Shirley Marr – författare

Meixing Lim and her family have arrived in the New Land to begin a New Life. Everything is scary and different. Their ever-changing house is confusing and she finds it hard to understand the other children at school. Yet in her magical glasshouse, with a strange black-and-white cat, Meixing finds a place to dream.But then Meixing's life comes crashing down in unimaginable ways. Only her two new and unexpected friends can help. By being brave together, they will learn how to make the stars shine brighter. A Glasshouse of Stars is based on the author's childhood and beautifully illustrates the importance of friendship, kindness and love."Heart-twisting and hopeful, bursting with big feelings and gentle magic." Jessica Townsend, New York Times bestselling author of the Nevermoor series"A rare and beautiful masterpiece; deeply heartfelt, dreamily magical, and glitteringly hopeful. I adored it!" Sophie Anderson, bestselling author of The House with Chicken Legs

“Heart-twisting and hopeful, bursting with big feelings and gentle magic.” —Jessica Townsend, New York Times bestselling author of the Nevermoor series A moving coming-of-age story about one girl’s bravery and imagination in the face of the unknown. Perfect for fans of Front Desk and Mañanaland.Meixing Lim and her family have arrived at the New House in the New Land. Her parents inherited the home from First Uncle who died tragically and unexpectedly while picking oranges in the backyard. Her mama likes to remind Meixing the family never could have afforded to move here otherwise, so she should be thankful for this opportunity. Everything is vast and unknown to Meixing in this supposedly wonderful place. She is embarrassed by her secondhand clothing, has trouble understanding her peers, and is finding it hard to make new friends. Meixing’s only solace is a rundown greenhouse, that her uncle called his glasshouse, at the far end of her backyard that inexplicably holds the sun and the moon and the secrets of her memory and imagination. When her fragile universe is rocked by tragedy, it will take all of Meixing’s resilience and bravery to finally find her place of belonging in this new world.

For fans of When You Trap a Tiger and A Place to Belong comes a gentle, “touching” (Booklist, starred review) middle grade novel about love and resilience, interwoven with Chinese mythology, a Little World made completely of paper, and the ever-changing, but constant moon.The night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, making mooncakes with Ah-Ma, was the last time Peijing Guo remembers her life being the same. She is haunted by the magical image of a whole egg yolk suspended in the middle like the full moon. Now adapting to their new life in Australia, Peijing thinks everything is going to turn out okay as long as they all have each other, but cracks are starting to appear in the family. Five-year-old Biju, lovable but annoying, needs Peijing to be the dependable big sister. Ah-Ma keeps forgetting who she is; Ma Ma is no longer herself and Ba Ba must adjust to a new role as a hands-on dad. Peijing has no idea how she is supposed to cope with the uncertainties of her own world while shouldering the burden of everyone else. If her family are the four quarters of the mooncake, where does she even fit in?

Rebecca Stead’s The List of Things That Will Not Change gets a “Space Oddity” sci-fi twist in this “exceptionally lovely and uplifting” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) middle grade novel about one boy’s journey to go back in time to prevent his parents’ divorce.The present is the last place James wants to be. Since his parents have separated, he’s been living two different lives and neither of them add up to the great one he used to have. He thinks about his Top Six memories and wonders if he can go back. During National Science Week, James meets the enigmatic Yan, a girl who looks at the world with x-ray eyes, and discovers that time travel might be possible after all. The two budding scientists’ quest to restore James’s lost past brings them into contact with retro Australian Women’s Weekly birthday cakes, old Commodore computers, chaotic rideshare vehicles of the future, and spacemen. But as they get closer to their goal, James is forced to consider that his favorite moments from his personal history may not be as perfect as he remembers them.

“Heart-twisting and hopeful, bursting with big feelings and gentle magic.” —Jessica Townsend, New York Times bestselling author of the Nevermoor series A moving coming-of-age story about one girl’s bravery and imagination in the face of the unknown. Perfect for fans of Front Desk and Mañanaland.Meixing Lim and her family have arrived at the New House in the New Land. Her parents inherited the home from First Uncle who died tragically and unexpectedly while picking oranges in the backyard. Her mama likes to remind Meixing the family never could have afforded to move here otherwise, so she should be thankful for this opportunity. Everything is vast and unknown to Meixing in this supposedly wonderful place. She is embarrassed by her secondhand clothing, has trouble understanding her peers, and is finding it hard to make new friends. Meixing’s only solace is a rundown greenhouse, that her uncle called his glasshouse, at the far end of her backyard that inexplicably holds the sun and the moon and the secrets of her memory and imagination. When her fragile universe is rocked by tragedy, it will take all of Meixing’s resilience and bravery to finally find her place of belonging in this new world.

"Beautiful and heartwarming, gentle yet powerful, truly a book to treasure." Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken LegsEverything so far, if Peijing had to sum it up, was a string of small awkward experiences that she hoped would end soon.The night of the Mid-Autumn festival, making mooncakes with Ah-Ma, was the last time Peijing remembers her life being the same. Now facing a new home, a new school and a new language, everything is different. But Peijing hopes her new friend Joanna can show her the way.Soon though, cracks start to appear in Peijing's family. The grown-ups are no longer themselves and Biju needs her to be the dependable big sister. Peijing has no idea how she's supposed to cope with the uncertainties of her own world while shouldering the burden of everyone else.If her family are the four quarters of the mooncake, where does she even fit in?A big-hearted, magical story about sisterhood and a family finding their way in a new place.

A stunning new story from award-winning author, Shirley Marr, about family love, friendship and hope. James is stuck in the present and that's the last place he wants to be. His parents have separated, and he must get used to living two completely different lives. Now, he has two homes, two bedrooms and two routes to school, with nothing adding up to the one great life he used to have. James wishes he could go back to the past, to his Top Six memories with Mum and Dad. Then, James meets Yan, a girl who looks at the world differently, and he discovers that travelling back in time might be possible after all. But are his memories as perfect as he remembers?Praise for Shirley Marr:"Beautiful and heart-warming, gentle yet powerful, truly a book to treasure." Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken Legs"Heart-twisting and hopeful, bursting with big feelings and gentle magic." Jessica Townsend, author of the Nevermoor series"A heartfelt novel." The Telegraph"This book is beautiful and tender with a voice every immigrant child will recognize." Kereen Getten, author of When Life Gives You Mangoes"A wonderfully powerful tale." Maisie Chan, author of Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths