Miranda Barlow
The Little Cottage at World’s End
In this upper middle grade magical adventure, The Haunting of Avaline Jones meets Percy Jackson.
Eleven-year-old Lucie’s life is falling apart. Her mum has vanished without a trace and she’s sent to live with Granny in her isolated cottage. The moment Lucie arrives, the house begins to change. Doors appear where they weren’t before, and the ceilings begin to crawl with watchful spiders. Then Granny disappears too. In a half-alive cottage, haunted by whispers, Lucie discovers the terrifying truth – Mum and Granny are Goddesses of Fate. Without them, the world will unravel and end. Lucie sets out to rescue them with the only person who can help her – Will – a teenage ghost who is as secretive as he is infuriating.
But fate always comes in threes, and Lucie is about to learn that some doors should never be opened…
Miranda is a neurodivergent writer and illustrator. Her debut novel The Little Cottage at World’s End is a middle-grade magical adventure that delves into the mysteries of life and loss. It grew from a fascination with fate, ancient myths and the hidden magic in ordinary places. Miranda lives in Devon with her family and their diva cockapoo, Jess. In her free time, she loves to read, walk and play the clarinet. With a Creative Writing degree and an MA in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University, this is the story she wishes she’d read as a child — a dark, haunting adventure that not only brings hope, but leaves you a little bit different than before.