Blue Gadsby's twin sister Iris died three years ago, and since then her family hasn't been the same. Her melodramatic older sister Flora changes her hair colour almost daily; her younger siblings Jasmine and Twig are completely obsessed with their pet rats; and both of her parents spend weeks away from home - and each other.
Enter Zoran the new au pair and Joss the troublemaking boy next door, and life for the Gadsby family takes a turn for the even more chaotic. Blue captures her family's trials and tribulations in a sequence of film transcripts and diary entries that make you cry, laugh, and give thanks (sort of) for the gift of families...
Faber and Faber , 2013
Brazil: Livraria Martins Fontes
Denmark: Rosinante
France: Hachette
Germany: Carlsen
Italy: Piemme
Israel: Kinneret
Spain: La Galera
USA: Dial Books for Young Readers
ABC Best Book for Children
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
An Indie Next List Pick
A Lovereading.com Book of the Year
READ MORE BLUEBELL GADSBY BOOKS:
A study in the challenges of growing up and in the raucously funny habits of a family of eccentrics.
The New York Times
Memorable... Funny and painful and tumultuous.
The Wall Street Journal
After Iris has the wit and charm of Hilary McKay's The Exiles with the added emotional depth of Annabel Pitcher's My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece.
The Observer
A fine read - funny and moving.
The Sunday Telegraph
Written with subtlety, wit and insight.
The Sunday Times
A realistic slice of life that bubbles with wit and charm.
School Library Journal
An uplifting, memorable read.
Kirkus Review (best books for summer reading)
Ebullient, life affirming, witty and utterly convincing.
www.lovereading.com
Gentle and moving.
Metro, best summer reads for children
Funny and poignant with lots of heart - I was hugely impressed.
The Bookseller, Editor's Choice
A quirky and hugely entertaining slice of family life... endearing, funny and satisfying.
The Bookseller, Children's Booksellers Choice, Marilyn Brocklehurst of Norfolk Children's Book Centre
