It's Martha's birthday and the village has planned a surprise party for her - but grumpy witch Griselda Gritch ruins the surprise! Not to worry - Martha's biggest birthday wish comes true when her mum and dad return from their tropical trip especially for her party. Everyone is delighted (apart from grumpy Griselda) and excited to have fun with Martha's present: the Mysterious Mask of Truth, brought back from her parents' far-flung travels. Fun, that is, until the truth starts causing everyone quite a lot of embarrassment . . .
Joanne Owen’s lifelong love of reading and writing began when she was growing up in Pembrokeshire, and very much wished that witches (and Mrs Pepperpot) were real. An early passion for culture, story and folklore led Joanne to read archeology and anthropology at St John’s, Cambridge, after which she worked as a bookseller, and led the UK children’s book buying team for a major international retailer.
Joanne has written several books for children/young adults. She’s now a fulltime reviewer, workshop presenter and writer, working on YA novels with a strong basis in diverse folklore from around the world, as well as fiction for younger readers (in which witches are very much real).
