Locked Out Lily

Lily’s Mum and Dad have gone to the hospital because her new brother or sister is about to be born, and left her in the care of her grandmother. However, Lily isn’t at all happy about the new baby, and wishes life could go back to the way it was before Mum got pregnant and before Lily got ill.

Yet when Lily and her grandmother pop back to her house to pick up a few things, Lily thinks there’s something strange about the house. When she sneaks back later to investigate, she finds that her house has been taken over by things that look like her mum and dad – but definitely aren’t.

With the help of a gang of talking animals (a crow, a mouse, a snake and a mole), Lily tries to get back in her house and force the odd, coal-eyed parents out, but it isn’t easy. Will Lily be able to reclaim her home before her parents come home with the new baby? And what is the power that lies within her that makes her so very special?

Wonderfully illustrated by Emily Gravett in an appealingly gothic yet accessible style, Locked Out Lily is reminiscent of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline and Patrick Ness’ A Monster Calls but with a cast of lovely animal characters that help Lily in her quest. Behind it all is a heartfelt story about a child coping with serious illness and dealing with how it has changed her – and her family.