The key to Flambards

A teenager recovering from a life-changing accident finds friendship and family at her mother's ancestral home.

Fourteen-year-old Grace Russell spends the summer at Flambards, her mother's ancestral home, recovering from a devastating accident that has changed her life beyond recognition.

Becoming increasingly curious about the house and its past, she gets to know two local boys: Jamie, friendly and obsessed with wildlife, and the deeply troubled Marcus, who is struggling to deal with his difficult and potentially violent father.

In this beautiful but threatened landscape, Grace unearths her own extraordinary links to the house and people and - most importantly of all - her own place in this brave new world.

NOTE : One of the sub-plots is the mental illness of a character who served in the army. At one point he plans to drown himself but is saved by his son in time. He also hits both his son and the family dog.

NOTE: UKLA Book Awards Longlist 2020
NOTE: IBBY 2021 collection of outstanding books for young people with disabilities