By Yaba Badoe (author)
Paperback In Stock £9.99 £8.99
View All Editions (3)
Shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2018 | In a Nutshell: Circus girl searches for roots amidst real-world cruelties
A dazzlingly powerful kaleidoscope of magic realism, folklore and the brutalities of people-trafficking in which a fourteen-year-old circus girl seeks to uncover her identity.
As a baby, Sante was washed up with a chest containing a bamboo flute and a leopard skin drum, and welcomed into Mama Rose’s travelling circus. Fourteen years later, still haunted by dreams of the sinking ship, and of those who furnished her with special objects to see her through life, Sante recognises two people from her dreams during a performance. “It's her all right.
She plays just like Mamadou used to”, one of them remarks. But how do these people know her? Why does she dream of them? And who is Mamadou? Reluctant at first, Mama Rose reveals that Sante’s trunk also contained other treasures, including a note from her mother. With the strangers set on claiming Sante’s riches, she and snake charmer Cobra decide to discover the truth for themselves.
Throughout, Sante’s story sings with the hauntingly potent voice of the human spirit as it combines timely, poignant truths about refugees with timeless storytelling. This really is a triumphant, thought-provoking treasure trove of a novel. ~ Joanne Owen
The Branford Boase Judges said : ‘packed with memorable scenes and an extraordinarily vivid sense of place’; ‘language and story are equally interesting’; ‘things don’t come more original than this’.
A powerful, haunting, contemporary debut that steps seamlessly from the horrors of people-trafficking to the magic of African folklore, by an award-winning Ghanaian-British filmmaker. Sante was a baby when she was washed ashore in a sea-chest laden with treasure. It seems she is the sole survivor of the tragic sinking of a ship carrying migrants and refugees.
Read the full description
Her people. Fourteen years on she's a member of Mama Rose's unique and dazzling circus. But, from their watery grave, the unquiet dead are calling Sante to avenge them: A bamboo flute.
A golden bangle. A ripening mango which must not fall... ... are these the missing pieces of the jigsaw which will tell Sante's story?
Praise for True Murder:
'The intimacy and uncertainty of adolescence is strongly evoked' Guardian.
'The novel surges with raw emotion: guilt, love, betrayal, loss - and treachery' Daily Mail.
'An action-packed chiller steeped in the passions and potential darkness of childhood' Sunday Telegraph
Yaba Badoe is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and writer. Yaba was born in Ghana but now lives in London with her husband. She has been nominated for the Distinguished Woman of African Cinema award. Her children's novel, Branford Boase shortlisted A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars, Wolf Light and Jhalak Prize longlisted and Edward Stanford Children's Travel Book of the Year shortlisted Lionheart Girl are published by Zephyr. Yaba is a judge for the Jhalak Prize 2023.
Children's Books that raise awareness of Refugees and Asylum Seekers
the best books for teenagers
Lightlark (The Lightlark Saga Book 1)
A powerful, haunting, contemporary debut that steps seamlessly from the horrors of people-trafficking to the magic of African folklore, by an award-winning Ghanaian-British filmmaker. Sante was a baby when she was washed ashore in a sea-chest laden with treasure.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-18 years old
A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars features in the following genres: Featured Books for Young Adults, Recommendations, Adventure Stories, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Featured Books for 13+ readers, Fantasy / Magical, Romance / Relationship Stories
Paperback, Hardback. £8.99, down from the £9.99 cover price. In Stock.
A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars was written by Yaba Badoe and published by Zephyr an imprint of Head of Zeus
A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars has 309 pages
£8.99, reduced from £9.99. In Stock.
©PTC International Ltd T/A LoveReading is registered in England. Company number: 10193437. VAT number: 270 4538 09. Registered address: 157 Shooters Hill, London, SE18 3HP. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer
The National Year of Reading starts here. Join thousands of families and schools supporting reading for pleasure across the UK.