New Releases by Annabel Pitcher

Cat and Dog are best friends (most of the time) although they are VERY different. Dog is quiet and Cat is loud. Cat is bouncy, while Dog is calm. Dog is shy, and Cat loves to be the centre of attention. So when the day of Dog''s birthday arrives, Cat simply cannot believe it can''t be his birthday too! A warm and witty tale of best friends, birthdays, rivalry and learning to share.

Full of love, humour and heartbreak, this beautifully crafted YA novella from the multi award-winning author of Ketchup Clouds and My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece is a compassionate and distinctive tale of modern family life and its issues. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 13+

My name is Tess Turner--at least, that''s what I''ve always been told. I have a voice but it isn''t mine. It used to say things so I''d fit in, to please my parents, to please my teachers. It used to tell the universe I was something I wasn''t. It lied. It never occurred to me that everyone else was lying too. Fifteen-year-old Tess doesn''t mean to become mute. At first, she''s just too shocked to speak. And who wouldn''t be? Discovering your whole life has been a lie because your dad isn''t your real father is a pretty big deal. Terrified of the truth, Tess retreats into silence. Reeling from her family''s betrayal, Tess sets out to discover the identity of her real father. He could be anyone--even the familiar-looking teacher at her school. Tess continues to investigate, uncovering a secret that could ruin multiple lives. It all may be too much for Tess to handle, but how can she ask for help when she''s forgotten how to use her voice? In a brilliant study of identity, betrayal, and complex family dynamics, award-winning author Annabel Pitcher explores the importance of communication, even when we''re faced with unspeakable truths.

Previously published under the title Ketchup Clouds Dear Mr. S. Harris, Ignore the blob of red in the top left corner. It''s jam, not blood, though I don''t think I need to tell you the difference. It wasn''t your wife''s jam the police found on your shoe. I know what it''s like. Mine wasn''t a woman. Mine was a boy. And I killed him three months ago exactly. Zoe has an unconventional pen pal -- Mr. Stuart Harris, a Texas Death Row inmate and convicted murderer. But that''s okay, because Zoe has an unconventional story to tell. A story about how she fell for two boys, betrayed one of them, and killed the other. Hidden away in her backyard shed in the middle of the night with a jam sandwich in one hand and a pen in the other, Zoe gives voice to her heart and her fears after months of silence. Mr. Harris may never respond to Zoe''s letters, but at least somebody will know her story -- somebody who knows what it''s like to kill the person you love. Only through her unusual confession can Zoe hope to atone for her mistakes that have torn lives apart, and work to put her own life back together again. Rising literary star Annabel Pitcher pens a captivating second novel, rich with her distinctive balance between humor and heart. Annabel explores the themes of first love, guilt, and grief, introducing a character with a witty voice and true emotional resonance.

Fifteen-year-old Zoe has a secret - a dark and terrible secret that she can''t confess to anyone she knows. But then one day she hears of a criminal, Stuart Harris, locked up on death row in Texas. Like Zoe, Stuart is no stranger to secrets. Or lies. Or murder. Full of heartache yet humor, Zoe tells her story in the only way she can - in letters to the man in prison in America. Armed with a pen, Zoe takes a deep breath, eats a jam sandwich and begins her tale of love and betrayal.

Dear Mr. S. Harris, Ignore the blob of red in the top left corner. It''s jam, not blood, though I don''t think I need to tell you the difference. It wasn''t your wife''s jam the police found on your shoe. . . . I know what it''s like. Mine wasn''t a woman. Mine was a boy. And I killed him exactly three months ago. Zoe has an unconventional pen pal--Mr. Stuart Harris, a Texas Death Row inmate and convicted murderer. But then again, Zoe has an unconventional story to tell. A story about how she fell for two boys, betrayed one of them, and killed the other. Hidden away in her backyard shed in the middle of the night with a jam sandwich in one hand and a pen in the other, Zoe gives a voice to her heart and her fears after months of silence. Mr. Harris may never respond to Zoe''s letters, but at least somebody will know her story--somebody who knows what it''s like to kill a person you love. Only through her unusual confession can Zoe hope to atone for her mistakes that have torn lives apart, and work to put her own life back together again. Rising literary star Annabel Pitcher pens a captivating second novel, rich with her distinctive balance between humor and heart. Annabel explores the themes of first love, guilt, and grief, introducing a character with a witty voice and true emotional resonance.

Er ist Zoes erste große Liebe, doch dann begeht sie einen Fehler, der alles zunichtemacht ... Alles beginnt damit, dass Zoe Collins sich unsterblich verliebt – und es endet in einem Desaster, das ihr Leben dramatisch verändert. Denn Zoe hat etwas Schreckliches getan und glaubt, mit den Konsequenzen niemals fertig zu werden. Wie soll sie auch mit dem Wissen weiterleben, dass sie den Tod eines Menschen zu verantworten hat – und ungestraft davongekommen ist? Als sie glaubt, ihre Schuldgefühle keinen Tag länger ertragen zu können, erfährt sie von Stuart, einem Mann, der ebenfalls einen großen Fehler in seinem Leben gemacht hat. Sie beginnt ihren ersten Brief an ihn, in der Hoffnung, endlich ihren Frieden zu finden und sich selbst vergeben zu können ...

Briony had always suspected there was something wrong with her teacher. But after doing some further investigation with her friend Sergio, she uncovers a secret conspiracy so amazing that she could never have believed it was true. Find out how the adventure unfolds in this thrilling mystery novel.

My sister Rose lives on the mantelpiece. Well, some of her does. A collarbone, two ribs, a bit of skull, and a little toe. !--StartFragment-- To ten-year-old Jamie, his family has fallen apart because of the loss of someone he barely remembers: his sister Rose, who died five years ago in a terrorist bombing. To his father, life is impossible to make sense of when he lives in a world that could so cruelly take away a ten-year-old girl. To Rose''s surviving fifteen year old twin, Jas, everyday she lives in Rose''s ever present shadow, forever feeling the loss like a limb, but unable to be seen for herself alone. Told with warmth and humor, this powerful novel is a sophisticated take on one family''s struggle to make sense of the loss that''s torn them apart... and their discovery of what it means to stay together. !--EndFragment--