The Attic Child

An emotionally charged book about love and grief, identity and belonging, and family secrets that is eerily powerful.

A shared secret binds two kids who are stuck in the same attic nearly a century apart. the early 1900s Twelve-year-old Celestine was taken from his own country and is kept mostly hidden in the attic of a big house by the sea. Celestine is only free from the cramps of the little room when he works as an unpaid aide to English explorer Sir Richard Babbington. As the years go by, he clings fervently to recollections of his family in Africa, despite his inability to recall his mother's face and occasionally his true identity. 1974: Trapped in the same attic is Lowra, a young orphan girl whose circumstances have changed despite being born into money and power. Lowra, searching the attic for a glimmer of light, discovers beneath the floorboards an antique pen, a porcelain doll, a beaded necklace, and a handwritten message in an unidentifiable language etched on the wall. These hints will help her find the attic's mysteries and provide her solace when all hope is lost.