| Title | : | Becoming Grace |
|---|---|---|
| Author | : | Hilary McKay |
| Release | : | 2025-04-10 |
| Kind | : | audiobook |
| Genre | : | Kids & Young Adults |
| Preview Intro | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Becoming Grace | Hilary McKay |
| Award-winning Hilary McKay brings the childhood of Victorian heroine Grace Darling to life in this heartfelt reimagining of her life up to and including the Forfarshire shipwreck. Grace Darling nearly drowned when she was eight years old, leaving her with a fear of boats and the sea. But it’s a fear she has to overcome as the daughter of a lighthouse keeper, living on the Longstone Rock with her parents, four brothers, three sisters and her beloved dog, Happy. Losses at sea bring shadows to an otherwise idyllic childhood, but everything Grace learns growing up on the coast is put to the test in 1838, when The Forfarshire is wrecked on the Harcar Rock, and she has to row out through the storm to the rescue. Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8. Reviews "Hilary McKay has a unique gift for bringing to life whole families – whole worlds – in a matter of moments with her crystal-clear prose and her artist's eye for detail. This little book shines like sea treasure – a true story, beautifully told and glittering with life." — Lucy Strange "I stepped into Grace's world and hung on every word of her story – an enormously warm and vivid account of a real heroine, by one of our greatest writers for children." — Lissa Evans "When you open a fiction book you want to escape to other places, other times. Becoming Grace’s coastal Victorian world holds many gems to spark interest; lighthouses, steamships, shipwrecks, rescue crews and fishing villages all tempt further reading … This book is charming, engaging, thought-provoking and beautifully written. It is the type of quality literature that all children deserve to engage with. Not simply appropriate for readers who struggle, but for anyone who fancies a quick read of gorgeously-written historical faction, this book is a great addition to any child’s library." — Children's Books Ireland "An epic tale of endurance and bravery … Master storyteller McKay adds her special touch of heart and soul to this moving real-life story which has captured the imagination of both children and adults over almost two centuries. Through the simple joys and hardships of Grace’s family life, youngsters learn about society’s expectations of young women in the Victorian era. Full of drama, rich descriptive detail and Robinson’s emotive artwork, this is another winner from a dynamic writing and illustration duo." – Lancashire Post "Based on real-life events that saw Victorian heroine Grace Darling’s bravery at sea celebrated and rewarded … Retold with energy and atmosphere, and with the needs of dyslexic readers in mind, Becoming Grace does beautiful justice to the real Grace, and provides modern-day readers with a thrilling tale of bravery." — LoveReading4Kids About the author Hilary McKay is one of Britain’s best-loved children’s authors. Her books—including Saffy's Angel, The Skylarks' War, and The Swallows' Flight —have been published in over 30 languages and have won the Costa Children’s Book Award, the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize Gold Award, and countless other accolades. |
