School for Nobodies

Description

Claudia doesn't know where she comes from. Sonia and Claude, her adoptive parents, don't want her knowing anything about her past - they won't even tell her how she got the burn that covers most of her face. But when she receives a mysterious message on her 11th birthday, everything starts to change... Soon Claudia is sent to The Cruet Establishment for Lost and Wayward Children, a boarding school for those who don't fit in. At first, she finds a world of intimidating teachers, unfair rules and truly disgusting soup, but before long Claudia begins to befriend her unusual peers, including a feral boy who was raised by a lion. All the while, she receives more cryptic messages that seem to bring her closer to discovering her true identity. Full of magic, mystery and humour, School for Nobodies is a delightful debut of friendship, self-discovery and the importance of family - those we are born into and those we make.

By the time she hit her teens, Susie Bower had lived in 8 houses and attended 7 schools. This theme continued in her working life: she's been a teacher, a tour-guide, a typist, a workshop facilitator, a PA and a painter. She formerly wrote and directed TV programmes for children at the BBC and Channel 4, for which she won a BAFTA Award, and she currently writes audio scripts. School for Nobodies is her debut novel. Susie lives in Bristol.