Malika Ferdjoukh was born in 1957 in Algeria and has lived in Paris since she was a child. While a student at the Sorbonne, she often skipped classes in favor of watching films at the "ciné-club", where she absorbed the entirety of the American cinema, from westerns to detective films. Above all, however, Ferdjoukh is an unabashed lover of musicals and is able to belt out the most improbable of show tunes. Between songs, she writes scripts for television and has published several novels for children. Among her recent books are the multi-volume mystery/detective stories The Rain Club and Four Sisters, as well as Young Adult novels Broadway Limited and Alfred’s Reel. As evidenced by her titles, Ferdjoukh’s works often incorporate her interests in film, Broadway musicals, and classic detective narratives.
Glimpses of books
Broadway Limited
l'Ecole des Loisirs, 2015
New York, 1950’s. Jocelyn Brouillard is the only male resident of the Scattered Showers residence. He is French. Aged sixteen.Well behaved, neat and tidy, and a brilliant student who plays the piano.
In this rite-of-passage tale, our young Frenchman discovers American puritanism, segregation, McCarthyism, FBI interrogations, and the anti-Semitism of WASPs. But he also learns about the ukulele, imported by veterans from the Pacific, the theater, pizzas, movies, jazz (bebop and its beginnings), baseball, Broadway, the American way of life...
We also follow the destinies of four true heroines: Manhattan, Hadley, Chic and Page.
The Rain Club at the Boarding School of Mysteries
l'Ecole des Loisirs, 2014
When Rose enters the Black Rock boarding school, she has no idea what awaits her. She meets Nadget with her ravishing smile, Ambroise, the son of the guards at the boarding school, and his dog Clipper. One rainy day, while taking a tour of the boarding school, they notice bits of paper with pleas for help thrown from the tower. Who could be sending those messages? It’s a mystery that the Rain Club, as they call themselves, has to solve.
The Rain Club Braves the Storm
l'Ecole des Loisirs, 2014
It’s the end of winter vacation in Saint-Malo, and at last the Rain Club has a moment when they don’t have a mystery to dig into. But then Jeanne Eyrmont, the goddaughter of the principal, shows up at the Pierres-Noires boarding school, and she seems frightened, as if she had seen ghosts. Ghosts, really? Ambroise, Rose, Nadget and Milo have decided to bring this case to the light of day.
Four Sisters
l'Ecole des loisirs, 2003
Part 1: Enid
Part 2: Hortense
Part 3: Bettina
Part 4: Geneviève
A beautiful villa beside the sea, full of nooks and mystery. Five sisters living on their own since their parents died in a car accidnet. Five sisters growing up together, sharing their grief, their everyday life, and their love.
A modern literary equivalent of the great American comedies of the '40s and '50s.
A treat for the heart and the mind.
Read the first pages of Enid or Hortense - but let us warn you: you might want some more!
Selective bibliography
Broadway Limited, T.1 Un Dîner avec Cary Grant, l'Ecole des Loisirs, 2015
Le Club de la Pluie au pensionnat des mystères, l'Ecole des Loisirs, 2014
Le Club de la Pluie brave les tempêtes, l'Ecole des Loisirs, 2014
La Bobine d'Alfred, l'Ecole des Loisirs, 2013
Chaque soir à 11 heures, Flammarion Jeunesse, 2011
Robin dans les bois, Gallimard, 2010
Quatre Sœurs, tome 1: Enid, l'Ecole des Loisirs, 2003
Quatre Sœurs, tome 2: Hortense, l'Ecole des Loisirs, 2003
Quatre Sœurs, tome 3: Bettina, l'Ecole des Loisirs, 2003
Quatre Sœurs, tome 4: Geneviève, l'Ecole des Loisirs, 2003
Minuit-Cinq, l'Ecole des Loisirs, 2002 (Selected by the French Ministry of Education for the students of 5th and 6th grades)
La Fille d'en face, Bayard, 2002
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