Rosa by Starlight

By Hilary McKay, Matt Rockefeller (Illustrator)

An orphan's belief in magic may be her only hope against a sinister plan.

3.5/5 Goodreads · 217 ratings

160 pages

$16.99Save 6%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Eleven-year-old Rosa, trapped in a loveless home with her cruel aunt and uncle, clings to the hope of magic. When her guardians abandon her in Venice, she encounters a mysterious cat and a boy in a gondola. As her loneliness deepens, Rosa must rely on the magic she believes in to find her way. Will the enchantment she senses be enough to change her fate and bring her the family she longs for?

From the publisher

From award-winning author Hilary McKay comes an enchanting illustrated middle grade novel in the spirit of Matilda about a lonely orphan who dreams of escaping her ghastly aunt and uncle. Rosa has always believed there is magic in the world. Or at least, she hopes there is. She lost her parents when she was four, and her aunt and uncle moved into her home not long after, transforming it from a messy place of love and warmth to a cold world of business. Their approach to family is as phony as the plastic grass they sell, keeping Rosa at arm’s length and tucking her in at night by locking her in her room. Now eleven, Rosa’s loneliness threatens to overwhelm her. Her only solace is the magic she sees around her, particularly in a cat named Balthazar who comes to–and through–her window. When all the teachers at her school win the lottery and quit their jobs, Rosa’s aunt and uncle seize the opportunity to put an evil plan into action. They whisk Rosa away to Venice, intending to abandon her there. Luckily for Rosa, there are cats in Venice–and a laughing boy in a gondola and a family making sure she is fed. In Rosa’s darkest hour, can the magic she’s never lost faith in save the day?

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