Hester Hitchins and the Falling Stars
It’s 1866, and Hester Hitchins’ father is missing at sea.
Determined to find him, eleven-year-old Hester wins a place at Addington’s Nautical Navigation Academy, where she will learn to navigate by the stars. But there’s more to the night sky than true north…
With the help of a lodestone, her new friends Pru and Nelson, and a dazzling meteor storm, can Hester find her own place in the universe?
‘…a rollicking story for readers age 10+’ Books + Publishing
Praise for HESTER HITCHINS AND THE FALLING STARS
‘…a cracking story rich in incident and suspense…exhilarating’ Story Links
‘…a fantastically well-written and fun character’ Better Reading
‘Hester is determined, resourceful and undeterred by society’s expectations of her…a rollicking story for readers age 10+’ Books + Publishing
Shortlisted for the Booklinks Historical Fiction Award 2025
Longlisted for the ARA Historical Fiction Prize 2025 Children’s and Young Adult category
The Fortune Maker
LONDON, 1913
Twelve-year-old Maud Mulligan knows there’s no future for her in London, in the rat-infested slum where she grew up. But in a tunnel under the river are fortune tellers, Seers, who will tell your future for a few pennies. And then there is Mr Mandalay, Seer to the king and anyone else rich enough to afford him.
When Mr Mandalay sees Maud in a foretelling for a wealthy factory heiress, she believes Maud can save her family from financial ruin. But how? And why? In a world shaken by suffragettes, scientists and the threat of war, what could a girl like Maud do to change anyone’s future – or even her own?
Praise for THE FORTUNE MAKER
“Children’s historical fiction at its finest” Better Reading
“A story about taking charge of your destiny, of holding on to hope and fighting for a better future.” Story Links
“A thrilling read” Readings
Shortlisted for the Booklinks Historical Fiction Award 2024
Longlisted for the ARA Historical Fiction Prize 2024 Children’s and Young Adult category
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Catherine Norton is the author of children’s novels Hester Hitchins and the Falling Stars, The Fortune Maker and Crossing. She studied creative writing at university and began writing middle grade fiction after working at a children’s publisher. She was born in the UK but grew up (mostly) in South Australia, where she lives on Kaurna country with her family and a very lazy whippet called Archer.
CATHERINE NORTON 