Classic-feeling storytelling with bags of charm. Fans of thrilling animal adventure and enchanting underground worlds will fall in love with Wishyouwas.
It's 1952 in smog-shrouded London. Christmas might be fast approaching, but with her mum away and Uncle Frank busy running the post office, Penny Black is lonelier than ever.
All that changes when Penny discovers a small, fluffy, funny, springy and - most importantly - talking creature in the post office one night, trying to make off with a letter.
But Wishyouwas is no thief. He's a Sorter, and he soon introduces Penny to a fascinating secret world hidden in the tunnels underneath the city's streets. Self-appointed guardians of lost mail, the Sorters have dedicated their lives to rescuing letters that have gone astray and making sure they get delivered to their rightful owners.
Penny is determined to protect the Sorters, but how long will she be able to keep them safe with Stanley Scrawl, the sinister Royal Mail Rat Catcher, on the prowl? Can Penny save the Sorters and deliver a joyful Christmas?
It’s June 1953 and London is awhirl with anticipation in the run up to Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. Instead of joining in the excitement, Penny Black is torn as she prepares to move to Scotland to start a new, better life with her mother.
But then Wishyouwas arrives unexpectedly with a top secret mission - a special letter for the Queen has gone missing, presumed stolen by spies. Penny, Wishyouwas and some surprising new allies must go above ground and beyond their limits to piece together a parcel of clues. But everything may not be as it seems, and a web of suspicion soon encircles the Sorters instead.
With their trust and loyalty hanging in the balance, can Penny and Wishyouwas uncover the truth and make the ultimate special delivery?
<aside> 🐭 “effortlessly festive and charming without being bound to the Christmas period… the most unique and charming animal fantasy adventure for 8+ readers in years and years” — Hannah Sandford, Wishyouwas editor
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<aside> 🐭 “A lovely and enchanting read. Letters, intrigue, cute furry creatures – nine-year-old me would have turned to this charming book over and over again!” – Lesley Parr, author of The Valley of Lost Secrets and When the War Came Home, on Wishyouwas.
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Alexandra Page previously worked in production at Penguin, Puffin and Walker. She now works in the City and writes for children part-time. Her first picture book text, The Fire Fox, will be published by the Two Hoots imprint at Macmillan this October. In 2019 Wishyouwas was shortlisted for the Times Chicken House prize and won the WriteMentor Children’s Novel Award.
Extent: 288 pages ****(Book 1) / 320 pages (Book 2)
UK Publisher: Bloomsbury (September 2021, Book 1 / May 2024, Book 2)
UK Editor: Hannah Sandford
Illustrations: Black and white plate illustrations, by Penny Neville-Lee
Primary Agent: Christabel McKinley
Film/TV Agent: DHA (Georgie Smith)
Rights Sold: Czech - Albatros, Italian - Piemme, Romanian - Editura Art, Slovak - Albatros
Co-agents: Chinese: Bardon Chinese Media; Japanese: Japan Uni
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3Yc1r1x_Xg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRx_JMvTe9g
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