Miss Mercy

A young Charles Dickens discovers that some bedtime stories are better left untold in this spine-chilling tale from acclaimed author Lindsay Galvin.

When his family falls on hard times and his father is sent to debtors’ prison, twelve-year-old Charles Dickens is put to work in a grim blacking factory.

On his last night at home, his nursemaid Miss Mercy whispers one final bedtime story into the dark: a chilling tale of sailors, greed and a terrible curse.

But when phantom rats begin to torment Charles day and night, scratching and biting at his skin, he realises with horror that some bedtime stories refuse to stay in the dark.

Inspired by the true childhood of Charles Dickens.

About the author

Former teacher Lindsay Galvin is the acclaimed author of numerous books for children, including her middle-grade titles Darwin’s Dragons, My Friend the Octopus, Call of the Titanic and The Great Phoenix of London, all of which brilliantly blend historical fact and fiction, combining meticulous research with page-turning storylines.