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A dramatic and moving story set in the same world as the international bestseller The Island<\/i> from the celebrated novelist Victoria Hislop.<\/b><\/p>\nA dramatic and moving story set in the same world as the international bestseller The Island<\/i> from the celebrated novelist Victoria Hislop.<\/b><\/p>\n
The absorbing story of the Cretan village of Plaka and the tiny, deserted island of Spinalonga \u2013 Greece’s former leprosy colony \u2013 is told to us by Maria Petrakis, one of the children in the original version of The Island<\/i>. She tells us of the ancient and misunderstood disease of leprosy, exploring the themes of stigma, shame and the treatment of those who are different, which are as relevant for children as adults. Gill Smith’s rich, full-colour illustrations will transport the reader to the timeless and beautiful Greek landscape and Mediterranean seascape.<\/p>\n
“The idea came out of a conversation with some school teachers in Crete.” said Victoria “They commented that there were so many themes in the story that were as relevant to children as to adults but felt that the original novel was a little too grown-up for many of them. I realised that much of the book is actually about children and their experiences of stigma and loss, so this has been a wonderful experience for me, to look at things through their eyes. Writing for children requires a whole different set of skills and I hope they will enjoy reading it.”<\/p>\n
Buy Maria’s Island<\/em><\/strong> : Bookshop.org<\/a> | Waterstones<\/a> | Foyles<\/a> | WH Smith<\/a> | Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n
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