UCLan Publishing scoops 'inspiring' middle-grade book about child with stammer

UCLan Publishing has scooped an "inspiring" middle-grade fiction title about a child and her stammer from author Anne-Marie Conway.

Hazel Holmes, publisher, bought UK rights for How to be More Hedgehog from Julia Churchill at A M Heath. It will publish in paperback in September 2022. 

The book tells the story of Lily who has a stammer. The synopsis says: "The signal between her brain and her mouth isn’t working – and things are getting worse. When a video of her practicing her class presentation is uploaded onto YouTube, head thrust forward, eyelids fluttering, lips stretched wide, Lily’s nightmare begins…

"Cyberbullying, kids at school whispering and even best friend Mia laughing behind her back. Lily’s confidence takes a nose-dive and she can only see one way out - to run away to Dad in Scotland and start all over again. But Lily quickly realises that running away isn’t the answer and that her stammer will follow her wherever she goes."

Michael Palin, actor and founder of the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering, has also endorsed the book, calling it "a great read". "The story of Lily and how she deals with her stammer is touching and inspiring and above all firmly based in real experience. It doesn’t avoid the awkward and embarrassing moments any stammerer has to live with, but it turns negatives into positives and in the end shows Lily has strengths that make her as tough and as capable as any of her schoolmates. This is a compulsively readable story, full of drama and full of hope," he said.

Conway is the author of the award-winning Butterfly Summer (Usborne) and is a primary school teacher specialising in drama. She also helps run Full Circle, an inclusive musical theatre company for children. 

Holmes said: “It’s such a pleasure to be bringing Lily’s story to the world. This is a treasure of a book and a very welcome addition to our contemporary middle grade fiction list.”