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The Pearl Thief which she read. She also interviewed some of the authors: ‘I spoke to Jess Smith [who wrote an account of her childhood as a Scottish traveller] after I’d written the first draft and she actually had quite a bit to add; not just in terms of bringing the traveller sections in line, but also with the plot! It was a fun collaboration.’


When I ask Wein if this is the last we’ve seen of Julie, she laughs: ‘I don’t want to be seen as getting everything I can out of this character, and to a certain extent I think people like to have a bit of mystery to her… but I do have ideas, I love writing her!’ But Wein has put Julie to bed for at least the moment and is working on a handful of other projects; two of which are in the middle of contract negotiations and so still under wraps. The project she can talk about is a middle grade non-fiction book about the women who flew as combat pilots for the Soviet Union during the Second World War. It’s being published by HarperCollins in the US and is about to start looking for a British publisher.


Although Wein dabbles in other markets, she sees herself firmly as a YA author despite being regularly told she’s wrong about that: ‘I’m constantly getting people saying this book isn’t YA about everything I write! The characters are too old, or there’s too much violence.


What Wein’s ended up with though is a tightly drawn mystery full of tension and genuine surprises. Julie finds herself embroiled in a mystery with deeper roots that she initially realises, one that incorporates family secrets, class tensions and a local family of travellers. Wein did plenty of research into the Scottish traveller community; there are several autobiographies from the time


‘I’ve always seen myself as a YA writer - why would I be anything else!’


I’ve always seen myself as a YA writer - why would I be anything else!’ Wein is, though, very careful about the way she writes potentially controversial subjects: ‘I do feel a responsibility for things that I’m writing about - a responsibility to tell the truth. But you’ll never get graphic scenes of torture - or sex - from me. You get my characters’ emotions, their reactions, their interactions, but no actual graphic violence.’


The Pearl Thief does has distinctly less torture scenes than many of Wein’s previous books: ‘My books are always miserable! Well maybe not miserable, but certainly intense. There’s a darkness in them, and I think this one has a lot more light. It was a fun book for me to write and I hope people will enjoy reading it - but if there’s a message it’s one of tolerance, and appreciation of the things we have that we take for granted.’


The Pearl Thief is published by Bloomsbury, 978-1408866610, £7.99 pbk.


Code Name Verity is published by Electric Monkey, 978-1405278423, £7.99 pbk.


Anna James is a writer and journalist. Her debut children’s novel book Pages & Co will be published in October 2017 by HarperCollins.


Books for Keeps No.224 May 2017 9


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