Barrington Stoke swoops for Palmer's 'devastating' wartime story

Barrington Stoke has swooped for the Angel of Grasmere, a "moving" wartime story set in Cumbria, from Tom Palmer. 

Publisher Ailsa Bathgate acquired world rights from David Luxton at David Luxton Associates. Publication in May 2024 will be supported with a "high-profile" PR campaign and an educational programme.

The synopsis reads: "July 1940 – as Tarn struggles to come to terms with the loss of her beloved brother in the chaos of the British retreat at Dunkirk, she and her friends scour the hills around their Lake District home, watching for any signs of the long-dreaded Nazi invasion. But as the war drags on, with little good news from the front, the locals become aware of someone carrying out anonymous acts of kindness, such as saving a flock of sheep from a snowdrift and helping an injured farmer who might otherwise have died. With no one claiming credit, they come to think of this unidentified stranger as a kind of guardian angel, but when his identity is finally revealed, can Tarn come to terms with the truth?"

Palmer is also the author of After the War, Resist, Armistice Runner and D-Day Dog, all published with HarperCollins, and is the two-time recipient of the Young Quills Award and the FCBG Children’s Award. He commented: "While I was researching my other books set in the English Lake District – Armistice Runner and After the War – I unearthed so many interesting stories about what we now call Cumbria during both world wars that I felt compelled to write about them too. The men who hid in the mountains for years to avoid being enlisted. The fear of and preparation for a Nazi invasion among the fells and lakes. Angel of Grasmere is the product of those stories and also of my ongoing relationship with Grasmere School, who have helped me with all three books.”

Bathgate added: "In this powerful new novel, Tom Palmer conveys the devastating impact of war both for those who fight on the frontlines and those who are left at home to worry and grieve. Angel of Grasmere is another brilliant example from Tom of how history can be brought vividly to life for young people today in a way that they can relate to and empathise with.”