ACHUKA Book of the Day 12 Apr 2022
Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Week 17 Apr 2022
“Why did you decide to focus on a blended family in this story?
I think because it’s such a common family structure, and there are so many difficulties and joys that can come with it. How do you throw together two different groups of people in a house and how do you make that work? Lots of children up and down the country and around the world will have experienced it, and some of them will hopefully recognise something of their lives in the book.”
ReadingZone Q&A
Tom is still quiet and timid, even though his dad has been gone for nearly two years now. Zofia is the opposite. Inside her there’s a raging storm that makes her want to fight the whole world until she gets what she wants. And what she wants is for scaredy-cat Tom to get out of her life.
Tom hates loud, unpredictable Zofia just as much, but he’s moving into Zofia’s house. Because his mum and Zofia’s dad are in love… and they’re having a baby. Tom and Zofia both wish the stupid baby had never happened. But then Tom’s mum gets ill, and it begins to look horribly like their wish might come true…
A story of learning to trust, trying to let go and diving into the unknown with hope in your heart. The cover illustration is by Kate Greenaway Medal winner Sydney Smith.
The author has worked in a variety of special needs schools as a teaching assistant, and more recently co-founded Mainspring Arts – a not-for-profit that provides mentoring and creative opportunities for neurodivergent adults. A previous novel — October, October — was an ACHUKA Book of the Day in September 2020. This video was made by ReadingZone at the time of that books’ publication and in it Katya talks about the kind of characters she likes to write about.
Leave a Reply