Additional information
by Richard Johnson (Illustrator), Lesley Parr (Author)
(Dyslexia-friendly) Hayley discovers the importance of giving people a chance in this thought-provoking tale from critically acclaimed author Lesley Parr. Hayley is furious that her beloved cat, Judy Garland, keeps sneaking off to the garden of the weird old lady across the street. Lillian, or Boo, as Hayley calls her, hasn't left her house for years, not since the council came up with their plan to knock down the row of houses to make way for a new development. Everyone in the street dismisses Lillian as an eccentric old woman, but when Hayley is forced to get to know her, an unlikely bond develops between them and Hayley learns the real reason behind Lillian's reluctance to move. But when a misunderstanding threatens their friendship, Hayley must use all of her ingenuity to repair it. Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8.
Author Biography
Lesley Parr is a former primary school teacher and bestselling author. Her debut book, The Valley of Lost Secrets, was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award, amongst others. Lesley's books have won the Tir na n-Og Award (2022, 2024), Wales Children's Book of the Year (2023) and were twice shortlisted for the UKLA Book Award. All four of her novels so far have received CILIP Carnegie Medal nominations. Raised in a South Wales steel town, Lesley now lives in England with her husband and rescue cat, Ramsay.
