On Britain's Got Talent on 11 April 2009, 48-year-old spinster Susan Magdalane Boyle stepped out onto the stage to jeers and sniggers. As she announced she was going to sing I Dreamed a Dream, the judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan didn't bother to hide their amusement. One minute later they, and very soon the world, were giving Susan Boyle a standing ovation. She had the voice of an angel and her story was to become a modern day fairytale, a dream come true.

In hours the news of Susan's extraordinary, heartbreaking performance had spread around the globe. She was an instant international star. And today she holds the record for the fastest selling female debut album of all time.

In this, the first book to explore Susan's amazing rags to riches story, we follow her from her humble West Lothian background to topping the charts and performing for millions worldwide on TV. Whether it was bullying or nearly not entering Britain's Got Talent because "it was a young person's game", when faced with the toughest challenges, Susan never gave up. The memory of her mother inspired her to give her dream one last chance.