Wild Oak

**An endangered forest. An abandoned snow leopard. A child

who only feels comfortable talking to animals. When fates collide,
the unbelievable can happen ...**

'Put me in mind of Dodi Smith and Gerald Durrell at their
very best - enchanting and thrilling in equal measure.' Piers
Torday

'Reads like a classic. I loved it.' Pam Muñoz
Ryan

The Big Freeze 1963

Maggie's stutter makes going to school hard. She will do
almost anything to avoid speaking in class - even if that
leads to trouble.

Sent to stay in the depths of Cornwall with a grandfather she
barely knows, Maggie discovers an abandoned snow leopard hiding in
the nearby Wildoak Forest.

Sheltered by the ancient trees, the two of them build an understanding
in secret. But when the cub is spotted by local villagers,
danger follows - threatening everything she has come to believe
in.

Can Maggie find an answer before time runs out - not just for
the cub, but for herself and the forest as well?

• **An enticing, classic new voice in children's fiction

  • perfect for fans of Natasha Farrant or Melissa Harrison**

• Told in alternating voices, Wildoak shimmers
  with life as it explores the delicate interconnectedness of the
  human, animal and natural worlds

• The bond between a troubled child and an abandoned snow
  leopard is at the heart of this emotional and atmospheric story
  set in the 1960s