Mary darling

Mary Darling, L M d'Mello's eponymous protagonist, was abandoned on hospital steps at birth and spent most of her early years living in care.

Things start to look up for her when she is adopted by Tom and Susan, a caring couple who lost their own daughter in an accident.

Tom and Susan do their best to make Mary happy, however school bullies are making her life wretched, until an unexpected ally emerges.

Mary's life is transformed when she discovers that she has unusual and powerful supernatural abilities that she can use to understand and heal animals.

She begins a fight to save the animal world from cruelty and extinction, and as her powers mature throughout the books in the trilogy, she must defeat increasingly dangerous enemies, making discoveries about her own abilities along the way.

The book ends with Mary discovering that she is to be an animal ambassador and must take on powerful individuals and organisations around the world.

L M d'Mello's debut book explores the importance of animal welfare, a subject that is increasingly highlighted by the media as a result of high-profile individuals, including the Duke of Cambridge and Ricky Gervais, speaking out against trophy hunting and poaching.

Mary Darling draws from L M d'Mello's own involvement with animal charities, and will appeal to animal welfare organisations.

It will be enjoyed by readers aged 12-16 years.