Strange Star (17 page)
Authors: Emma Carroll
History tells us much about the writing of Frankenstein. 1816 was known as ‘The Year Without Summer.’ The weather, unusually cold and wet with frequent thunderstorms, was the result of a huge volcanic eruption in Indonesia. Ash in the atmosphere altered the climate – and yes, there really were reports of red snow.
We know Mary Shelley stayed at the Villa Diodati in June 1816 with Percy Shelley, Lord Byron and Dr John Polidori. There are also accounts of the Shelleys adopting a child whilst in Europe, though the arrangement mysteriously fell through. One night the friends challenged each other to tell ghost stories. Only Mary was stuck for something to write.
History then grows vague: some accounts say Mary came up with the story for Frankenstein the very next day. Others say it was written much later, and was influenced by many things in her life: her own mother who died giving birth to her; scientific advances of the time: society’s prejudices towards women and people of colour. And perhaps even the visit she made to a man named Andrew Crosse, who experimented
with electricity at a house called Fyne Court in the Somerset hills.
Where the facts end, fiction begins. I had great fun filling in the gaps of what we know about Mary Shelley’s world. There’s no mention of the Villa Diodati in Frankenstein. There isn’t a comet. No one gets struck by lightning – not directly – and I don’t believe the book contains a single wolf.
Yet I’ve also tried to make my story echo Mary Shelley’s in certain ways. Felix, Agatha, Elizabeth (Lizzie), Mr Walton and Moritz are all names taken from Frankenstein.
Strange Star
is about scientific ambition: Miss Stine experiments with electricity regardless of the consequences, just as Victor Frankenstein does in Shelley’s original. There is a blind character in Frankenstein who doesn’t judge people by their appearance. Many of the characters in
Strange Star
face prejudice because of how they look or who they are.
For me, Frankenstein is a great story, and Mary Shelley an inspirational woman. I really hope reading
Strange Star
will make you want to discover more about both for yourself.
Praise for
Frost Hollow Hall
‘For fans of
Eva Ibbotson
.’
We Love This Book
‘An
emotionally-charged
historical tale.’
Telegraph
‘The perfect wintry ghost story.’
Sunday Express
Praise for
The Girl Who Walked on Air
Nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal
‘This book will
keep you hooked
as you let your imagination take flight.’
We Love This Book
‘Engaging and entertaining.’
Independent on Sunday
‘This one
ticks all the boxes
–
Emma Carroll is an author to watch.’
Books for Keeps
‘Historical fiction fans will love Emma Carroll
’
s
The Girl Who Walked on Air
… a
brilliant
f
ollow up to
Frost Hollow Hall
.’
Sunday Express
‘An adventure of old-fashioned charm.’
Sunday Times, Children’s Book of the Week
Praise for
In Darkling Wood
‘Absorbing, sensitive and
genuinely magical
in feel.’
Independent
‘This book confirms her position as a
leading children’s author
.’
Bookseller
‘A tender tale of family ghosts and secrets.’
Financial Times
‘Destined to be
a modern classic
in its own right.’
Irish Examiner
‘An enjoyable,
very compelling
read.’
The School Librarian
Praise for
The Snow Sister
‘Emma Carroll writes original, timeless stories. The period is evoked beautifully
…
.no tween girl’s stocking is safe.’
The Times
‘An absorbing, seasonal novella,
which is brimming with atmospheric detail.’
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Emma Carroll was a secondary school English teacher before leaving to write full time. She has also worked as a news reporter, an avocado picker and the person who punches holes into filofax paper. She graduated with distinction from Bath Spa University’s MA in Writing For Young People.
Strange Star
is Emma’s fifth novel. She lives in the Somerset hills with her husband and two terriers.
FABER & FABER
has published children’s books since 1929. Some of our very first publications included
Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats
by T. S. Eliot, starring the now world-famous Macavity, and
The Iron Man
by Ted Hughes. Our catalogue at the time said that ‘it is by reading such books that children learn the difference between the shoddy and the genuine’. We still believe in the power of reading to transform children’s lives.
First published in 2016
by Faber & Faber Limited
Bloomsbury House,
74–77 Great Russell Street,
London WC1B 3DA
This ebook edition first published in 2016
All rights reserved
Text © Emma Carroll, 2016
Illustration © Julian de Narvaez, 2016
The right of Emma Carroll and Julian de Narvaez to be identified as author and illustrator of this work respectively has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly
ISBN 978–0–571–31766–0