part of the novel's appeal, as well as it's humour and the excitement of the group's entry into an acting competition, is Brown's pitch-perfect depictions of childhood... Rereading The Swish of the Curtain, I'm amazed by how much of it has stayed with me; it is one of those books that makes up my very bones' -- Guardian

'Pure nostalgia... one of my favourite books when I was a kid... Fans of Noel Streatfeild will love this and though you may want to buy this for your own children, it's absolutely worth reading before you pass it on' --Red, Summer Reads to Escape With

'A wonderful story of the intense please of performance... Pamela Brown's classic novel celebrated childhood friendship and the transforming power of creativity; it has inspired generations of readers to love theatre too and to pursue their own performing dreams' -- Julia Eccleshare

'That's what I wanted to do' -- Victoria Wood, on the children setting up their own theatre

'I'd soon read my way along all the Browns on the shelf in the library. I particularly liked her Blue Door series' -- Jacqueline Wilson

'As a child I loved The Swish of the Curtain' --Julia Donaldson

'There is careful detail and good dialogue' -- Kirkus Reviews

'I loved this as a child. It's about two families with an actress in each - it spoke to me as I wanted to be an actress' -- Janet Ellis, Telegraph

'I lost count of the number of times I borrowed this book... And now it has been republished and issued for a new generation of theatre mad, or not so theatre mad, children to read. I could not be happier... Gorgeous' --Random Jottings (blog)

About the Author:

Pamela Brown (1924-1989) was a British writer, actor then television producer. She was just 14 when she started writing her first book, and the town of Fenchester in the books is inspired by her home town of Colchester. During the Second World War, she went to live in Wales, so The Swish of the Curtain was not published until 1941, when she was 16. She used the earnings from the books to train at RAADA, and became an actor and producer of children's television programmes.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pushkin Children's Books
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1782691936
• ISBN 13: 9781782691938
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224