Bess has left the London workhouse behind for a job at a rural cotton mill. But life at the mill is hard and cruel- a far cry from the fresh start Bess hoped for. The only way to survive is to escape, but the mill is like a prison with no way out. Meanwhile, rumours are spreading about a vicious creature that lurks in the millpond. Bess is sure it's all nonsense, until one night she sees something stir in the murky water. But is it really a monster that lives in the depths of the pond? Or a creature trapped and alone, just like Bess, desperate to escape ...
Evocative and eerie ... Another bite-size delight from Barrington Stoke -- Karen McCombie
[An] evocative slice of historical drama ... a book that transports us from our world to an almost timeless zone of wonder in amongst the darkness -- The Bookbag
Caught me off guard with its powerful symbolism and honesty about the treatment of children in workhouses and mills in the 19th century. Lucy Strange has used beautiful language and engaging characters to portray a challenging situation with hope and a determination to survive -- Kate Heap, reviewer
Absolutely charms with its dark yet hopeful story ... The illustrations are wonderful, too--moody and eloquent, and they add a lot to the story. I would have loved this book as a child, and I love it now, too -- NetGalley reviewer
Author
About Lucy Strange
Lucy Strange is the best-selling children's author of titles including The Secret of Nightingale Wood, a Waterstones Children's Book of the Month, and Our Castle by the Sea, which was nominated for the Carnegie Medal, shortlisted for the Waterstones Book Prize, and was the first Independent Booksellers' Children's Book of the Month.
After studying English Literature at Sheffield University, Lucy Strange trained at the Oxford School of Drama and worked as an actor, singer and storyteller for some years before becoming an English and Drama teacher. On moving to Dubai, she launched the award-winning blog Homesick and Heatstruck and has worked as a freelance writer.
