Cloud Boy

The diary of an irrepressible girl learning to deal with friendship, grief and growing up, perfect for fans of Jacqueline Wilson.

Harry Christmas and Angie Moon are best friends and almost-twins. Ever since they were born two days apart they’ve been partners in cloud-spotting, sweet-eating and treehouse-building. But when Harry is taken to hospital for headaches that won’t go away, he needs Angie more than ever. Because when things fall apart, only a best friend can stitch them back together. Told through Angie's lively diary, this is a bittersweet story about friendship and growing up.

Short-listed for UKLA Book Award 2020 (UK) Nominated for The Carnegie Medal 2020 (UK)

In her extraordinary and brilliant debut as a novelist Marcia Williams has written a truly memorable book. Well known and loved already for her unique comic book style stories, woven often with historical truth, Cloud Boy is without pictures entirely, and is told instead in diary form and in letters, but all written with great insight into a child’s mind as she lives through clouds of joys and sadnesses, all echoed by her grandmother’s letters to her lost cat as she lived through her own childhood times, spent as a prisoner of the Japanese in Changi Prison, in Singapore, during WW2. And all this, the story of a today’s child and the story of a yesterday’s child are woven into two quilts, one made in Changi all those years ago, and the other made now.
This book is a wondrous weaving. In it you will find a line in the diary of today’s diary writing girl which goes, ‘I’m not really a writing person’.
Marcia Williams, I’m telling you, you are a marvellous writing person!

Michael Morpurgo
“Marcia Williams […] knows all about retelling with flair.” The Observer
“Her story is fascinating, harrowing and based largely on fact.” BookTrust
“The clouds of joy and sadness the author describes provide a starting point to those tricky discussions of feelings like sadness and grief with your children.” Culture Whisper
“Moving, brave, heartfelt and simply wonderful.” Fallen Star Stories

Marcia Williams is famous for her retellings of classic stories. From Shakespeare and Dickens to the Canterbury Tales and Greek Myths, her humorous comic-strip illustrations are hugely popular all over the world. Recent titles include The Romans: Gods, Emperors and Dormice, Archie's War, My Secret War Diary and The Tudors: Kings, Queens, Scribes and Ferrets. She lives in London.

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