A starkly original and heartbreaking tale of friendship and rebellion
Winner of the Carnegie Medal and a 2012 Costa Award winner. Narrated against the backdrop of a ruthless regime determined to beat its enemies in the race to the moon, MAGGOT MOON is the stunning new novel from award-winning author Sally Gardner.
When his best friend Hector is suddenly taken away, Standish Treadwell realises that it is up to him, his grandfather and a small band of rebels to confront and defeat the ever-present oppressive forces of the Motherland.
Utterly original and stunning, it is impossible not to be moved by MAGGOT MOON's powerful story and the unforgettable heroism of Standish. I wasn't listening to the lesson when the note arrived from the headmaster's office. Because me and Hector were in the city across the water, in another country where the buildings don't stop rising until they pin the clouds to the sky. Where the sun shines in Technicolor. Life at the end of a rainbow. I don't care what they tell us, I've seen it on the TV. They sing in the streets - they even sing in the rain, sing while dancing round a lamp post.
This is the dark ages. We don't sing.
But this was the best daydream I'd had since Hector and his family vanished. Mostly I tried not to think about Hector. Instead I liked to concentrate on imagining myself on our planet, the one Hector and I had invented. Juniper.
It was better than being worried sick about what had happened to him. Except this was one of the best daydreams I'd had for a long time. It felt as if Hector was near me again. We were driving round in one of those huge, ice-cream-coloured Cadillacs. I could almost smell the leather. Bright blue, sky blue, leather seats blue. Hector in the back. Me with my arm resting on the chrome of the wound-down window, my hand on the wheel, driving us home for Croca-Colas in a shiny kitchen with a checked tablecloth and a garden that looks as if the grass was Hoovered.
That's when I became vaguely aware of Mr Gunnell saying my name.
'Standish Treadwell. You are wanted in the headmaster's office.' Sally Gardner is an award-winning novelist who has sold over two million books in the UK and whose work has been translated into more than twenty-two languages. Her novel MAGGOT MOON (Hot Key Books 2012) won both the Costa Children's Book Prize and the Carnegie Medal 2013. Sally's genre-defying novel THE DOUBLE SHADOW (Orion 2011) received great critical acclaim and was also longlisted for the Carnegie Medal 2013. THE RED NECKLACE (shortlisted for 2007 Guardian Book Prize) and THE SILVER BLADE are set during the French Revolution, the film rights for which have been purchased by Dominic West. Sally also won the 2005 Nestle Children's Book Prize for her debut novel I, CORIANDER. She is currently writing the popular WINGS & CO Fairy Detective Agency Series (Orion) for 7-11 year olds - hailed as 'Agatha Christie for kids' - and has recently finished her next Young Adult fiction novel, which is a modern gothic tale called 'Tinder', illustrated by David Roberts, due for publication November 2013 (Orion). Follow Sally at www.sallygardner.net or on Twitter: @TheSallyGardner A starkly original and heartbreaking tale of friendship and rebellion A chilling story set in an alternative reality, beautifully narrated along the lines of THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME Award-winning Sally Gardner has sold over 1m copies in the UK and her books have been translated into 22 languages Distinct world highlighted with striking 'propaganda' posters and POS centring on conspiratorial themes Appearances at events and festivals across the year WINNER OF THE 2012 COSTA CHILDREN'S AWARD & THE 2013 CARNEGIE MEDAL Huge potential for media reviews and literary awards A completely original story encased in a striking cover, illustrated by renowned artist Julian Crouch Dazzling, chilling, breathtaking. A perfect book. The outstanding teenage novel of the autumn, arr
