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The Illustrated Child

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The Illustrated Child

By: Polly Crosby
Narrated by: Rosie Jones
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About this listen

A young girl.A hidden treasure.A dark family secret.

‘Evocative and enchanting – a future classic' Veronica Henry
‘An extraordinary debut… beautiful, dark, haunting’ Edward Carey
‘A captivating coming-of-age story’ Daily Mail
‘A bewitching read' Woman & Home

Romilly Kemp has an idyllic childhood, roaming the wilderness that surrounds her father’s ramshackle farmhouse. But when he makes her the star of his beautifully illustrated books, her carefree if somewhat lonely existence is threatened.

The books are thought to hold clues to an elaborate treasure hunt, and strangers turn up at their door, anxious to get a glimpse of the ‘Kemp Treasure Girl’. But when her father falls ill, leaving Romilly more isolated and alone than ever, she begins to delve deeper into the books – and her past.

As she makes sense of the clues he has hidden, she finds a truth that is far darker and more devastating than any treasure hunt has a right to be. For not everything that is hidden is gold.

‘A captivating coming-of-age story with memorable characters beautifully brought to life in a setting dripping with atmosphere’ Daily Mail

‘Part fantasy, part coming of age, the undercurrents of child neglect and mental ill health pull at you all the way through this poignant tale’ Heat

‘A bewitching read' Woman & Home

‘A beautifully written tale that evokes dreams and imagination’ Daily Record

©2020 Polly Crosby (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Coming of Age Family Life Fiction Friendship Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Mystery Treasure Detective

Critic Reviews

"Evocative and enchanting - a future classic and a star in the making." (Veronica Henry, Sunday Times best-selling author of The Beach Hut)

"Exquisitely written, stunning, totally unique. Everyone needs to [listen to] this." (Jessica Ryn, debut author of The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside)

"A beautifully written tale that evokes dreams and imagination." (Daily Record)

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.