Keep Dancing, Lizzie Chu

Description: 'So charming' Elle McNicoll, author of A Kind of Spark

'A wonderful, warm and witty tale of family loss, responsibility and the stories and dreams that unite generations' Alex Cotter, author of The House on the Edge

A heart-warming novel from the Blue Peter Book Award shortlisted author of DANNY CHUNG DOES NOT DO MATHS

Twelve-year-old Lizzie Chu lives in Glasgow with her grandad Wai Gong, and he's been acting a little strange lately. He is becoming forgetful, and spends a lot of time talking to his statue of Guan Yin - the Chinese goddess of compassion, kindness and mercy.

Lizzie is worried about Wai Gong, but doesn't really know what to do to help him. She's already got a lot on her plate with caring for him, doing the shopping and everything else on top of schoolwork and the usual trials of being twelve!

Then Lizzie comes up with a madcap plan. She's going to take Wai Gong on the trip of a lifetime, to Blackpool - to the Tower Ballroom, where he always longed to go, to dance with his late wife Grandma Kam. To rekindle that love for dancing and to see if Wai Gong can find his mojo again. The only problem is - just how on earth is she going to get him there?

With a little help from her friends Chi and Tyler, some ingenious costumes and an older brother with a beat-up Mini, Lizzie might just make it - and maybe she will be able to help Wai Gong get better after all?

A moving, humorous, and uplifting intergenerational story for fans of Frank Cottrell Boyce and Benjamin Dean.

Review:

'Keep Dancing, Lizzie Chu is brimming with kindness, humour and lovable characters. The story of Lizzie and the obstacles she overcomes to help her grandfather had me laughing out loud on one page and welling up on the next. Maisie Chan is a wonderful storyteller.' -- Kate Gilby-Smith, author of The Astonishing Future of Alex Nobody

'Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths is heart-warming and packed with fascinating snippets of Chinese culture. I loved reading about the intergenerational relationship between Danny and his grandmother. We all need a Nai Nai in our lives.' -- Jen Carney, author of The Accidental Diary of B.U.G.

Targeted at young readers, [this] uplifting intergenerational story takes them on a rollercoaster ride. Despite being a middle-grade novel, Keep Dancing, Lizzie Chu doesn't shy away from discussing weighty topics about death, loss, grief and illness. It sheds light on the role of young carers and their daily struggles. I believe in this story, it takes a community to support one in need of help and to show that the human spirit is more resilient than what we can imagine. * Books From the Pantry *

Author Biography: Maisie Chan is a British-born Chinese author. As well as her books for Piccadilly, she has written early reader books and a collection of fairy tales, myths and legends in Stories From Around the World, as well as many stories for The Big Think: a well-being curriculum based around stories for primary school children. Originally from Birmingham, Maisie now lives with her family in Glasgow.