A runaway thriller for fans of Anne Cassidy, Jennifer Niven and Malorie Blackman, by former Children's Laureate Julia Donaldson.

Driven away by the disturbing behaviour of her uncle, fifteen-year-old Leo flees her aunt's home, where she has been living since the sudden death of her musician parents. She heads to Glasgow, hoping to discover the secret behind the feud between her father and his Chinese family. Leo's journey is peopled with fabulous characters, including thirteen-year old Finlay - an amateur sleuth and even-more-amateur Goth - and Mary - a Johnny Cash-and-chocolate-biscuit fanatic.

In Running on the Cracks, Julia Donaldson has crafted a funny, moving, heart-stopping thriller with characters that will stay in your heart long after you have turned the final uplifting page. Julia has long been a household name thanks to her raft of best-selling picture books, but in her first book for teens she offers readers who enjoyed The Gruffalo as a child something completely new.

This is a runaway thriller for Jacqueline Wilson fans, by the author of "The Gruffalo". 14-year-old Leo runs away from her aunt and uncle's home, where she has been living since the sudden death of her musician parents. Leo is driven away by the disturbing behaviour of her uncle. But she is not just wanting to escape her life: she wants to discover the secret behind the feud between her father and his Chinese family.Leo's journey is peopled with a cast of fabulous characters: 12-year-old Finlay, who can never get anything right and is always in trouble; Mary the manic depressive, who provides a hideaway for Leo; Rab, the grumpy cornershop owner and Marina the no-nonsense doughnut lady, both of whom give Finlay work - and plenty of unsolicited advice! Julia Donaldson has crafted a funny, moving, heart-stopping thriller with characters that will stay in your heart long after you have turned the final uplifting page.

About the Author

Julia Donaldson, the 2011-2013 Children's Laureate, is the outrageously talented, prize-winning author of the world's most-loved picture books including The Gruffalo, What the Ladybird Heard, Stickman, The Scarecrows' Wedding and Night Monkey, Day Monkey . Julia Donaldson's collaborations with Axel Scheffler have sold millions of copies, and Room on the Broom is now an Academy Award nominated short film.

Awards
Short-listed for Independent Booksellers' Week Book of the Year Award: Children's Book of the Year 2009.



Book Information
ISBN 9781405222334
Author Julia Donaldson
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Farshore
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 250g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 22mm