Stone of Shiro: The Fall of Shiro

Why him? He doesn’t want to be a hero... but he’s their only hope!

In the magical realm of Shiro, life for the young Mushling Cale, is anything but easy. He’s stuck with rowdy housemates, falling behind at school, and barely scraping by as a part-time busboy. His only joys are his beloved pet Truffles and a strange blue button he wears for protection. Cale just wants to be left alone with Truffles, but when alien invaders steal the magical Stone that protects his world, Cale is unwittingly thrust into a perilous quest to find it. Armed only with a mysterious scroll, separated from Truffles and stripped of his talisman button, he and two loyal friends are pulled into an unknown, dark and dangerous world. Lost and vulnerable, Cale must now outwit shadowy creatures, survive impossible challenges, unlock ancient secrets, and find the courage to become the hero Shiro needs... before it’s too late!

Growing up in the Belgian Congo (now the DRC), where her father was a Sabena pilot, Sue Ruffle discovered French language comics such as Tintin, Spirou, Asterix and Les Schtroumpfs (the Smurfs) sparking a lifelong passion for storytelling. Years later, Sue created her own fantasy realm of small anthropomorphic beings for her own children. They loved it and, after a crazy ＂what if＂ moment, she set her sights on sharing her story with young readers worldwide. Through countless challenges, she held fast to her dream and now finally, her story will be told. Sue’s career spans international advertising, founding her own children’s marketing company, and after moving to Australia in 2006, she served as a marketing director in the animation industry. She later co-founded boutique ad agency The Gaswerx in 2011. Today, with the support of her husband, and four grown-up children, she is fulfilling her decades-long dream as a Middle Grade Graphic Novel author. Fluent in English and French, Sue lives in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales with her husband and three spoiled Jack Russell terriers, and enjoys walking, crime and mystery novels, amateur theatre and all things fantasy Middle Grade.