A vibrant, evocative and magical debut which centres a positive, empowered disabled character at the heart of a reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood.
The woods are hiding a secret… but then so is Red…
Red is not allowed to go into the woods. Everyone knows that they are dangerous – because of their strange magic and the wolves that lurk there… But Red finds herself increasingly drawn to the woods and the place where her grandmother disappeared without a trace three years ago. When the woodcutter fails to return home one night and wolves are spotted close to the village boundary, fear drives a deep and dangerous divide between the villagers and the nature they live alongside.
Only Red seems to hold the key – but she has a secret, and exposing it could ruin her family forever …
Review
'Full of brilliant, wild, misunderstood girls, this is a feminist tale with teeth and a sharp bite. Beth O'Brien is an exciting new talent.' Katya Balen, award-winning author of October, October
'A starkly beautiful fairytale. Told in clear, crisp prose, sleek as the song of a wolf, Red, with her mysterious grandmother, forbidden gifts and softly blurred view of the world is a heroine you'll want to follow into the woods at nightfall.' Cerrie Burnell, author, actor and activist
About the Author
Beth O’Brien is an English Literature BA and Creative Writing MA graduate from the University of Birmingham. She is also the author of four adult poetry books. Having been born visually impaired and with an upper-limb difference, Beth is passionate about the representation of disability in literature and is currently studying for a PhD researching the (mis)representation of disability in contemporary fairytale retellings. She is the founder and editor of Disabled Tales, a website dedicated to discussing disability in fairytales and folklore.
