Fur

Meg Harper

Average Rating 8/10 (1 Review)

Grace has always loved the sea, and feels drawn to it more and more as she passes her 14th birthday. Yet there are many distractions back on dry land - her strange vivid dreams, her demanding swimming coach, the attentions of the gorgeous Nik Bentley... and then there are the worries about the unique downy skin that she constantly tries to hide - what will people say if they realise she has fur growing all over her body? Ultimately it is the sea that holds the key to Grace's startling personal mystery.

Key Stage: KS2/3; Age 10+

'A truly gripping summer read.'

Review by Jessica (310510) Rating (8/10)

Review by Jessica
Rating 8/10
Meg Harper has a great love for writing. Her first book was the beginning of the popular My Mum series. Being a busy Mum herself Meg has not let this stand in the way of her many passions. She currently teaches at a youth theatre. When she’s not swimming or taking part in Tudor re-enactments, Meg can be found visiting tea shops. Meg lives in Warwickshire with her husband, four teenagers, a dog, a cat and two chickens.

Fur is a modern story about a young teenage girl whose mother she hasn’t seen in years. Grace loves the tranquil sea, where her biggest passion is to swim amongst the seals and feel the caress of the water. For many years Grace has felt at ease with the sea right outside her doorstep. Her father is a painter and she has two friends who she’s known since she was a small child. Everything seems to be going OK for Grace until she wakes in the middle of the night, on her birthday and finds a gem-stone necklace on her bedside table. This conjures up thoughts of the many other birthdays where she’d wake up at night and always find mysterious presents, however, the next day they would be gone, like they never existed.

Maybe this is not the only puzzle for Grace to solve. Her arms have got strange fur growing on them, thick and silky, like the seals she sees everyday. When Grace hooks up with Nik, her first relationship teaches her the lessons love has to offer.

A tale of growing up, the salty sea, family truths and relationships.
Jessica (31st May 2010)