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By Amelia Giudici (author)
"Absorbing, unsettling, thought-provoking speculative fiction."
Paperback In Stock £7.99 £7.19
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June 2026 Debut of the Month
Amelia Giudici’s debut novel is a fast-paced, skilfully plotted sci-fi thriller that keeps readers on their toes by shifting our understanding of what is happening. With a strong emphasis too on human emotions and self-identity, it’s strongly recommended for fans of Kiran Millwood-Hargrave or Ross Welford .
It opens on the night Anya’s eco-scientist mother goes out to sea on her research boat and doesn’t return. Worried, Anya goes out after her and discovers a strange, very bright light above the waves. She touches it and can remember nothing more until she wakes up in the boat hours – days?
– later. Her mum is still missing, and Anya is sent to stay with strangers. Nothing feels right, and the more time goes by, and the more Anya discovers, the more unsettling, even frightening, it all becomes.
Giudici poses fascinating philosophical questions about identity, memory and consciousness, while keeping the plot gripping and the story accessible. An impressive debut novel, and absorbing, thought-provoking speculative fiction.
Anya reached out and placed her hand against the light. And then she was gone.
Read the full description
When her mum disappears, Anya sets out to find her in the middle of a storm.
Taking a boat out to sea, she encounters a strange window of light hovering above the waves. Transfixed, she reaches out to touch it. She then wakes in her boat, the sea now eerily silent.
With her mum still missing, Anya is packed off to stay with an odd, unwelcoming couple. Trapped under their watchful gaze, she uncovers a shocking secret that changes everything she thought she knew.
Anya must now battle to find the truth: about her mum, about the Light, and about herself.
One of the most gripping and thought provoking books you will ever read. Explores what it feels like to be alienated by your sense of self and is partly inspired by the author’s experience growing up as a chronically ill person.
‘A singularly brave and reflective mystery with a thriling sci-fi twist’ - Ash Bond
'From the opening page, I felt I had discovered a lost treasure' - Ross MacKenzie
Amelia Giudici grew up in New Zealand and Warwickshire. She is currently based in East London where she works as a primary school teacher. Prior to teaching, Amelia studied Philosophy at Cambridge University, where she first encountered the thought problems concerning personal identity that Anya and the Light Above the Ocean draws on. It is her debut novel which was longlisted for the Bath Children's Novel Award 2022. She was also a recipient of a London Writers Award in the same year.
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The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Anya and the Light Above the Ocean and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
Anya and the Light Above the Ocean features in the following genres: Featured Books for 9+ readers, Featured Books for 11+ readers, Debuts of the Month, Recommendations, Stories about Family and Friends, Fantasy / Magical, Science Fiction, Science, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Magical realism / Magical fantasy, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Time travel, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s / Teenage: General interest
Paperback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
Anya and the Light Above the Ocean was written by Amelia Giudici and published by Andersen Press an imprint of Andersen Press Ltd
Anya and the Light Above the Ocean has 260 pages
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.
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