A girl tries to free herself from the terrifying double shadow of her childhood and forge her own future, but she is trapped in a memory machine created by her father. Against the tense backdrop of the Second World War Sally Gardner explores families and what binds them, fathers and daughters, past histories, passions and cruelty, love and devastation in a novel rich in character and beautifully crafted. The Double Shadow is one of the launch titles of new Young Adult imprint, Indigo, which will include authors Marcus Sedgwick, Mia James, Cliff McNish, Annabel Pitcher and Alan Gibbons to name just five.
In the wasteland it is eternal day, no clocks mark the passing hours. In 1937 clouds of war gather over Britain.
Fifteen-year-old Ezra meets the rich, beautiful and undeniably spoiled Amaryllis Ruben, recently expelled from boarding school. Amaryllis has been playing the rebel since she was nine years old and Ezra is both disturbed and enchanted by her. But Amaryllis is hiding a secret even she does not understand.
On the grounds of her father Arnold's decadent mansion a memory machine take shape. Despite Arnold's brash playboy exterior Arnold Ruben is seeking to master time. But time is running out for him.
And then, on her 17th birthday, Amaryllis vanishes.
The years that follow reverberate with the events of that summer's day. As Britain is shaken by war Ezra pieces together the fragments of his shattered memory in the name of love, loss and hope.
'Sally Gardner's astonishing new novel for older teenagers The Double Shadow is intriguing, shocking and very funny. Gardner creates a cast of wonderful characters in rich, inventive and evocative prose' - Marilyn Brocklehurst, The Bookseller
'What a mysterious and haunting book The Double Shadow by Sally Gardner proved to be; despite being strangely unsettling this is a book rich in atmosphere and detail' - Vanessa Lewis, The Bookseller
'The Double Shadow is a brilliant, complex story of family bonds, love, cruelty, friendship and devastation - and of history and war' - Clare Poole, The Bookseller
'Sally Gardner has a wondrous, almost wizardly way with words, using simple prose infused with a touch of magic. Her characters are so vividly present... the result is a very special novel' - Teresa Majury, Lovely Treez Reads
'With a cast of glamourous, and warm-hearted characters this is a fast paced adventure, set during the Second World War, about a girl and a boy, and a memory machine that could alter time forever.' The Bookbag
Author
About Sally Gardner
Sally Gardner is a multi-award-winning novelist, whose books have sold over 2 million copies in the UK and been translated into more than 25 languages. Sally earned a First-Class Honours degree from Central St. Martin’s Art School and worked for many years as a theatre designer, working on some notable productions. After her twin daughters and her son were born, she started to illustrate children’s books, and then turned to writing. Sally won both the Costa Children’s Book Prize and the Carnegie Medal for Maggot Moon (2012). Sally is an avid spokesperson for dyslexia. Having been branded ‘unteachable’ by some and sent to various schools, Sally was eventually diagnosed at the age of twelve as being severely dyslexic and is passionately trying to change how dyslexia is perceived by society.
Her historical novel for older readers, I, Coriander, won the Smarties Children's Book Prize in 2005. Two thrillers both set at the time of the French Revolution, The Red Necklace and The Silver Blade, which was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 2009, followed. Actor Dominic West (The Wire) has bought the film rights to both titles.
Her YA novel,The Double Shadow, was published in 2011 to critical acclaim. Sally Gardner's stories for middle readers includeLucy Willow and the popular Magical Children series of six titles: The Strongest Girl in the World, The Invisible Boy, The Boy with Magic Numbers, The Smallest Girl in the World, The Boy with the Lightning Feet, and The Boy who could Fly, which are also available as audio books. She has also written and illustrated picture books including The Fairy Catalogue, The Glass Heart, The Book of Princesses and Playtime Rhymes. Sally Gardner continues to be an avid spokesperson for dyslexia, working to change the way it is perceived by society. She is dyslexic and argues that it is not a disability, but a gift.
If you'd love to know more about Sally, click here to download a more detailed biography and Q&A.
To see a video of Sally talking about her book Fairy Shopping - CLICK HERE
Or watch a video of her talking about The Silver Blade:
