Margherita Grasso – illustratör

Scorch the hedgehog is determined to be ferocious. The doomsy-est, most menacing class pet ever known. She’s not just Scorch, she’s… Scorch, Hedgehog of Doom!There’s just one problem - Scorch is kind of adorable. So adorable, in fact, that it’s all anyone ever notices.With each swirl of her cloak, each sharp claw raised high, each baring of her chilling chompers, the kids of room 402 don’t fall back in fear or quiver with tears. Instead, they cry, “Awww! Adorable!”Tired of being seen as just one thing, Scorch flies into action, determined to show how truly terrifying she can be. But when her flipping, training, and high-flying efforts land her in true danger - the home of the classroom’s other scaled, slithering, cold-blooded animal occupant - Scorch must harness and embrace all the parts of her unique self. Put to the ultimate test, she finds power in being ferociously adorable and killer cute.Readers will fall for this ferociously “awww”-inspiring story starring a beloved class pet about self-image, identity, and finding harmony among the many different, sometimes contradictory pieces of ourselves.