Millie Bobby Brown of “Stranger Things” publishes “Nineteen Steps”: How much is her first novel worth?

Millie Bobby Brown, born in 2004 in Marseille, Spain, is a British actress, model and producer who appeared in the fantasy series “Stranger Things” in 2016. His spectacular success took him to the top. At the age of 14, she became the youngest UNICEF Ambassador. That same year, she appeared on Time magazine’s list of the hundred most influential people in the world. Today the global Netflix star is entering a new world, the world of literature, by adapting her grandmother’s extraordinary story set during World War II into a novel. This is “Dix-Neuf Marches” by Robert Laffont in France, published this Friday, January 25.

Also read: Child actors: Millie Bobby Brown, from “Stranger Things” to Generation Z icon

A novel inspired by reality

In 1942, the threat of a bomb explosion was looming in London. Nellie Morris, a lively 18-year-old girl, tries to maintain a normal existence with her family in the Bethnal Green neighbourhood. When air raid sirens sound, Nelly, her parents, younger brother and sister run to the nearest tube station, Bethnal Green, for shelter. Each time, they have to quickly descend a narrow, poorly lit staircase; Nineteen steps separate them from the shelter. One day, a disaster turns their lives upside down. A disaster that actually happened on March 3, 1943. That day, sirens were ringing in the rain and darkness in London. More than a thousand people gathered at Bethnal Green tube station. A man slips on the stairs, causing several others to fall. One hundred seventy-three people including sixty-two children were crushed to death. The tragedy is considered the largest loss of civilian life in the United Kingdom during World War II. In “The Nineteen Steps,” Millie Bobby Brown depicts this historic event, drawing on her British roots and immersing the reader in her family’s touching story.

Also read: Posy Simmonds, Grand Prix d’Angoulême 2024: 3 things to know about the queen of British comics

What is the value of a novel?

However, set in the middle of World War II, the novel communicates the joy of life of its young heroine, Nelly, who leads us from events to accidents. Easy to understand, the story keeps the suspense till the end. We appreciate the simple writing as well as the thorough profile of the various characters that we will clearly connect with. The intensity of the action and abundance of emotions make for a pleasure to read.

Controversy regarding the book

“Nineteen Steps” was co-written by author Kathleen McGurl. However, unlike the actress, her name does not shine in golden letters on the cover of the book. Millie Bobby Brown’s debut novel thus reignites the debate over books written by celebrities with the help of “ghostwriters”. Millie Bobby Brown is not the first person to collaborate with an author: from Ethan Hawke to Hillary Clinton, many public figures have called on authors to write their own works. However, the question arises whether this is a product labeled with the name of a novel star? A simple marketing stunt?

In September 2023, Millie Bobby Brown shared a photo of herself with Kathleen McGurl on Instagram, with a book in hand. The post was captioned: “I couldn’t have done this without you! “. However, in the comments, netizens were quick to criticize and accuse the actress of “taking credit.” In a post on her personal blog in March 2023, Kathleen McGurl explains that she felt “the need to support Millie and her family has already To prepare for the writing, before Kathleen McGurl wrote the first draft of the novel, the two women spoke several times on Zoom. Millie Bobby Brown reached out to the author via WhatsApp. The two authors worked together to “finalize the story”. The book went through several editions before its final publication, which appeared in French bookstores on 25 January.