‘Us too,’ Ivy said. ‘We’re a family now … we’re uncommoners.’
There are several people I wish to thank for their help while I was writing The Frozen Telescope. Huge appreciation goes to my editors, Phoebe Yeh, Naomi Colthurst and Elizabeth Stranahan, for all their advice and guidance while I reshaped and polished the story.
Karl James Mountford, thank you once again for lending your brilliant talents to another title in the Uncommoners series. It’s been so thrilling to see places in Nubrook, Strassa and Lundinor brought to life by your rich and detailed illustrations.
Polly Nolan, Sarah Davies and everyone at Rights People, thank you for continuing to represent me and my writing. The Uncommoners books are now translated into many different languages because of your hard work, and I am very grateful.
A special thank you to Mr B. and his students at St John’s Church of England Primary School in Canterbury for sharing your ideas about uncommon ties and for coming up with the name for the Tierrific Ties shop. I hope that designing an uncommon object inspired you to find the creative potential in even the most mundane things around you.
My gratitude goes to my friends Tara, Nichol, Beks, Nat, Charlotte and Sarah for their excellent listening skills, encouragement and good humour. Stefano, many thanks for correcting my poor Italian. Thanks also to Jo and Tina for sharing with me your memories of Thanksgiving in America. Mum and Beth, I appreciate all the patience and understanding you’ve given me since I became a writer, during this last year especially. When I don’t believe in myself, you’re the two people who convince me otherwise.
Peter, thank you for everything you do to inspire and support me. Here’s to all our adventures to come …
Londoner Jennifer Bell began working in children’s books as a specialist bookseller at Foyles – one of the world’s most famous bookshops – in Charing Cross Road. There she looked after the shop’s five not-so-deadly piranha fish as well as recommending children’s books to celebrities, royalty and even astronauts. After having the privilege of listening to children talk about their favourite books for many years, she started writing a book of her own. Jennifer came up with the idea of The Crooked Sixpence while packing for a holiday and wishing she could just disappear inside her suitcase and be there already. The world of Lundinor is inspired by sayings from traditional English nursery rhymes as well as the stories Jennifer grew up with about the cockney markets her grandparents used to visit.
Illustrator Karl James Mountford was born in Germany and brought up around the UK. He now lives in Wales, where his sketchbooks rarely get a day off. Karl works in both traditional and digital mediums to create his illustrative work. He graduated with a master’s degree in illustration and visual communication from Swansea College of Art.
Also by Jennifer Bell
The Uncommoners series
THE CROOKED SIXPENCE
THE SMOKING HOURGLASS
THE FROZEN TELESCOPE
@jenrosebell
#TheFrozenTelescope
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First published 2018
Text copyright © Jennifer Bell, 2018
Cover art and interior illustrations copyright © Karl James Mountford, 2018
The moral right of the author and illustrator has been asserted
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978–1–448–19580–0
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The Frozen Telescope Page 21
