Rose Girl

The Rose Girl is Fay Howison’s debut children’s book. Set in the pre-industrial past, the book follows the story of two families living at opposite ends of an idyllic valley. At one end of the valley is the forbidding Duke of Ashbury, stricken with grief after the death of his wife. He keeps his daughter, Rosalba, a virtual prisoner in their magnificent home, lest harm should come to her too. At the other end of the valley live the cheerful and unconventional Paget family. When the three Paget brothers learn of Rosalba’s plight, they each hatch a secret plan to rescue her from her father’s clutches. The Paget brothers’ efforts to save the young woman lead them into various misadventures, including an encounter with the dark menacing figure of Lord Jasper Culpepper. Then the discovery of a terrible secret from the past means that the brothers must forget their rivalry for Rosalba’s heart, and work together to defeat the formidable problems they now face.Will the brothers be able to overcome their differences and save Rosalba? The Rose Girl is the first book in a trilogy that follows the Paget brothers and their friends on their adventures in an imaginary country, not unlike England. Fay’s debut book takes inspiration from traditional fairytales, but modernises the genre to make it more accessible and relatable to young girls. Fay’s book will be enjoyed by young readers generally, and will appeal specially to girls aged 10-14 who like the romantic-comedy genre.