Some stories are about adventure. Some are about heroes. Some are about ducks. This one is about all three.
Calla's mum has never been normal. She's been known to go out in a lab coat and slippers and often forgets to perform basic tasks because she's been thinking about ducks. When a job offer arrives to study her beloved birds in the Amazon rainforest, Calla knows her mum has to go. Nervously, she agrees to go to boarding school.
She quickly learns that trouble is afoot in this odd convent school. A mean new headmistress is imposing horrible rules and making everyone eat Brussels sprout cake, and the students are itching to revolt. As Calla makes new friends and gets drawn into their rebellious plot, she keeps waiting for her mum to call. She will, won't she?
Exuberantly funny and brimming with heart, How to Be Brave is a riotous celebration of the power of resourceful girls, stories and the right biscuit at the right time.
Some stories are about adventure. Some are about heroes. Some are about ducks. This one is about all three.
Calla's mum has never been normal. She's been known to go out in a lab coat and slippers and often forgets to perform basic tasks because she's been thinking about ducks. When a job offer arrives to study her beloved birds in the Amazon rainforest, Calla knows her mum has to go. Nervously, she agrees to go to boarding school.
She quickly learns that trouble is afoot in this odd convent school. A mean new headmistress is imposing horrible rules and making everyone eat Brussels sprout cake, and the students are itching to revolt. As Calla makes new friends and gets drawn into their rebellious plot, she keeps waiting for her mum to call. She will, won't she?
Exuberantly funny and brimming with heart, How to Be Brave is a riotous celebration of the power of resourceful girls, stories and the right biscuit at the right time.
Daisy May Johnson is a writer, researcher, chartered librarian and former A14 Writer in Residence with the University of Cambridge. She blogs about children's literature at Did You Ever Stop To Think, tweets as @chaletfan, and even sends the occasional Tiny Letter. When she's not doing any of that, you'll find her curled up with her favourite school stories, or baking the world's best chocolate brownies.
This twisty tale is truly marvellous
*Independent, Children's Book of the Week*
Ridiculously loveable book alert... hilarious and completely
endearing
*Clémentine Beauvais, author of Piglettes*
How to be Brave is wonderful. It's a brilliantly funny and
heartfelt middle-grade adventure that had me cheering, smiling,
crying and craving a slice of victoria sponge. Think
bake-off-meets-boarding-school with nuns and ducks. I loved it.
*Sarah Baker, author of Through the Mirror Door*
A rip-roaring boarding school adventure that mixes old fashioned
storytelling with a modern-day sensibility, How to Be Brave sees a
group of resourceful girls take on a dictatorial headteacher
*Waterstones*
Both the young and the young-at-heart will find delight in the
traditional good vs. evil depicted in the form of the most
villainous of villains and a host of spunky female characters who
are persistent enough to save the day
*School Library Journal*
Expect rebellious nuns, courageous girls and an awful lot of
biscuits
*The Bookseller, Ones to Watch*
This story echoes the writings of Jacqueline Wilson, with its
wonderfully courageous and light-hearted female characters and
their valiant efforts to make change
*Irish Examiner*
A modern day update of the school story and it is phenomenal
*Down the Rabbit Hole*
Fans of Eva Ibbotson, British baking shows, and boarding school
stories will happily immerse themselves in this cozily familiar
setting...An entertaining and humorous adventure
*Kirkus Reviews*
Tea-and-biscuits British quirkiness...like an excellent sponge
cake, How To Be Brave balances fluff with substance
*Film Stories*
Think Mallory Towers... mischievous boarding school vibes but with
an added 'Evil Plot'... and ducks
*The Pod Around the Corner*
Accomplished, clever, witty and full of fun, with characters you
will want to be best friends with, it is a quirky treat from start
to finish
*The Book Nook, Hove*
This book expressed the true meaning of being brave and how in life
you have to go through hard situations before you get to the good
stuff
*Iona, aged 9, for Books Up North*
This book reminded me why books are worth reading and why
confectionery is worth eating
*Lucy, aged 9*
One of the best middle-grades I've read for a while. Intensely
funny, but also moving and full of puns, facts, and mouth watering
Victoria Sponge cakes
*Ruby Granger*
I laughed and cried mightily from the outset. This is a master
storyteller at work, if you don't love it too I shall eat my
hat
*Clara Vuilliamy*
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