LOWIE

a

middle grade novel

by Stefan Boonen, illustrated by Dieter De Schutter

World Rights Available

Until that fateful Wednesday in April, Lowie was employed by Mr and Mrs Simmer. Just like her mum (before she left) and grandmother (before she died). All day long - and all by herself - she has to do one lousy chore after the other. Until Mrs Simmer snaps her fingers one time too many. Lowie decides to run away. The thing you need to know about Lowie: when she gets angry or sad, she can jump so high it’s almost as if she can fly.

She ends up in the village of Hinkel. Not wanting to stand out, she cuts her hair and pretends to be a boy. She/he finds work and lodging with hairdresser Roedie. A series of events puts pressure on her anonymous existence. The village discovers that she can jump very high, she meets the king, raises the Commander’s suspicious, makes friends, is forced to admit that she is a girl and meets an old friend of hairdresser Roedie; captain Dobrik Dalmast.

Then her past catches up with her: Lowie falls ill and can no longer jump. The Commander “unmasks” her as the Simmers’ ungrateful maid. Lowie realises that starting over is not for her. She ends up in the ‘pen’. But she underestimates how important she became to several residents of Hinkel, including hairdresser Roedie. After a revolt, the Commander has to release her again. With a bold move - death, maybe?- Lowie manages to escape.

Lowie’s world gets bigger and bigger. The book ends as the girl gets on a boat and embarks on a long journey with Captain Dalmast and the king. To an island where it’s said people live who, when triggered, can jump so high it’s almost as if they can fly … ends as the girl gets on a boat and embarks on a long journey with Captain Dalmast and the king. To an island where it’s said people live who, when triggered, can jump so high it’s almost as if they can fly … a non-fiction comic book series by Kim Crabeels & Emma Thyssen middle grade by Mark Tijsmans middle grade by Vera Van Renterghem , Luc Descamps and Sofie Leyts storybooks by Karen Hellemans and Stephanie Dehennin and by Korneel De Rynck , illustrated by Joris Thys and Naomi Christiaens over 6.000 copies sold