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Anna Woltz Books

A Telegraph best new children’s book

A Daily Mail book of the year

London, September 1940. Deep in the Underground, taking shelter from the bombs, four teenagers meet.

Without the Blitz, they never would have met.

Fourteen-year-old Ella walks with a limp. Some days, she feels like a laughing stock. Other days, like no one sees her at all. Quinn is fifteen, fancy and fearless. She’s run away from home with a bag of family jewels and big ideas about changing the world. Jack is sixteen and doesn’t care about anything anymore – he’s already lost it all. And then there’s Sebastian, Quinn’s older brother. He used to be her hero. Until he became a traitor

A coming-of-age historical novel for teens from internationally bestselling children’s author, Anna Woltz.

‘Talking to Alaska’ will take its readers on an incredible journey of friendship in the most unlikely of places. The story is cleverly told from two differing perspectives.

We are introduced to Sven, a quiet and quirky loner, who had to give her dog Alaska away last summer. We are then introduced to Parker, a new boy at school, who suffers from epilepsy and feels more alone the worse his seizures become. Both teenagers take an instant dislike to each other, and both feel equally misunderstood. Following a series of unusual events, both main characters find their paths crossing, despite their desire to avoid each other.

Readers are given an honest insight into the struggles of living with epilepsy, and the impact this can have on someone’s daily life. We learn how first impressions do not always tell us everything and that the bonds we make with each other, and with animals, can be life-changing! Told most beautifully, this is a must-read for any young adult who is feeling lost or misunderstood!

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