Emily felt wide awake - but this had to be a dream. A soft light glowed from the middle of Holly's empty bed. It came from a little tent - striped red and white, not more than knee-height, and with shadows moving about inside it. Never in all her life would Emily forget the strangeness of what she saw next . . . When Emily's sister Holly dies, she is surprised to find that she misses her toy bear, Bluey, almost as much as Holly. Bluey was Holly's constant companion, and Emily used to make up stories about him and his escapades in the magical (and very silly) world of Smockeroon to entertain her. And the only person who seems to understand Emily's grief is Ruth, her kindly next-door neighbour. But then very strange things start to happen. Emily dreams of talking toys visiting her bedroom, telling her that they have come from Smockeroon, and have a message for her from Bluey. A terrible black toad, who stinks of sadness, begins to stalk Ruth's house. And when a parade of penguins wearing plastic moustaches marches through their kitchen - well, Emily has to begin to wonder whether this is all a dream after all. But why are the toys here, and what could Bluey possibly be trying to tell her? This stunning novel will tickle your funny bones as much as it pulls on your heartstrings, and is a true classic in the making.

Author Biography

Kate Saunders is a full-time author and journalist and has written many books for adults and children. Her books for children have won awards and received rave reviews, and include future classics such as Beswitched, Magicalamity, The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop and The Curse of the Chocolate Phoenix and Costa Winner Five Children on the Western Front. Kate is a true storyteller and her magical, wickedly hilarious novels allow young readers to escape their everyday lives into wonderful worlds where they are empowered to explore and enjoy themselves. Kate lives in London.