About the Author

Geraldine McCaughrean is the Printz Award-winning author of The White Darkness. She has been honored with England's most prestigious children's book award, the Carnegie Medal, and is the only three-time winner ever of the Whitbread Children's Book Award. She also wrote Peter Pan in Scarlet, the first official sequel to the treasured masterpiece Peter Pan, and the critically acclaimed The Death-Defying Pepper Roux. Geraldine lives in Berkshire, England, with her husband and actress daughter.

Reviews

"Exuberant prose and whirling humor animate an unforgettable cast of characters. A more whimsical, French cousin to Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book (2008), with a similar timelessly classic feel." -- Booklist (starred review)"Creating vivid characters is just one of McCaughrean's gifts. Readers will root for Pepper to get the ending he deserves--a happy one." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)"[A] laugh-out-loud funny, picaresque adventure. McCaughrean's frequently over-the-top metaphors mirror the delightfully implausible plot. [A] poignant, odd, wonderfully composed and vastly entertaining novel." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"A charming tale. Pepper will capture readers' hearts, and Duchesse may be the most hilarious yet wise character in children's literature this decade. This novel will be savored." -- School Library Journal (starred review)"[T]horoughly entertaining. It's McCaughrean's way with language that establish[es] this picaresque tale as the latest evidence that she is one of the more remarkable novelists writing for children today." -- The Horn Book"The Death-Defying Pepper Roux is a thoughtful novel and an entertaining adventure story. McCaughrean once again proves that she is a talented writer with the ability to weave truly enchanting metaphors." -- Assembly on Literature for Adolescents

"Exuberant prose and whirling humor animate an unforgettable cast of characters. A more whimsical, French cousin to Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book (2008), with a similar timelessly classic feel." -- Booklist (starred review)"Creating vivid characters is just one of McCaughrean's gifts. Readers will root for Pepper to get the ending he deserves--a happy one." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)"[A] laugh-out-loud funny, picaresque adventure. McCaughrean's frequently over-the-top metaphors mirror the delightfully implausible plot. [A] poignant, odd, wonderfully composed and vastly entertaining novel." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"A charming tale. Pepper will capture readers' hearts, and Duchesse may be the most hilarious yet wise character in children's literature this decade. This novel will be savored." -- School Library Journal (starred review)"[T]horoughly entertaining. It's McCaughrean's way with language that establish[es] this picaresque tale as the latest evidence that she is one of the more remarkable novelists writing for children today." -- The Horn Book"The Death-Defying Pepper Roux is a thoughtful novel and an entertaining adventure story. McCaughrean once again proves that she is a talented writer with the ability to weave truly enchanting metaphors." -- Assembly on Literature for Adolescents