The List of Real Things

A poignant and big-hearted story about love, loss and believing in the magic of the imagination. The fourth novel from bestselling Waterstones Children’s Book Prize shortlisted author Sarah Moore Fitzgerald, following BACK TO BLACKBRICK, THE APPLE TART OF HOPE and A VERY GOOD CHANCE.

Gracie, 14, and Bee, 6, have lived with their eccentric uncle ever since their parents died five years ago. Gracie just wants to be normal. At school she finally has a boyfriend and cool friends, but her quirky home life and ‘mental’ little sister have begun to feel like liabilities.

When their beloved grandfather dies and grief hits the girls again, little Bee’s incredible imagination spirals out of control. Old memories and buried secrets bubble to the surface, and she even believes that their parents are waiting in a secret hotel on a clifftop – a place ghosts wait when they haven’t yet let go of life.

Gracie is determined Bee should wake up to the truth and let go of her outlandish ideas. She makes her write it down: a list of what’s real, and what’s not.

But when it turns out the hotel may be more than just a dream, Gracie’s hard line between what is real and what is imagined begins to blur . . .

A beautiful and heartwarming tale of love, creativity and the importance and magic of believing.