Lights Up

It’s 1767 when we meet Ariane, whose father - forced to work by evil Lord Machiavelli - succumbs to a fatal fever, soon followed by her mother and sister. A bitter Ariane pledges to avenge their deaths.

Then we meet Jack, nearly a century later, lost and alone until he is adopted by a theatre troupe. Finally, we meet modern-day Hettie, who has recently lost both her beloved grandfather and her cherished arts centre.

Lights Up follows each child on their respective adventures. However, the parallel strands in their stories are anything but coincidences. Their destinies are connected in the most powerful and extraordinary of ways. 

Based around one location, a theatre in northern England, but told across three different eras, this is an epic tale of grief, justice, temptation and trust. It’s a magical story which will cleverly challenge a reader’s perceptions of everything from ghosts and spiders to being disabled (Hettie uses a scooter, and the insights into exclusion and accessibility are subtle and powerful).

Even the multi-layered, multi-timeline narrative turns regular storytelling on its head. Lisette Auton’s unique voice is exquisite, with a beautiful timelessness that’s mirrored in a few distinctive black and white illustrations.  

An absorbing and incidentally inclusive magical mystery about losing those we love and finding friendship and resilience.