Catherine Norton’s first middle grade novel, Crossing, was a CBCA Notable Book and was joint winner of the 2015 Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children’s Literature in the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. She’s back with The Fortune Maker, a slightly magical work of historical fiction, set in London in 1913.

Twelve-year-old Maud has been facing impossible conditions in poverty in London, and when she thinks she’s lost everything, she becomes wrapped up in a wealthy family’s fortune-telling – yet only she can tell what the future will bring.

The Fortune Maker will suit readers who like historical fiction and who are looking to dip their toes into fantasy. With strong female characters and well-researched history of the suffragettes, as well as the conditions of London in the early 1900s, this is a story that shows both the challenges people can face, and how they can overcome them with support from others.

Maud is a courageous girl who doesn’t expect much out of life owing to her experiences of a long stream of tragedies, disappointments and disputes, which builds great suspense around how she will build a better life for herself while maintaining her new friendships. A thrilling read for ages 8+.