Lucy Mangan | an introduction to ‘The House in Cornwall’ by Noel Streatfeild
Lucy Mangan
Photo © Stylist Magazine
Stop Press! The fabulous Lucy Mangan will introduce our brand new edition of Noel Streatfeild's forgotten children's classic - The House in Cornwall next year. I am overjoyed!
Lucy is a journalist and columnist at The Guardian (as their TV critic and also as a regular feature writer), and she has also written for many the major women's magazines, including Grazia, Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan. In addition, she has a weekly column in Stylist magazine.
In 2009, a collection of her columns from The Guardian was published as My family and Other Disasters. Her other works include Hopscotch and Handbags: The Essential Guide to Being a Girl, a book about the experience of growing up in 80s suburbia, and The Reluctant Bride, the lightly-fictionalised story of her wedding. Inside Charlie’s Chocolate Factory, a commemoration of 50 years of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , was published by Puffin UK/US in 2014.
She lives in London with one husband, one son, two cats and fourteen double-stacked Billy bookcases (relatable, right!?).
If you have not yet discovered Lucy's writing, you are in for a treat - she is witty, warm and wonderful. Go forth and enjoy!
Most excitingly for us, Lucy is the author of several books - of particular interest is her memoir Bookworm, which is a personal history and celebration of children’s literature. It was this book that led me to Lucy originally, and offered a link with Noel Streatfeild - Lucy devotes a good section of the book to her, reflecting on the ways in which the author shaped her life.
The House in Cornwall was first published during the Second World War, and is a thrilling mystery / adventure story for children aged 8-11 (and those of us who are a good deal older than that too!).
First published in 1940, the book is written in typical Streatfeild style, opening with four siblings travelling from Paddington Station in London to stay with their great-uncle for the summer holidays, in his great old house on the Cornish coast.
But unlike other similar novels of the era, this book is fast-paced and full of suspense, intrigue and drama - with the added delight that girls are as key to the plot as the boys. Uncle Murdoch of course turns out to be neither kindly nor eccentric, and when the siblings discover that they are prisoners in Tregon Hall, and hear the unmistakable sobs of a crying child at night, adventures ensue...
The new edition of this forgotten classic will be published next summer, and pre-orders will open in early 2024. Keep you eyes peeled for more details, and sign up below for our newsletter if you would like to be the first to hear of our updates and publication dates