A Pocketful of Stars

Description

A magical middle grade book about family, friendship and finding out who you are, full of emotion and a secret fantasy world to discover. Perfect for 10 year olds and fans of Jacqueline Wilson, Ross Welford, Kiran Millwood-Hargrave and The House with Chicken Legs. From a rising star of children's books. This place is magic ... but it's not the sort of magic that comes from wands and spells ... Can piecing together the past help you change the present? Safiya and her mum have never seen eye to eye. Her mum doesn't understand Safiya's love of gaming and Safiya doesn't think they have anything in common. As Safiya struggles to fit in at school she wonders if her mum wishes she was more like her confident best friend Elle. But then her mum falls into a coma and, when Safiya waits by her bedside, she finds herself in a strange and magical world that looks a bit like one of her games. And there's a rebellious teenage girl, with a secret, who looks suspiciously familiar ... 'Bushby's debut is poignant and atmospheric' Guardian 'A gorgeous story of friendship and growing up' Cathy Cassidy 'Moving and heartfelt', Anna James, author of Pages and Co Aisha Bushby was selected as one of only four previously unpublished authors in the Stripes anthology for BAME writers, A Change is Gonna Come, alongside writers such as Patrice Lawrence, Tanya Byrne and Nikesh Shukla. The anthology was awarded a YA Book Prize Special Achievement Award. A Pocketful of Stars is her debut novel.

Aisha Bushby is a writer who combines heartbreaking emotional stories and unforgettable characters with a sprinkling of magic. She was selected as one of only four previously unpublished authors in the Stripes anthology, A Change is Gonna Come, alongside writers such as Patrice Lawrence, Tanya Byrne and Nikesh Shukla. The anthology was awarded a YA Book Prize Special Achievement Award. Her debut novel, A Pocketful of Stars (2019), was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and the Branford Boase and described as 'poignant and atmospheric' by the Guardian. Her second novel Moonchild: Voyage of the Lost and Found (2020), is the first in a new series of magical fantasy adventures, inspired by The Arabian Nights. You can follow her on Twitter @aishabushby.

Bushby's debut is poignant and atmospheric', Imogen Russell-Williams, Guardian 'A gorgeous story of family and growing up', Cathy Cassidy 'Moving and heartfelt', Anna James, author of Pages and Co