Mary and Frankenstein

It began with a girl named Mary. She liked to daydream and imagine. And she grew up to write Frankenstein.

The inspirational true story of the great writer Mary Shelley, brought to life for children in this stunning picture book by multi-award winning author Linda Bailey and with beautiful illustrations from Júlia Sardà.

Mary loves stories, but the stories in her daydreams are far more thrilling than those in any book. After a troubled childhood, Mary runs away to Switzerland with the famous poet Percy Bysse Shelley, her step-sister in tow. One dark and stormy night at his house by the lake, they huddle around the fire, telling ghost stories. But Mary can imagine better than those! After learning about electricity that can make dead frogs twitch, she has a nightmare that triggers the birth of one of the greatest scary stories of all time: Frankenstein...

A perfect read for the very youngest aspiring writers, and for fans of Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell’s The Sleeper and the Spindle.

Book Features:

An imagining of stepsisters Mary Shelley and Claire Clairmont's tumultuous years abroad, their affairs, friendships and tragic losses.

The inspiring story of the girl behind one of the greatest horror novels - and monsters -ever, perfectly timed for the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein.

For fans for picture book biographies such as Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World by Kate Pankhurst.

About the Author

Linda Bailey is the author of more than two dozen books for children, including the Stevie Diamond mystery series, the Good Times Travel Agency graphic novels, and an eclectic assortment of picture books including If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur and the acclaimed Stanley's Party. She has won many awards such as the California Young Readers' Medal, the Georgia Storybook Award, the Ontario Blue Spruce and Silver Birch Awards, the Oregon SMART Award and the Arthur Ellis Award from the Crime Writers of Canada. Born in Winnipeg, Linda has travelled the world, and so have her books. She has two grown daughters, Lia and Tess, and lives in Vancouver within strolling distance of the sea.

About the Illustrator

Júlia Sardà is an illustrator from Barcelona. After her studies, Júlia started working as colourist in a studio which made the editorial merchandising for Disney/Pixar and then moved on to freelancing two years later. Now focusing on children’s illustration, Júlia has had the chance to illustrate some incredible debut fiction and everlasting classics.