| The Hunt for David Berman
by Claire Mulligan
JOIN US AT THE LAUNCH AT TOWNHALL CAVAN ON 11 MAY 2022
It is 1940 and
Britain is at war with Germany. Robert has been evacuated from London to his
grandparents’ farm in Scotland. While exploring the rugged coastline, he finds
a boy living in the caves. The boy is called David and he is a Kindertransport
child. David had to leave his mother and grandmother behind in Berlin, and has
now run away from his cruel foster family nearby.
Meanwhile, at the
Gestapo Headquarters in Berlin, it is discovered that an Enigma codebook has
been hidden in David’s suitcase. A Nazi secret agent in the UK is instructed to
find David, retrieve the codebook and kill the boy …
“This is a thrilling
wartime adventure with a big heart and a great friendship at its core.” Kelly McCaughrain
“Such is the
quality of Claire Mulligan’s writing that had I been told this was a
classic work of children’s literature I had somehow missed out on I would believe
it. This is strong and assured storytelling of a rare kind. But for me it is
the soaring quality of the writing. It is everything that children need and
deserve from a work of fiction. Thank goodness this dear and deeply satisfying
little novel has been discovered. A story utterly wedded to its bleak and
blustery Scottish sea setting but anchored by the deep abiding warmth of
family. It would not surprise me in the least if this is a future Carnegie
Medal contender.” Louise Greig
“I’d almost forgotten
what a good, gripping children’s adventure story was like. The
Hunt for David Berman is a compulsive page turner. Set in 1940,
it comes complete with seaside caves and spies, scary sessions at Gestapo
Headquarters (watch out for The Dentist!) and above all a tale of courage and
friendship between two boys from very different families.” Diana Hendry
“Robert and David
are terrific characters, brave and loyal, and their friendship is at the heart
of this well-written WW2 novel. Carefully researched, with lots of authentic
detail, this friendship and adventure story will charm fans of Michael Morpurgo
and Marita Conlon-McKenna.” Sarah Webb
“What an exquisite read The Hunt for David Berman is - a captivating WW2 story filled with hope, friendship & a Nazi secret agent ... Absolutely loved it!” Check 'Em Out Books
"Utterly gripping and powerfully written with a wonderfully satisfying ending." Book Craic “There’s intrigue, friendship and the best kind of adventure running through this story.” Reading Zone
“A cracking story, well-paced and with
strongly-developed characters.” Jane Sandell
“Sometimes our son’s pet jackdaw would sit on his head while
Will or I read The Hunt for David Berman to him that first time. As it
so happened, David in the book has a pet jackdaw too, named Blitzen. From the
outset, we were sure that this middle-grade novel about David, a
Kindertransport child, and his wartime adventure with his new friend, Robert,
an evacuee from London, was something really special. Featuring murderous Nazis,
enigma codebooks and wild sea adventures, The Hunt for David Berman is a
thrilling page-turner set in the wilds of Scotland.” Rebecca O’Connor, publisher
of The Caterpillar in Books for Keeps
Claire Mulligan lives in an old farmhouse set deep among the
rolling drumlins of rural Ireland with her husband, their three boys, two dogs and
a fox-dodging chicken called Percy. Claire’s children’s stories have been
published in The Caterpillar magazine
and she has written and recorded for RTE Radio 1’s Sunday Miscellany. In 2018 she won third place in the RTE Radio 1
Francis McManus Short Story Competition. This is her first novel.
ORDER YOUR COPY HERE
Publication date 5 May 2022272pp
B-format paperback
Middle-grade
fiction
£8.99 / €9.99
ISBN: 9780956979575
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