The burying beetle

When you are eleven you are going to be struck by a sorrow so big it will be like a lightning bolt.

There will be grief like a sharp rock in your throat. [Ann Kelley, The Burying Beetle] Meet Gussie. Twelve years old and settling into her new ramshackle home on a cliff top above St Ives, she has an irrepressible zest for life.

She also has a life-threatening heart condition. But it's not in her nature to give up. Perhaps because she knows her time might be short, she values every passing moment, experiencing each day with humour and extraordinary courage. Spirited and imaginative, Gussie has a passionate interest in everything around her and her vivid stream of thoughts and observations will draw you into a renewed sense of wonder. Gussie's story of inspiration and hope is both heartwarming and heartrending.

Once you've met her, you'll not forget her. And you'll never take life for granted again.