| ‘I’m invisible’ says our narrator; and certainly no-one sees her hiding out in the old abandoned mill she calls a Castle, or in the shadows behind her mother as they go out begging. Is it that they don’t want to, or that they can’t? We hear her voice clearly enough, describing in simple, vivid prose the stages of her life, from memories of early days with her grandma, to more frightening times on the streets. There are moments of joy and hope, but they get further in between as we gradually come to understand the depth of the grief and loss in her mother’s eyes. Dark, sometimes profound, this is the kind of book that envelops readers in its world, sending them blinking into the light with the voice and images still ringing in their heads. Recommended for fans of David Almond.
I know the mill has a story cos there's something strange going on. I heard something. I've decided that I'm going to find out what it is later today when Ma leaves. Cos even if it is scary, we live here and we're never leaving. So if there's something going on, I need to know. In an old, abandoned mill in the heart of Dublin, Sam and her ma take shelter from their memories of life on the streets, and watch the busy world go by. The windows are boarded up and the floorboards falling in, but for Sam neither of those things matter. It's The Castle - a home of her own like no other, and a place of safety. But hard as she tries to hold on to her world, things are starting to change. As the men in yellow coats close in on their refuge, and her ma spins further out of control, Sam finds herself seeking friendship in the ghosts of the mill - and questioning who is really there.
‘The Girl In Between grabbed me from the start and held on so tight it left bruises’ --Geraldine McCaughrean
“A deeply moving story of family, homelessness, and the ghosts that won’t let us go. Haunting and unforgettable.” --Megan Shepherd, NYT bestselling author of The Secret Horses of Briar Hill
Author
About Sarah Carroll
Sarah Carroll currently splits her time between a houseboat in Dublin and travel abroad. She recently returned from five years in Tanzania where she founded and ran a hostel while working to support local community projects. She continues to promote ethical overseas volunteering through her blogs and films on www.theethicalvolunteer.com, while planning her next book.
