Synopses & Reviews
Dear Mr. S. Harris, Ignore the blob of red in the top left corner. It's jam, not blood, though I don't think I need to tell you the difference. It wasn't your wife's jam the police found on your shoe. . . .
I know what it's like.
Mine wasn't a woman. Mine was a boy. And I killed him exactly three months ago.
Zoe has an unconventional pen pal--Mr. Stuart Harris, a Texas Death Row inmate and convicted murderer. But then again, Zoe has an unconventional story to tell. A story about how she fell for two boys, betrayed one of them, and killed the other.
Hidden away in her backyard shed in the middle of the night with a jam sandwich in one hand and a pen in the other, Zoe gives a voice to her heart and her fears after months of silence. Mr. Harris may never respond to Zoe's letters, but at least somebody will know her story--somebody who knows what it's like to kill a person you love. Only through her unusual confession can Zoe hope to atone for her mistakes that have torn lives apart, and work to put her own life back together again.
Rising literary star Annabel Pitcher pens a captivating second novel, rich with her distinctive balance between humor and heart. Annabel explores the themes of first love, guilt, and grief, introducing a character with a witty voice and true emotional resonance.
Review
Praise for Ketchup Clouds:Winner of the 2013 Waterstones Children's Book PrizeA YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults PickNominated for the 2014 Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best Young Adult Fiction
* "It's not just suspense that drives this epistolary page-turner, but Zoe's authentic emotional responses and unyielding wit...[Ketchup Clouds] shows just how easy it is to make mistakes and how hard love can be." span--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Review
* "By turns heartbreaking and hilarious... Zoe's voice is witty and introspective as she explores issues relating to family, grief, and love."--Booklist (starred review)
Review
*"Zoe's introspective and surprisingly humorous voice will strike a chord with readers as they dwell on the space between guilt and innocence."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
"Zoe's original mind, turns of phrase, and sprightly narrative style give her story quick, light momentum and moments of lyricism...Sharp, articulate perceptions and a measure of suspense-as well as a lively thread of wit and humor-make this a very engaging read."--The Horn Book
Review
Praise for Annabel Pitcher:* "...Realistic, gritty, and uplifting."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Review
* "[Annabel Pitcher] deals with the topic realistically without losing sight of hope."--Booklist (starred review)
Review
*"...Powerfully honest, quirkily humorous..."--Publisher's Weekly (starred review)
Review
* "Compelling and believable...by turns heartbreaking and hysterically funny..."--School Library Journal (starred review)
About the Author
Annabel Pitcher graduated from Oxford University with a degree in English literature and went on to edit television scripts for the comedy
Harry Hill and the long-running soap opera
Coronation Street. Her debut novel,
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece,
was nominated for more than fourteen UK awards, including the CILIP Carnegie Medal, the
Guardian children's fiction prize, the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, the Dylan Thomas Prize, and two Galaxy British Book Awards. Annabel was also named one of the
Guardian's ten favorite children's authors.
Ketchup Clouds (now titled
Yours Truly) won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize in the UK. She lives in Yorkshire, England, with her husband, son, and dog.