[Margaret K. McElderry Books]
“Beautiful, captivating, such a joy to read I didn’t want it to end!” —Sophie Anderson, bestselling author of The House with Chicken Legs
From award-winning author Hilary McKay comes a “delightful” (School Library Journal) illustrated middle grade novel in the spirit of Matilda about a lonely orphan who dreams of escaping her ghastly aunt and uncle.
Rosa has always believed there is magic in the world. Or at least, she hopes there is. She lost her parents when she was four, and her aunt and uncle moved into her home not long after, transforming it from a messy place of love and warmth to a cold world of business. Their approach to family is as phony as the plastic grass they sell, keeping Rosa at arm’s length and tucking her in at night by locking her in her room.
Now eleven, Rosa’s loneliness threatens to overwhelm her. Her only solace is the magic she sees around her, particularly in a cat named Balthazar who comes to—and through—her window
