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Secret Heart by David Almond

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Secret Heart

Author
David Almond
Narrator
David Almond
Publisher
Hachette Children's Group
Publish Date
7 February 2013
Run Time
2 hours 36 minutes
Format
Audiobook
Genre
Children’s / Teenage fiction: General, modern and contemporary fiction, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Family and home stories
$13.95

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What to expect

Joe lives with his mother in Helmouth, a forgotten village crumbling on the edge of the suburbs. His days are spent trying to evade the demands of school and the taunts of the local bullies. Joe's friend, Stanny, insists that Joe must toughen up, become a survivor - and he is adamant that a weekend in the wilderness with Stanny and his Uncle Joff will do the trick.

Into Joe's unhappy world comes Hackenschmidt's Circus, and with it the strangely familiar Corinna. She tells Joe, 'In the circus there is a secret heart ' - a place of contained wildness where the barriers between the human and animal world are fluid. And indeed, Joe's dreams are already stalked by a tiger, so real that his skin and its pelt begin to feel as one ...

A stunning novel from the author of the modern children's classic Skellig - winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Book Award. David Almond is also winner of the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen award.

(P) Hodder Children's Books 2001

Critics Review

  • A sooty darkness permeates the writing, illuminated by sudden bursts of sunlight and the music of skylarks.

    The Daily Telegraph

  • There is a mystical quality about David Almond's writing that makes him quite unlike any other author

    Financial Times

  • A powerful story of love, persecution and freedom, it is his best novel to date (and that's saying something).

    The Scotsman

  • David Almond's books are strange, unsettling, wild things...like all great literature, beyond classification. An exhilarating, though not always easy read for anyone who, like Joe, has tigers and larks in their heart.

    The Guardian

See more reviews
  • Mysterious and enigmatic.

    The Bookseller

  • A life-changing story of hope, love and encouragement for a boy who's been all but written off.

    The Sunday Times

  • A lyrical and haunting story.

    The Daily Telegraph

  • A subtle, sophisticated book. Almond's speciality is an enchanting blend of the magical and the real.

    The Times

  • This gripping book will enrich your soul and fire your imagination.

    The Daily Telegraph

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Details
Author
David Almond
Narrator
David Almond
Duration
2 hours 36 minutes
Release Date
7 February 2013
ISBN
9781844569311
Format
Audiobook
Publisher
Hachette Children's Group
Genre
Children’s / Teenage fiction: General, modern and contemporary fiction, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Family and home stories

Synopsis

Joe lives with his mother in Helmouth, a forgotten village crumbling on the edge of the suburbs. His days are spent trying to evade the demands of school and the taunts of the local bullies. Joe's friend, Stanny, insists that Joe must toughen up, become a survivor - and he is adamant that a weekend in the wilderness with Stanny and his Uncle Joff will do the trick.Into Joe's unhappy world comes Hackenschmidt's Circus, and with it the strangely familiar Corinna. She tells Joe, 'In the circus there is a secret heart ' - a place of contained wildness where the barriers between the human and animal world are fluid. And indeed, Joe's dreams are already stalked by a tiger, so real that his skin and its pelt begin to feel as one ...A stunning novel from the author of the modern children's classic Skellig - winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Book Award. David Almond is also winner of the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen award.(P) Hodder Children's Books 2001

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