Maggie Blue and the dark world - Anna Goodall

'A sophisticated magical tale, awash in sinister villains and perplexing plights ... bursting with invention' - Financial Times

'Dreamy and odd, yet razor sharp and terrifying all rolled into one ... The Neverending Story and Spirited Away and Coraline all rolled into one amazing story. If you have fans of manga, fans of headstrong, flawed characters, witty and brave sidekicks and truly gut-wrenching monsters then this is the one for you. I can't recommend it enough.' - Lucas Maxwell, School Librarian of the Year

'The story is every bit as bizarre, brilliant, fantastical and exciting as I'd hoped. Definitely one to watch out for' - Kiran Millwood Hargrave

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A thrilling tale of friendship and courage - Maggie Blue, strongwilled and isolated,
sees her enemy from school taken through a window to a parallel world by one of their teachers and determines to follow, whatever the cost.
With the help of irascible cat, Hoagy, they discover a world where happiness is being stolen - and they must do everything they can not to be caught up in its web of destruction.

Maggie Blue is an outsider, both at home and at school. She lives with her eccentric aunt Esme, and has no friends other than the irascible Hoagy, a stray cat who can talk to her.
When Magge sees Ida, her foe from school, being taken through a window to another world by one of their teachers who has transformed into a wolf, she is determined to save her, whatever the cost. But the dark world is full of danger, a place where happiness is valued above all else, and Maggie discovers that her role is far more important than anyone could have guessed. A thrilling and gripping tale of friendship, courage and the power of being yourself.

Anna Goodall was born in London into a family of musicians. But amidst all the instruments and piles of music, there were also an awful lot of books. Her granny used to read to her every night, and family folklore has it that she loved to write little notes to herself before she could read properly. (The content of these notes is still unknown, but we strongly suspect that they contained gibberish.) Even so, writing has always been a way for Anna to connect with herself and the world, and, alongside reading, the most important thing in her life.

She also has a great interest in animals (including talking ones), other worlds, families, friendship, football, how other people might be feeling and coffee.

After working in publishing, running a small literary magazine, bookselling and very occasional journalism, Anna took a Masters in Scriptwriting at Goldsmiths. But instead of doing what she was meant to do after that (ie, write a film or at least a short film) she decided to write a novel instead.

MAGGIE BLUE AND THE DARK WORLD is her first book.

A sophisticated magical tale, awash in sinister villains and perplexing plights...bursting with invention
Financial Times

Dreamy and odd, yet razor sharp and terrifying all rolled into one... The Neverending Story and Spirited Away and Coraline all rolled into one amazing story. If you have fans of manga, fans of headstrong, flawed characters, witty and brave sidekicks and truly gut-wrenching monsters then this is the one for you. I can't recommend it enough.
Lucas Maxwell, School Librarian of the Year

The story is every bit as bizarre, brilliant, fantastical and exciting as I'd hoped. Definitely one to watch out for.
Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Troubling, exultant, terrifying and magnificent....it seems to create worlds within worlds, connect the climate change to emotional frailty. Furthermore, it is clever, urgent and searing.
Bookwagon UK

As well as being an incisive critique of capitalism and human greed - especially the devastating impact it has on our environment - Maggie Blue and the Dark World is a fast-paced adventure story, full of humour, bravery and good old-fashioned wickedness. By centring the experience of somebody typically overlooked, it shows readers that we are all worthy of adventures - exactly as we are.
Cheshire Education Library Service

The characters are so well drawn and delightfully eccentric that one can become totally engaged in this well-developed story...An author worth watching - and a good read for fans of fantasy-based adventures.
Lovereading for Schools, Book of the Month