The Secret of the Cave by Julia Johnson has won the International Children’s Book category at Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival 2019. Set in a remote mountain village in the grip of a deadly drought, a young girl sets out to look for berries. She falls into a deep, dark cave, where shapes and shadows lurk and bats abound. Cold and frightened, she desperately wishes for the comforting figure of her cousin, but he is far away and cannot help her. It seems that no one can. But in that eerie cavern lit only by the occasional glimmer of glow worms, she comes across an owl and a mysterious child who lead her to a discovery which could save her people … if only she could get out and reach them. Buy now. Julia Johnson is a drama teacher turned children’s author, storyteller and performer who first arrived in Dubai in 1975. She has appeared on stage, TV and radio in the UK and in Dubai, has toured Theatre-in-Education productions to schools and has recorded over 100 audio books. Julia’s stories frequently focus on the history and culture of the Arabian Peninsula. She has written over a dozen stories for children including The Cheetah’s Tale, The Pearl Diver and Ubuntu: Summer of the Rhino, which was produced in partnership with Rhino Revolution. She has toured schools and colleges in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia with talks and workshops. She is a regular speaker at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature and her books have twice been chosen for the Chevron Readers’ Cup.
The Secret of the Cave Wins International Award
