Rosa By Starlight

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'A star-filled story of courage, belonging and the particular magic of feline friends. A treasure of a tale, beautifully told.' - A.F. Steadman, author of the Skandar series From the Costa Award-winning author of The Skylarks' War, comes Rosa by Starlight by Hilary McKay, the story of a young girl looking for magic in the world, and the feline family who help her to find it. With gorgeous black and white illustrations by Keith Robinson. Rosa lives in a world where she discovers there is magic. It arrives with Balthazar, a large black cat, just when she needs it most. Even so, it takes all her courage to stay hopeful and adventurous when her dreadful aunt and uncle move into her life. And when she finds herself abandoned in the ancient city of Venice, can magic help her then Perhaps it can. The stars are watching, and there are lots of cats in Venice . . . 'Beautiful, captivating, such a joy to read I didn't want it to end!' - Sophie Anderson, bestselling author of The House with Chicken Legs and The Snow Girl 'A charming Ghibli-esque tale of a girl whose only friends are cats. Surprising and magical in equal measures.' - M. G. Leonard, bestselling author of The Adventure on Trains Series, The Twitchers series, and The Ice Children *Hilary McKay won the Costa Children's Book Award in 2018 with The Skylarks' War

Reviews

A wistful, comforting treasure of a story destined to become a classic. -- Emma Carroll, bestselling award-winning author of Letters to the Lighthouse
Beautiful, captivating, such a joy to read I didn't want it to end! -- Sophie Anderson, bestselling author of The House with Chicken Legs and The Snow Girl
A magical story, beautifully told and illustrated too. With cats and Venice and at the end kindness. -- Tom Palmer
Even in the darkest of times, there are cats and magic and starlight! This is a book to be treasured - I loved it. -- Lucy Strange, author of Our Castle By The Sea and The Island at the Edge of the Night
Rosa by Starlight is magical not least because of Hilary McKays magic touch. From the first line, I was under its spell ... -- Nicolette Jones
A charming Ghibli-esque tale of a girl whose only friends are cats. Surprising and magical in equal measures. -- M. G. Leonard, bestselling author of The Adventure on Trains Series, The Twitchers series, and The Ice Children
A quirky, dreamy and melancholy tale about a young girl finding her place in the world -- Charlotte Eyre * The Bookseller *
A star-filled story of courage, belonging and the particular magic of feline friends. A treasure of a tale, beautifully told. -- A.F. Steadman, NYT bestselling author of the Skandar series
Rosas world has become very small since her parents passed. An unfamiliar aunt and uncle come to claim her and the family house, but the uncaring grownups are interested only in monetary success and keeping their life as tidy and uncomplicated as possible. Rosas presence is, of course, a massive complication in their eyes, and they disapprove of the lovely girls general existence. Despite her increasingly dire circumstances, Rosas belief in magic never waversa conviction formed by a seemingly impossible encounter with a neighboring cat. An initially disastrous trip to Venice turns into a madcap (and slightly murderous) adventure, and Rosa combines magic and mettle to take the reins of her extraordinary life. The wonderfully quirky tale has shades of Matilda, particularly in the outrageously villainous relatives, but the feline focus and Italian excursion give it a fantastic flavor all its own. The storys shorter length, quick pacing, and sweet illustrations will easily appeal to younger readers, as will the whimsical peculiarities of Rosas world. An incredibly creative case for doing things scared and on ones own terms. -- Emily Graham * Booklist *
Hilary McKays new novel is a Dahl-like delight for any child * The Telegraph *

Can a family of cats save a young girl still struggling to cope with life eight years after her parents died in an accident Hilary McKay, the Costa award-winning author of The Skylarks' War, spreads love and stardust over a magical story of adventure, friendship and courage which will break your heart and put it back together again.
Brought to glorious life by the emotive illustrations of Keith Robinson, Rosa By Starlight has an unforgettable heroine at its core... a lost soul convinced that somewhere in her bleak world is the magic and hope she craves, and discovering it in the most unexpectedly feline place.
After years of being cared for by kind neighbours, eleven-year-old Rosa Mundi has abruptly been left in the care of a mysterious aunt and uncle and when her school closes down suddenly, she is forced to join them on a work trip to Italy. Left to fend for herself at the rundown Hotel Mancini in Venice, Rosa feels completely abandoned and it takes all her courage to stay hopeful and adventurous in the ancient city. Help arrives just when she needs it most in the shape of her neighbours large black cat Balthazar. But can the mysterious winding streets of the city, its feline inhabitants and an alignment of stars spark the magic Rosa longs for, and plant seeds of hope for the future
Cat lovers will be purring with delight as McKay delivers a beautiful, Italian-themed odyssey filled with all the atmospherics you would expect from the serpentine streets of Venice, a large serving of magic and melancholy, and a wistful, waif-like heroine kept safe by a cannily clever cast of felines. An adventure thats guaranteed to cast a spell!

Author Bio

Hilary McKay won the Costa Children's Book Award for The Skylarks' War, the Guardian Fiction Prize for The Exiles, and the Smarties and the Whitbread Award for The Exiles in Love and Saffy's Angel respectively. She is also the author of Straw Into Gold, A Time of Green Magic and The Swallows' Flight, a companion novel to The Skylarks' War, among many critically-acclaimed titles. Hilary studied Botany and Zoology at the University of St Andrews, and worked as a biochemist before the draw of the pen became too strong and she decided to become a full-time writer. Hilary lives in Derbyshire with her family.