By Catherine Barter (author)
"Nineteenth-century feminist forerunners make their fortune from ghosts"
Paperback In Stock £8.99 £8.09
View All Editions (2)
Rich in historic atmosphere and detail, and smouldering with female desire to be heard in a patriarchal society, Catherine Barter’s We Played with Fire is a hauntingly riveting read. The fact it was inspired by the true story of the Fox Sisters who made a fortune from communicating with spirits in nineteenth-century America makes it all the more gripping, and a fine example of how to transform extraordinary real-life events into enthralling fiction.
Back home in Rochester Maggie had enjoyed listening to progressive women she “thought she could learn from” - strong role models who spoke-up at political meetings held in the kitchen. But these fires of inspiration are dampened when Maggie is incriminated in a terrible event that takes place near the schoolhouse she claims is haunted. As a result of the scandal, her family move to remote Hydesville where, feeling fed-up and fuming, Maggie and her younger sister Kate decide to spice things up by playing supernatural tricks on their parents.
Matters take a menacing turn when their old farmhouse makes spooky sounds independent of the sisters’ tomfoolery, and they become certain a spirit is communicating with them. When this attracts the attention of their neighbours and a local journalist, Maggie and Kate see the power and potential of spiritualism and set-off on an astonishing life journey that reels with rebellion, show-woman-ship and gothic charisma.
Maggie has witnessed impossible things. But no one believes her, and now her family has taken her away to spend the winter upstate in a remote, freezing farmhouse. Bored and angry, Maggie and her younger sister Kate start to play tricks: rapping on the floorboards above their parents' bedroom, cracking their toes under the table, and telling tales about noises in the night.
Read the full description
Then the house starts to make sounds of its own.
Neither Maggie nor Kate can explain it, but it seems as though someone - or something - is trying to speak to them . . .
Inspired by the incredible true tale of the Fox Sisters, the girls who made their fortune in nineteenth-century America by speaking to ghosts.
Praise for Troublemakers;
‘A thought-provoking, richly layered YA novel’ Imogen Russell Williams, Guardian
‘A touching, truthful depiction of an unconventional family life’ Observer
Catherine Barter has worked in a library, a bookshop and for an organisation campaigning for the rights of garment workers. After gaining a PhD in American literature, she moved to East London and now co-manages Housmans, a radical independent bookshop in King’s Cross. Troublemakers is her debut novel and was shortlisted for the 2014 Bath Novel Award for unpublished work.
Author photo © Georgie Lord
Girl Power - Inspiring and Informative Books with a Feminist Edge
the best books for teenagers
Wednesday: Official Glow Colouring Book
Frankenstein: A Retelling
The Deep Blue Between
Ayesha Harruna Attah
Time Travel Diaries: Adventure in Athens
Maggie has witnessed impossible things. But no one believes her, and now her family has taken her away to spend the winter upstate in a remote, freezing farmhouse.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed We Played With Fire and determined it is suitable for children aged 11-14 years old
We Played With Fire features in the following genres: Adventure Stories, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Featured Books for 13+ readers, Recommendations, Historical Fiction, Horror & Ghost Stories, Featured Books for 11+ readers
CD-Audio, Paperback. £8.09, down from the £8.99 cover price. In Stock.
We Played With Fire was written by Catherine Barter and published by Andersen Press Ltd
We Played With Fire has 328 pages
£8.09, reduced from £8.99. 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.