Grandpa’s Dear Old Girl
‘A story full of warmth and drama for all ages. Unputdownable. And a must for a television production!’ — Michelle Magorian, author of Goodnight Mister Tom
It’s a story full of drama and excitement, measured by roaring winds and pounding waves, but there’s a quiet at its heart too, and that is the love and connection between a little girl and her grandpa. A story that young and old will cherish.’ — Andrea Reece, Editorial Expert at LoveReading4Kids
Millie’s grandpa Big Frank is the Lighthouse Keeper and from it he can see everything. When Jack-o-the-Lamp comes to the island to automate the light, Millie is very worried.
What will her grandpa do now without the tall round tower he calls his dear old girl?
A big storm is brewing but when Big Frank and Millie try to warn them, the fishermen take no notice. But they need Big Frank’s help when the storm sweeps in, and he in turn needs Millie’s when the lighthouse lamp goes out.
A children’s chapter book in a bigger new format with atmospheric black and white illustrations.
Felicity Fair Thompson
Felicity Fair Thompson was born in Australia. After a short career in ballet in UK, she spent eight years as Senior Assistant Manager at the Odeon Leicester Square, the first woman in Rank’s West End Cinema management, before settling on the Isle of Wight in 1977 to run a holiday business, where her interest in photography and travel expanded into film making and writing.
She has an MA in Screenwriting from UAL. Her drama documentary about Carisbrooke Castle was broadcast on SKY TV. Three of her other fourteen travel films made for the retail market have been shown on Australian television.
Her published writing includes two children’s stories, an EU funded community play, scenic travel features, theatre reviews, award winning poetry, personality profiles and three novels – The Kid on Slapton Beachreceiving rave reviews. From 2000 to 2005 she founded and hosted the Weekend Writers’ Conference on the Isle of Wight with speakers and delegates attending from Britain, Europe and the US.
She gave workshops alongside Sir Andrew Motion at the Tennyson Bicentenary celebrations at Farringford, and she has taught for Screen South, Connexions, Isle of Wight College, and independently, and has worked one to one with young people with learning difficulties.
Her play Exit the King about Charles I was performed on the Isle of Wight at the Ventnor Fringe Festival and at Carisbrooke Castle. Voices Over Passchendaele, co-written with historian Tim Wander, was performed on the Island to mark the centenary of the end of WWI.
Felicity has adapted another historic storyline from Tim Wander into a new stage play about the beginnings of radio in Chelmsford which was performed at the Civic Theatre there, and created a short radio presentation for the centenary on 15th June 2020 of the first world-wide radio broadcast ever, which featured the opera star Dame Nellie Melba.
Author portrait © Felicity Fair Thompson