The Diamond of Drury Lane

Story

Cat Royal is a street-wise orphan who lives in a theatre in Drury Lane, London in the 1760’s. When she is asked to protect the diamond hidden in the theatre, there follows a story of adventure and danger with a whole host of exciting characters! Can she stop Billy and his gang getting hold of the treasure?

Why we chose it

A historical thriller with a bold and adventurous heroine which brings to life the divided world of Georgian London - the sumptuous houses of the wealthy, the life backstage at the Drury Lane theatre and the rival gangs of children roaming the streets.

Where it came from

Julia Golding (born in 1969) grew up near Epping Forest in Essex and, as a child, used to love making up stories about the trees she could see from her bedroom window. Later, she studied English literature at Cambridge and Oxford Universities. Her focus on changes in society during the industrial revolution inspired her to write The Diamond of Drury Lane. As a child she was inspired by books that placed importance on using your imagination to help you through hard times.

Where it went next

The book won the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize and the Nestlé Children’s Book Prize (2006). It was also shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book Award.

Associated stories

The Diamond of Drury Lane is the first book in a series of ‘Cat Royal’ books. Other books in the series are: Cat Among the Pigeons (2006); Den of Thieves (2007); Cat o' Nine Tails (2007); Black Heart of Jamaica (2008) and Cat’s Cradle (2011). The Middle Passage (2010) is a novella set between the fifth and sixth books in the series. The books have been translated into many languages and hundreds of thousands of copies have been sold all over the world.

Julia Golding is also the author of the Companions Quartet (Secret of the Siren, The Gorgon’s Craze, Mine of the Minotaur and The Chimera’s Curse) and the Knights of the Round Table novels as well as The Ship Between the Worlds, Wolf Cry, Silver Sea and Mel Foster and the Demon Butler.

She writes for teenagers and young adults under the pseudonyms Eve Edwards and Joss Stirling.