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Finding Violet Park

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Finding Violet Park
First edition cover
AuthorJenny Valentine
LanguageEnglish
GenreYoung adult novel
PublisherHarperCollins
Publication date
3 January 2007
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (paperback)
Pages208 pp
ISBN978-0-00-721445-7
OCLC71346653

Finding Violet Park, or Me, the Missing, and the Dead in the U.S., is a young adult novel by Jenny Valentine, published by HarperCollins in 2007. It is about a fatherless teenage boy, Lucas Swain, who finds an urn containing the ashes of the titular Violet Park abandoned in a minicab office and determines to lay her to rest. HarperCollins published the first US edition April 2008, entitled Me, the Missing, and the Dead.

Valentine won the annual Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, a once-in-a-lifetime book award judged by a panel of British children's writers.[1][2] The novel was also highly commended for the Branford Boase Award,[3] and was longlisted for the 2008 Manchester Book Award.[4]

Jenny Valentine is also the author of Broken Soup, The Ant Colony, and The Double Life of Cassiel Roadnight.

Synopsis

Characters

  • Lucas Swain: The protagonist, almost 16 and with a life full of problems, one day encounters Violet in a cab shop, sparking the search for his father.
  • Violet Park: The dead lady, a famous pianist who somehow knew Lucas's father.
  • Pete Swain: Lucas's missing father, went missing five years ago and has a mysterious connection with Violet.
  • Martha Hooper: Lucas's girlfriend, one of the few people who believe Lucas, who helps him through his search.
  • Nicky Swain: Lucas's mother, an overprotective lady who still misses her husband even though she hides it.
  • Pansy Swain: Lucas's grandmother, who believes in spirits and is one of the few people to believe Lucas.
  • Norman Swain: Lucas's grandfather, the war veteran who had a stroke and now can't remember a thing, until he hears about Violet. Then he remembers about Pete and who he is.
  • Bob Cutforth: The family friend and an old friend of Pete's. He helps the family get through the five years by steadily getting closer to Nicky.
  • Jed Swain: The brother, Lucas's little brother who Norman tells everything to.
  • Mercy Swain: Lucas's sister, a tomboy who doesn't look good in masculine clothes.

References

  1. ^ Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2007 (top page). guardian.co.uk. 2012-08-06.
  2. ^ "Guardian children's fiction prize relaunched: Entry details and list of past winners". guardian.co.uk 12 March 2001. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
  3. ^ "Branford Boase Award". Archived from the original on 2008-08-27. Retrieved 2008-07-10. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "Manchester Book Award". Archived from the original on 2010-07-21. Retrieved 2007-12-19. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

Finding Violet Park in libraries (WorldCat catalog) —immediately, first US edition

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