The Colour of Hope
Binding: Paperback
Imprint: Andersen Press
Age 9+
Fantasy & Magical Realism Adventure Stories
A miracle child is born with the power to restore colour and hope in the world - but danger is snapping at her heels
'Why am I different?'
'I don't know, lassie. I wish I did. And I wish you didn't have tae hide it.'
The Dominion is cursed. Years ago, the Emperor and his Necromancer stole all the colour from the world. Now they keep it for themselves, enjoying its life-giving power while everyone else must exist in cold shades of grey.
That is until a miracle baby is born - a little girl who lives in brilliant colour. But the child's life is in danger from her first breath. Soon the Emperor's murderous ripper dogs and black coats come hunting. A drifter mage, Sandy Burns, intervenes, hiding the wee miracle in the forest, raising her as his own. Rumour of ‘the rainbow child’ spreads, giving hope to those who had lost it ... but bringing danger and adventure to Sandy and his daughter.
Creators
Ross MacKenzie has been writing stories since he was seven years old, when he created an illustrated short story about a hungry crocodile named Crunchy Colin in a smuggled school jotter. His novel The Nowhere Emporium won the Blue Peter Best Story Award and the Scottish Children’s Book Award. He now splits his time between writing, his day job as a graphic designer and his wife, daughters and cocker spaniel, with whom he lives near Glasgow.
Reviews
This adventurous fantasy has so many twists and turns, readers will lose themselves quite quickly in the thrill of the escape and the thrill of colour as a hunted commodity. With well developed characters, the novel switches between view points throughout the book seamlessly, all the while building a story of inspiration and courage.
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