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Discover First: Get one of 100 copies of Life Hacks for a Little Alien before it hits bookshops

We're giving 100 booklovers the chance to get a copy before it's out in February 2025. Plus, read the first chapter straight away!

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A charming, witty and moving novel about what it feels like to grow up neurodivergent.

Little Alien lives with her mum and her dad in the South-East of England. Her mum has a 'how-to' guide for every situation, and her dad is always kind and always right. And there is her best friend Bobby, who coincidentally has a bob.

But it is only when Little Alien sees a documentary about the Voynich Manuscript – a mediaeval codex written in an unknown language and script – that she begins to suspect that there are other people who feel just like her. Convinced that translating this manuscript will offer the answers she needs, she sets out on a journey that will show her a delicious taste of freedom.

So begins Little Alien's story, told from the perspective of an older, wiser linguist, whose guidance will help Little Alien navigate a world that makes her feel like she doesn't belong.

'This is one of those rare books that is so brilliant, so original and lovely and funny, that it reminds you of the point of reading ... I adored it.' Rebecca Wait, author of I'm Sorry You Feel That Way

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