Grace McCleen

An extraordinary and peculiarly haunting novel

Enchanting and compellingly dark... This is an intensely personal story, but told with a lightness of touch and air of magic

A tremendously affecting novel, skillfully and arrestingly written, and one that packs a big emotional punch

Both sinister and sharply intriguing, with a completely convincing eleven-year-old narrator caught in fundamentalism, school persecution and the edge of the miraculous

Bursting with tension and tenderness, this novel is a small miracle in itself

Grace McCleen's writing is deep, fantastical and powerful... She has been able to observe a fascinating world with generosity, wonder and spirit. A wonderful gem of a debut

Affecting and brilliantly written…a truly awe-inspiring debut

Surprising, affecting, thoughtful and complex, McCleen's novel grows in power the more time you spend with it

A stand-out debut from a new talent ... Inventive and unforgettable

This is a novel that strikes both horror and joy in the reader, the first-person narration deftly articulating Judith's escalating confusion and fear ... A talent to watch

A touching, delicate book, it's hitting the shelves with high hopes...On March 1, head out and buy Grace McCleen's book

A distinctive debut that pulls off the use of a child narrator in delightful style

Touching and funny… a compelling and wholly original debut.

This is a promisingly bold book and McCleen is a talent to watch

A gripping and mesmerizing debut of an unforgettable ten-year-old  heroine and her battle with good and evil… A harrowing and powerful  story about isolation and belonging

An original new voice... Haunting and absorbing, this is a joy to read

'An extraordinary and peculiarly haunting novel' Chris Cleave, author of The Other Hand 
 
 
A RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK 
 
 
 
My name is Judith McPherson. I am ten years old. On Monday a miracle happened. 
 
Judith doesn’t have much. The house she shares with her devoutly religious father is full of dusty relics, reminders of the mother Judith never knew. Bullied at school, she finds comfort in creating a miniature world in her bedroom – a world of wonder she calls The Land of Decoration. Perhaps, she thinks, if she makes it snow in The Land of Decoration there will be no school on Monday. 
 
Sure enough, when Judith opens her curtains the next day, the world beyond her window has turned white. 
 
And that's when her troubles begin.

Grace McCleen

Praise for The Land of Decoration

An extraordinary and peculiarly haunting novel

Extraordinary

Enchanting and compellingly dark... This is an intensely personal story, but told with a lightness of touch and air of magic

An extraordinary and peculiarly haunting novel

Extraordinary

Enchanting and compellingly dark... This is an intensely personal story, but told with a lightness of touch and air of magic

An extraordinary and peculiarly haunting novel

Extraordinary

Enchanting and compellingly dark... This is an intensely personal story, but told with a lightness of touch and air of magic

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