By Linda Newbery (author) , Pam Smy (illustrator)
Paperback In Stock £7.99 £7.19
View All Editions (2)
Prize-winning author Linda Newbery has written a lyrical and imaginative story about the power of believing in the unknown. Lucy loves spending time with her grandfather as he potters around his garden. He introduces her to Lob, his mysterious helper in the garden. Is he real or not? Grannie Annie scoffs at the idea of the hidden green man but Lucy believes and, when things begin to go wrong, she knows she can turn to the mysterious Lob for comfort.
He's older than anyone can tell. Older than the trees. Older than anybody.
Read the full description
For as long as she can remember, Lucy has wanted to catch a glimpse of the mysterious green man who lives in Grandpa Will's garden: Lob. You have to be very special to see him; that's what Grandpa says. Lucy's parents think Lob's just imaginary, but Lucy knows he exists.
And she can't believe it when she finally spots Lob in the gooseberry bushes. But Lucy's world is about to be shattered by a terrible event. What will happen to Lob now - and will she ever see him again?
Linda Newbery, with the vivid embroidery of Pam Smy's illustrations, has conjured a real green man right out of the woods and stories of legend.
Newbery has stepped into timelessness with her short novel, ostensibly for middle-grade readers, entitled LOB (2010). It is a charming retelling of the Green Man legend, rich and playfully reinterpreted, which also has a contemporary thread Oxford Companion to Children's Literature
An exquisite novel for the more sensitive seven to nine-year-olds Sunday Telegraph
One of the most gifted writers around must surely be Linda Newbery and Lob, her latest novel for younger readers, is the kind of book that will inspire in children a deep love of nature and in adults a yearning for the wonderment of childhood Independent on Sunday
Linda Newbery tells her story beautifully, evoking empathy and emotion without ever straying into sentimentality The Scotsman The mystical and beautiful fable is one of my favourite titles of this year The Bookseller
Linda Newbery always wanted to be a writer, filling exercise books with stories which she hid in her wardrobe, but only began submitting her work once she became a secondary school teacher. She had her first novel published in 1988 and is now a full-time writer. Linda writes for various age groups and has twice been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, for The Shell House and Sisterland and in 2006 won the Costa Children’s Book Award for Set in Stone. Linda lives in a Northamptonshire village with her husband and three cats. She is an active member of the SAS and on the committee of the Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group of the Society of Authors. Linda on Linda When I was a child, dreaming that one day I might be an author, I used to gaze longingly at the N shelves in bookshops and libraries, and imagine my own books parked next to E. Nesbit’s. She’s still there, with her classic stories The Railway Children, Five Children and It, and others. Philip Pullman, nearby, takes up an awful lot of space, but sometimes there’s room for me between them.
As a child I used to do a lot of secret writing in my bedroom. I rarely showed anyone, and certainly not my teachers. At that time I was rather unwisely trying to write complete novels. Later, when exams got in the way, I began writing poetry - because poems could be short!
When I was a teenager, there was no such thing as teenage fiction – you went straight from children’s books to adult books. It wasn’t until much later, when I was training to be an English teacher, that I came across teenage fiction, and excellent writers such as K. M. Peyton, Aidan Chambers and Jill Paton Walsh. Before long I wanted to have a go.
the best books for 9-12 year olds
He's older than anyone can tell. Older than the trees.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Lob and determined it is suitable for children aged 7-10 years old
Lob features in the following genres: Featured Books for 9+ readers, Recommendations, Recommended Children's eBooks, Featured Books for 7+ readers
Paperback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
Lob was written by Linda Newbery and published by Jonathan Cape Ltd an imprint of Penguin Random House Children's UK
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. 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.