Letter with the Golden Stamp

'I can't remember how old I was when I first started collecting stamps. But I've got a whole shoebox full of them now.

Mam used to help me collect them ... Before she got so ill that she lost her job, her friends...everything.

Now it's my job to take care of her and protect her - and my little brother and sister too. But to do that, I have to make Mam a Secret. A secret no-one can ever find out about. Not even my best friends at school, or Mo, our postman.

Or the stranger living in the house across the street. The one no-one has seen, but who I know is spying on us.

The one I think might be Them...'

Deep in the heart of Swansea, Wales, lives a small girl with some big secrets to keep. Secrets that make her one of the best actresses on the planet - because no-one would ever think that, away from school, Audrey is the sole carer for her increasingly sick mam and her two younger siblings ... or a seasoned thief.

With her worlds threatened by the arrival of a mysterious, invisible neighbour, behind whose closed curtains and shut front door may lie a spy, Audrey must take matters into her own hands to save her family.

Inspired by her beloved collection of stamps, her friendly neighbourhood postman (and fellow stamp collector), and her two best friends, off Audrey must go: on an adventure that will lead her to places - and hearts - she never knew existed.

Celebrating the hidden army of Young Carers daily keeping their loved ones alive behind closed doors, and the everyday s/heroes that surround them, The Letter with the Golden Stamp delves into the fears and hopes of Young Carers everywhere, and the invisible sources of kindness knocking on all our doors.

Auteur

Onjali Rauf

Texte du rabat

From Onjali Q. Rauf, author of The Boy at the Back of the Class, comes another incredible story, told with humour and heart. Touching on the challenges navigated by children caring for loved ones at home, this story brings into focus their hardships and worries, alongside the unexpected, invisible sources of kindness which can change their lives.

'It's funny that I'm named after a movie star. If I ever became one, I would probably win every award on the planet, because I have to act every single day of my life.'

10-year-old Audrey has a secret. She's the main carer for her severely ill father. With her mum having left half a year ago, Audrey is constantly in fear of being found out by Social Services, so she has fine-tuned her life into becoming one of the best actresses on the planet. As soon as she steps out of the front door, the show is on, and all the world becomes her stage! No-one - not even the postman who visits their house every day - would ever guess that she is a nurse and doctor for her father, the family food shopper (and sometimes shoplifter!), a medicines collector, and even bedtime-reader for her younger siblings.

But when a new family - even stranger than hers - moves into the house opposite. Audrey begins to fear they have been sent to tear her family apart. As her worries escalate, it seems Audrey's friendly postman has been embarking on a secret mission of his own. One that will alter Audrey's life beyond recognition, whether she is ready or not.