About this item

Celebrating the quiet power of being different, The Surprise is the children's debut from acclaimed authors Zadie Smith and Nick Laird, with art from exciting newcomer Magenta Fox.Meet Maud: a guinea pig who inexplicably wears a judo suit - and not everyone understands or approves. When Maud is thrown into a new and confusing situation, it takes brave decisions and serendipitous encounters for her to find her place and embrace her individuality.The Surprise is an endearing story about the quiet power of being different by two veteran writers, and introduces an exciting debut illustrator. Together they have created a picture book that adults and children alike will treasure.



About the Author

Zadie Smith

Zadie Smith is the author of the novels and , as well as two collections of essays, and . Zadie was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2002, and was listed as one of Granta's 20 Best Young British Novelists in 2003 and again in 2013. won multiple literary awards including the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the Whitbread First Novel Award and the Guardian First Book Award. was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and won the Orange Prize for Fiction, and was shortlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction. Zadie Smith is currently a tenured professor of fiction at New York University and a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Visit for more information.



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