By Mary Hooper (author)
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Interest Age Teen Reading Age 8+
An intensely powerful novel set in London during the height of the Plague in the 1600s. Mary Hooper cleverly weaves the reader into the sights, sounds and tastes of the time so that you feel you're there experiencing it all first hand.
Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 12+
Abby is delighted to be appointed to the position of nursemaid in the well-to-do Beauchurch household. But it's the summer of 1665, and soon whispers are spreading through London that the Plague is returning. Can Abby keep herself and her small charge Grace safe, or will the disaster engulf them?
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A companion piece to Mary Hooper's bestselling 'At the Sign of the Sugared Plum'.
Says of herself: I was born in Barnes, South West London, which became expensive and trendy as soon as I left it. I often – nostalgically and rather lazily – use Barnes as a setting for my books. If I speak of a river then I’m thinking of the Thames, and if it’s a park or common then I picture Barnes Common. I was able to utilise all these local points and bring in Mortlake and Richmond, too, when I was writing two books about Queen Elizabeth I’s magician, Dr Dee, who lived in Mortlake. I wasn’t very clever at school, although I was always good at English. I failed my 11-plus exam, and then my 13-plus, and after this there wasn’t a lot of hope for me, so I didn’t get any qualifications or certificates. My last school report says, “Far too noisy and talkative” and I think this was because, being an only child, I just loved having someone around to talk to. I left school when I was fifteen (you could in those days) but it wasn’t until many years later than I did a part-time degree at Reading University and began to get officially educated. I started working as a window dresser, but soon went into an office and – very valuable, this, for a writer – learned to type. One day I read a short story, thought that I could do better and sat down and wrote one. I sent it to Jackie, a teenage magazine, and much to my surprise sold it for £14. I was launched as a writer! I went on to write lots of short stories, and then serials, and eventually decided to write a book. At the time, there were hardly any books for teenagers, so I found getting published quite easy, but it’s very different now. I’ve written perhaps seventy or so books for children and young adults, most of them set in modern times, but as soon as I began writing historical novels I realised how much I loved doing this, and decided I didn’t want to write any more modern ones. No, not even any Megans! I’m married to Richard and we live in Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire. I’ve still got a VW Beetle, but have upgraded it to a cabriolet version, which will be lovely when the weather improves and I can put the top down (if I can remember how to do it). My children are very grown up, my son is a writer and works for New Scientist and my daughter works for Microsoft - and has recently presented me with a gorgeous first grandson, Mackenzie. I look after him on Wednesdays so don’t ever bother me then! My hobbies are reading (of course), pottering around the house, painting furniture and being nosy (which goes with being a writer).
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The Door of No Return
Abby is delighted to be appointed to the position of nursemaid in the well-to-do Beauchurch household. But it's the summer of 1665, and soon whispers are spreading through London that the Plague is returning.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Ring of Roses and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-18 years old
Ring of Roses features in the following genres: Featured Books for Young Adults, Recommendations, Historical Fiction, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Featured Books for 13+ readers
Paperback. Not Available.
Ring of Roses was written by Mary Hooper and published by Barrington Stoke Ltd
Ring of Roses has 87 pages
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