A remarkable story about a little-known tragedy in Australian history. It's 1900. thirteen-year-old Issy McKelvie leaves school and starts her first job - very reluctantly - as a maid in an undertaking establishment. She thinks this is about as low as you can go. But there's worse to come. Issy becomes an unwilling rat-catcher when the plague - the Black Death - arrives in Australia. Issy loathes both rats and her father's four yappy, snappy, hyperactive rat-killing terriers. But when her father becomes ill it's up to Issy to join the battle to rid the city of the plague-carrying rats. 'A brilliant and richly evocative insight into a fascinating and little-known aspect of our past.' -- Jackie French, Australian Children's Laureate.

Eliza Carthy is the daughter of Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson. The clan has often been rightly described as folk's royal family. Martin was in Steeleye Span, Albion Dance band and the Watersons as well as holding down a successful solo career. Norma was a member of the Watersons folk group. Perhaps it was inevitable that Eliza would follow the family trade and become a folk musician. She is no pale imitator though, and can play just about any stringed instrument like a virtuoso, though amazingly she underrates herself. This self- doubt seems at odds with the public persona of a brassy northern lass, who has sometimes been described as 'difficult' (though not in our experience). Her albums are exceptional slices of traditional and new folk, but the stage is her natural home, enthralling audiences with a blend of folk, jazz, rock and music hall. 2011 saw her win two out of the three categories she was nominated for in the Radio 2 British Folk Awards, to swell an already bulging trophy cabinet. At 35 years of age it seems apt to chronicle the first half of an eventful life. In addition to extensive interviews with Eliza herself, the book contains interviews with her parents and other family members and also many of the people Eliza has worked with: Billy Bragg, comedian Stewart Lee, Richard Thompson Vandyke Parkes and many more were fulsome in their praise of Eliza when interviewed. She has toured America with Joan Baez. Eliza has an extensive collection of photographs that people have taken of her and she has been exceptionally generous in letting us use them.