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North of Nowhere by Liz Kessler is absolutely wonderful. The story of Mia, who is dragged away from her friends at February half term to the tiny seaside town of Porthaven when her grandad goes missing. Porthaven is a fishing village more than a holiday resort, although the council are trying to promote fishing trips, and her grandparents' pub doesn't even have internet access, let alone mobile reception, and Mia veers between anxiety about her grandad, sadness for her gran and boredom, until she makes two friends- Peter, who she meets on the beach, and Dee, a girl with whom she starts a sort of pen friendship when she accidentally finds her diary while rescuing Flake the dog from a boat. However, when Mia and Dee plan to meet, Dee doesn't show up. Later, she claims that she was prevented by bad weather- but the sea is calm...
This compelling and magical novel is hard to write about without spoilers, but I recommend it highly to readers of 9+, especially for fans of adventure stories with a fantastical twist. It's wonderful, and I'm passing it on to a 10 year old who I hope will love it.
This sounds like one I'd like--thanks!
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