Climbing a Monkey Puzzle Tree

“All the things I liked about trees you couldn’t do with a monkey puzzle…”

The boxy, spiky monkey puzzle tree stands tall and imposing outside the dormitory window of Woodmaston House for Girls. Nancy Cameron is a new arrival not just to Woodmaston but to England. She’s rolled up from the backwood of 1960s Canada, eager for a new life.

But boarding school isn’t the Famous Five fantasy Nancy imagined. It is a stark, loveless world where budding relationships are soon put to the test. Nancy wins friends by telling stories after lights-out, where each girl in her dorm takes centre-stage.

But spinning stories for others can’t hide the fact that Nancy feels horribly alone inside. She longs to meet Caroline’s brother for real and, as her troubles build, it’s an encounter that can’t come soon enough — until a shocking revelation comes to light…

Warm, witty and poignant, this is Karen Wallaces brilliant sequel to the highly acclaimed Raspberries on the Yangtze.