Traces

by Sue Hampton

Poppy's future may be full of promise, but there's a hole in her past and it's getting in the way. On her family tree there's a grandma called Sorrel Golding, but is she alive or dead? When she visits Sorrel's sister, Great Aunt Lanky, at her donkey sanctuary, she hopes to find the truth. There among the donkey graves she meets sixteen-year-old Kane, whose muck-raking and feed-mixing are described as rehabilitation, and who is almost as mysterious as Poppy's past. Much as Poppy loves her sad and troubled father, she's determined to uncover all the secrets he won't share. But she is unprepared for the first ghostly encounter, in the village school, with her great, great grandmother, Tamarisk the rebel. Its the first of many, but as she meets the remarkable women who were flower girls before her, she still feels a long way from the answer to the question that matters most. Poppy is falling in love, but Kane has his own quest and different shadows. TRACES is about the power of the past, about damage and healing - or love, ghosts and donkeys.

Paperback

First published November 1, 2011

About the author

Sue owes her love of words to her father and her storytelling to an imaginative childhood - and to the children she taught for many years before becoming a full-time author. As a teacher she wrote the Christmas productions and loved Story Time best. Inspired by Michael Morpurgo, she wrote THE WATERHOUSE GIRL, the story of Daisy, a girl who like Sue herself has alopecia, and was delighted when he rang her to tell her it was insightful, poignant and beautifully written. She now has sixteen novels for 6 - 16 and beyond, and writes historical,futuristic and contemporary stories, fantasy, adventures and mysteries. Sue still enjoys working with children when schools book her to inspire their pupils.

Reviews

[Windy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book written for teenagers. Poppy is fascinated by her family's history and goes in search of the truth. A ghostly story and a compelling read.