Beautifully moving and breathtakingly original, this is a story of bravery and second chances, for readers aged 9+.
When 12-year-old Eleanor Newton dies in an accident, she finds herself journeying down a mysterious river that takes her to The Underworld. She apprehensively embarks on her "afterlife" at Eventide House, a boarding school of sorts for children who have died.
The Underworld is captivating: always sunny and warm but also fractured. Strange things have been happening to Ellie since she arrived: she knows something isn't right, and she doesn't want to be there. She desperately wants to get back to the world of The Living to meet her new baby brother, even if it means being a ghost.
Can Ellie find a way out of the Underworld? And who - or what - will she be if she does?
The Lovely Dark is another breathtakingly original story from Matthew Fox, author of The Sky Over Rebecca. Set in the modern world, it features themes of life after a pandemic, mental health and grief, all handled with real lightness of touch.
"Fox is a beguiling writer, whose prose cocoons us through the unusual adventures that follow ... [the twist] left this not-so-young reader close to tears" The Telegraph, 5-star review
Genre: Children's Fiction
When 12-year-old Eleanor Newton dies in an accident, she finds herself journeying down a mysterious river that takes her to The Underworld. She apprehensively embarks on her "afterlife" at Eventide House, a boarding school of sorts for children who have died.
The Underworld is captivating: always sunny and warm but also fractured. Strange things have been happening to Ellie since she arrived: she knows something isn't right, and she doesn't want to be there. She desperately wants to get back to the world of The Living to meet her new baby brother, even if it means being a ghost.
Can Ellie find a way out of the Underworld? And who - or what - will she be if she does?
The Lovely Dark is another breathtakingly original story from Matthew Fox, author of The Sky Over Rebecca. Set in the modern world, it features themes of life after a pandemic, mental health and grief, all handled with real lightness of touch.
"Fox is a beguiling writer, whose prose cocoons us through the unusual adventures that follow ... [the twist] left this not-so-young reader close to tears" The Telegraph, 5-star review
Genre: Children's Fiction
Praise for this book
"Wow. Just wow. If you love atmospheric, mysterious middle grade with a magical edge, poetic writing, and a nod to Greek myth, you have to read this." - Claire Fayers
"A beautiful, reassuring, exciting, middle grade story of what might happen to us after we die. While it doesn't shy away from the pain of grief, The Lovely Dark isn't nearly as dark as it is lovely." - Tia Fisher
"A beautiful, reassuring, exciting, middle grade story of what might happen to us after we die. While it doesn't shy away from the pain of grief, The Lovely Dark isn't nearly as dark as it is lovely." - Tia Fisher
Visitors also looked at these books
Used availability for Matthew Fox's The Lovely Dark