Can a family of cats save a young girl still struggling to cope with life eight years after her parents died in an accident? Hilary McKay, the Costa award-winning author of The Skylarks' War, spreads love and stardust over a magical story of adventure, friendship and courage which will break your heart and put it back together again. Brought to glorious life by the emotive illustrations of Keith Robinson, Rosa By Starlight has an unforgettable heroine at its core. a lost soul convinced that somewhere in her bleak world is the magic and hope she craves, and discovering it in the most unexpectedly 'feline' place. After years of being cared for by kind neighbours, eleven-year-old Rosa Mundi has abruptly been left in the care of a mysterious aunt and uncle and when her school closes down suddenly, she is forced to join them on a work trip to Italy. Left to fend for herself at the rundown Hotel Mancini in Venice, Rosa feels completely abandoned and it takes all her courage to stay hopeful and adventurous in the ancient city. Help arrives just when she needs it most in the shape of her neighbour's large black cat Balthazar. But can the mysterious winding streets of the city, its feline inhabitants and an alignment of stars spark the magic Rosa longs for, and plant seeds of hope for the future? Cat lovers will be purring with delight as McKay delivers a beautiful, Italian-themed odyssey filled with all the atmospherics you would expect from the serpentine streets of Venice, a large serving of magic and melancholy, and a wistful, waif-like heroine kept safe by a cannily clever cast of felines. An adventure that's guaranteed to cast a spell!.