Will You Catch Me?

From the author of A Room Full of Chocolate comes a heartwarming story about identity and courage, and a tremendous young girl who cares for her alcoholic mother. For fans of Jacqueline Wilson and Sarah Lean.

Nell Hobson lives with a tortoise called Bob Marley, guinea pigs Asbo and Chaos, goldfish Beyonce and Destiny, gerbils Fizz and Tyrone, Aunty Lou the Hamster ... and her mum, who drinks too much. Nell does everything she can to be a good daughter so that her mum will stop. But when things get really hard, Nell stands on her head. Everything looks better upside down, don't you know?

Nell wishes she knew who her dad was. When new teacher Mr Samuels makes history come alive and tells the class the story of Nell Gwynn, the Orange Girl who became one of the first actresses on the London stage, Nell is captivated and is determined to dress up as an Orange Girl for the Costume Parade. She hatches a plan with her best friend Michael: a way to make her dad step forward and claim her. Will she succeed?

A charming middle grade story with a strong, positive message that celebrates community and friendship.

About the Author

After performing as an actress and comedy improviser for many years, Jane fell into writing stories and plays. A Room Full of Chocolate was her first book for children and won Peters' Book of the Year and the Leeds Book Award as well as being longlisted for the Branford Boase and nominated for the Carnegie Medal. When she is not writing Jane spends her time running creative writing and comedy improvisation workshops for children with special educational needs. She is also a guest practitioner at Soho Theatre's Writer's Lab. Selected as a New Voice in the Guardian's guide to The Best New Children's Books 2014, Jane is described as 'A new author to watch.'