Book description
Verdigris n. a blue-green rust that tarnishes ageing and forgotten
copper coins, altering them entirely . . . When Ryan and his friends are
caught stranded and penniless late one night, they steal some coins from
a well for their bus fare home. Soon after, strange things begin to
happen. Peculiar marks tingle on Ryan's knuckles, light bulbs
mysteriously explode and a terrified Chelle starts speaking words that
aren't her own. Then the well witch appears, with her fountains for eyes
and gargled demands. From now on, the friends must serve her . . . and
the wishes that lie rotting at the bottom of her well. In the tradition
of truly fantastic storytelling, VERDIGRIS DEEP is darkly witty, utterly
unexpected and shiver-down-the-spine sinister
Frances Hardinge spent her childhood in a huge old house that
inspired her to write strange stories from an early age. She read
English at Oxford University, then she got a job at a software
company. However, by this time a persistent friend had finally managed
to bully Frances into sending a few chapters of FLY BY NIGHT, her
first children's novel, to a publisher. Macmillan made her an
immediate offer. This is Frances's second novel and she is already
writing her third.
