A timeless tale of courage, resistance and friendship, The Umbrella Mouse is a heart-stopping adventure drawing on the true stories of animals caught in the conflict of WWII, winner of the 2019 Sainsbury's Book Prize for Fiction and selected for Waterstones Book of the Month.

1944, and London is under attack. Young mouse Pip Hanway's safe and quiet world is turned upside down when her home, umbrella shop James Smith & Sons, is destroyed by a bomb. Orphaned and alone, she must begin a perilous quest to find a new home.

But the only way to get there is by joining Noah's Ark, a secret gang of animals fighting with the resistance in France, operating beneath the feet of the human soldiers. Danger is everywhere and as the enemy closes in, Pip must risk everything to save her new friends.

Beautifully illustrated by Sam Usher, Anna Fargher's debut novel takes you on an incredible journey through a war that reaches even the smallest of creatures.

'An ambitious and wonderfully well-achieved first novel' Michael Morpurgo, author of War Horse.

'A spellbinding tale of bravery and hope, where courage is found in the smallest of heroes' Gill Lewis, author of Sky Hawk.

One mouse's fight to survive WWII in an incredible journey of bravery and friendship, beautifully illustrated by Sam Usher.

About the Author

Anna Fargher was raised in a creative hub on the Suffolk coast by an artist and a ballet teacher. She read English Literature at Goldsmiths before working in the British art world and opening her own gallery. The Umbrella Mouse is her first book, which she wrote on her iPhone notepad during her daily commute on the London Underground. She splits her time between London and Suffolk where she is often found exploring the coastline and marshlands under the huge East Anglian skies. The Umbrella Mouse was selected for the Waterstones Book of the Month.

Sam Usher graduated from the University of West England and his debut picture book Can You See Sassoon? was shortlisted for the Waterstones Prize and the Red House Children's Book Award. He is particularly admired for his technical drawing skill and prowess with watercolour. Also a talented pianist, when he's not holding a pen and wobbling at paper you'll find him perfecting a fiendishly difficult piece of Chopin.

Reviews
An ambitious and wonderfully well-achieved first novel. -- Michael Morpurgo, author of War Horse
A spellbinding tale of bravery and hope, where courage is found in the smallest of heroes -- Gill Lewis, author of Sky Hawk
An exquisite children's book -- Telegraph, 50 best books of 2019
Move over War Horse . . . [an] enchanting first novel . . . beautifully written * Telegraph *
A stunning debut novel . . . Fargher's skill is to invest her hero with the complexity of a human being * The Oldie *
Brims with courage, friendship and adventure * Bookseller *
[A]n alternative narrative that is both immersive and engaging making this a potential modern day classic that KS2 children and older will truly enjoy * Armadillo Magazine *
A beautifully imagined wartime adventure with the bravest of heroines. -- Claire Fayers, author of The Accidental Pirates
The wartime background is vivid and completely convincing and Pip and her animal comrades are beguiling characters. Original adventure from an exciting new author * Lovereading4kids *
For older readers, the exquisite story of a mouse orphaned in the London blitz. Animals are easily sentimentalised in fiction, but Fargher invests her hero with the complexity of a human being, while minutely observing his rodent tics. * Sunday Telegraph - Books of the Year *
The wartime background is vivid and completely convincing and Pip and her animal comrades are beguiling characters * Lovereading4kids *
The best animal adventures since Margery Sharpe's The Rescuers -- Amanda Craig, New Statesman



Book Information
ISBN 9781529003970
Author Anna Fargher
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Macmillan Children's Books
Publisher Pan Macmillan
Weight(grams) 254g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 130mm * 22mm