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The Letter with the Golden Stamp

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( 314 ratings, 38 reviews)
Brief Description
'I can't remember how old I was when I first started collecting stamps. But I've got a whole shoebox full of them now. Mam used to help me collect them ... Before she got so ill that she lost her job, her friends...everything. Now it's my... Read More
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From Onjali Q. Rauf, author of The Boy at the Back of the Class, comes another incredible story, told with humour and heart. Touching on the challenges navigated by children caring for loved ones at home, this story brings into focus their hardships and worries, alongside the unexpected, invisible sources of kindness which can change their lives.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

'I can't remember how old I was when I first started collecting stamps. But I've got a whole shoebox full of them now.

Mam used to help me collect them ... Before she got so ill that she lost her job, her friends...everything.

Now it's my job to take care of her and protect her - and my little brother and sister too. But to do that, I have to make Mam a Secret. A secret no-one can ever find out about. Not even my best friends at school, or Mo, our postman.

Or the stranger living in the house across the street. The one no-one has seen, but who I know is spying on us.

The one I think might be Them...

Deep in the heart of Swansea, Wales, lives a small girl with some big secrets to keep. Secrets that make her one of the best actresses on the planet - because no-one would ever think that, away from school, Audrey is the sole carer for her increasingly sick mam and her two younger siblings ... or a seasoned thief.

With her worlds threatened by the arrival of a mysterious, invisible neighbour, behind whose closed curtains and shut front door may lie a spy, Audrey must take matters into her own hands to save her family.

Inspired by her beloved collection of stamps, her friendly neighbourhood postman (and fellow stamp collector), and her two best friends, off Audrey must go: on an adventure that will lead her to places - and hearts - she never knew existed.

Celebrating the hidden army of Young Carers daily keeping their loved ones alive behind closed doors, and the everyday s/heroes that surround them, The Letter with the Golden Stamp delves into the fears and hopes of Young Carers everywhere, and the invisible sources of kindness knocking on all our doors.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781510108929

Publisher: Hachette Children's Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 11 April 2024

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Orion Children's Books

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 26.0mm

Width: 192.0mm

Height: 126.0mm

Weight: 277g

Pages: 320

About the Author

Winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize in 2019, the Blue Peter Book Prize 2019, and other international accolades since, Onjali Q Rauf's first book The Boy at the Back of the Class was inspired by a baby met in the refugee camps of Calais, France, whilst on an aid convoy for her organisation, O's Refugee Aid Team. Telling the story of a group of friends befriending a refugee boy at school with depth and humour, it continues to be a must-read for children and adults around the world.

Rauf's second release went on to win the Diversity Book Award for Children's Fiction (UK) 2020. The Star Outside My Window drew on her experiences as founder and CEO of Making Herstory - an organisation working to help women and children flee the impacts of male-led domestic violence. Her ongoing works with homeless communities, food banks, homeless shelters, as well as her personal experiences of racism, sexism and bullying, led to the releases of The Night Bus Hero, The Great Food Bank Heist and ultimately, The Lion Above the Door.

Following an influx of enquiries from children about how to aid refugees and the homeless, or fight for the environment and the rights of women and girls, Rauf wrote her first non-fiction title Hope on the Horizon, as a personal guide to budding young activists everywhere.

In 2023, a deep love for funny sayings coupled with that of travelling, led to the release Where Magic Grows: a collection of of seven original fairy tales in which Rauf celebrates the peoples and cultures of such lands as Syria, Egypt, Japan and India.

Rauf was recognised for her services to literature and women's rights in the 2022 New Year Honours.

Twitter: @OnjaliRauf / @MakeHerstory1 / @O_Refugee

Website: www.onjaliqrauf.org

Also by Onjali Q. Raúf

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  • The Lion Above the Door
    Ever since I can remember, people have stared at me and my family. Dad tells me it's because we're 'special'. But if we're so special, how come nobody ever looks like us in the books at school? Not even the books about world wars ... As the only Singaporean boy not just in his school, but in the tiny English...
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  • The Game I Will Never Forget
    Just after his tenth birthday, the last thing Zak expects to hear is that his mum is having a baby and he has to give up his room for an ageing old grandmother who is coming to live with them! With the help of his friends and a series of cheeky pranks, Zak is convinced it'll be no time before...
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  • The Boy At the Back of the Class
    WINNER OF THE BLUE PETER BOOK AWARD 2019 WINNER OF THE WATERSTONES CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE 2019 SHORTLISTED FOR THE JHALAK PRIZE 2019 Told with heart and humour, The Boy At the Back of the Class is a child's perspective on the refugee crisis, highlighting the importance of friendship and kindness in a world that doesn't always make sense. There used...
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    I've always wanted to be a Star Hunter. But I don't want to be the kind that looks for old stars that have already been burning for millions of years. I want to find the brand new ones - the ones that have only just been born and are searching for the people they've left behind... Following the disappearance of...
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  • The Night Bus Hero
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  • Where Magic Grows
    Pre-order
    Where Magic Grows
    Discover seven unique fables, filled with humour, heart and hope from Onjali Q. Raúf, author of The Boy at the Back of the Class. Beautifully illustrated in black and white by Katarzyna Doszla, this is the perfect book to read and cherish together. Have you heard of the tiger with no tail? Or of the extra-specially-super-deliciously-fantastically naughty boy who got...
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  • The Great (Food) Bank Heist
    Written with great empathy and Raúf’s trademark humour, this moving story gives a child’s-eye view of the increasing problem of food poverty. On Thursdays, Nelson, Ashley and Mum head out to the bank. But not just any old bank – the food bank. With its shining tins and packets of food stacked from floor to ceiling, Nelson thinks it’s the...
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  • Hope on the Horizon
    Miss, do you really think we can all help? Even me? - Tammy, 8 years old. Growing up, there is so much out of our control, so much we can feel helpless about, and so many terrible things we have to watch grown-ups doing to our world. But when it comes to understanding and righting wrongs, it's always children who...
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  • The Girl at the Front of the Class
    A stunning new picture book from Onjali Q. Raúf and Pippa Curnick. There's a new girl in my class. She has eyes as wide and as golden as a tiger's, a face as pale as a glass of milk, and hair as shiny as a mirror. I'd like to be her friend. But she never wants to play with me...
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  • The Girl at the Front of the Class
    A stunning new picture book from Onjali Q. Rauf and Pippa Curnick.There's a new girl in my class. She has eyes as wide and as golden as a tiger's, a face as pale as a glass of milk, and hair as shiny as a mirror. I'd like to be her friend. But she never wants to play with me in...
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  • Where Magic Grows
    Have you heard of the bird that turned to stone? Or of the extra-specially-super-deliciously-fantastically naughty boy who got a frog stuck in his throat? Has anyone ever told you of the Captain of the Nile who only has six toes? No? Well, tuck yourself in, and let Onjali Rauf entertain you with her first collection of never-before-told fables of magic...
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