Author(s): Katherine Rundell

Junior Fiction | Anna's Book Talkers | Kids Best Sellers

It was a very fine day, until something tried to eat him.

A boy called Christopher is visiting his reclusive grandfather when he witnesses an avalanche of mythical creatures come tearing down the hill. This is how Christopher learns that his grandfather is the guardian of one of the ways between the non-magical world and a place called the Archipelago, a cluster of magical islands where all the creatures we tell of in myth live and breed and thrive alongside humans.

They have been protected from being discovered for thousands of years; now, terrifyingly, the protection has worn thin, and creatures are breaking through.

Then a girl, Mal, appears in Christopher's world. She is in possession of a flying coat, is being pursued by a killer and is herself in pursuit of a baby griffin. Mal, Christopher and the griffin embark on an urgent quest across the wild splendour of the Archipelago, where sphinxes hold secrets and centaurs do murder, to find the truth - with unimaginable consequences for both their worlds.

Together the two must face the problem of power, and of knowledge, and of what love demands of us.

#23 Kids Best Seller of 2023

CONSTANT READER STAFF REVIEW: ANNA

Katherine Rundell has long been one of my favorite middle-grade authors, and she just keeps going from strength to strength. This is a bit of a departure from her usual historical adventure story: she has jumped headfirst into a world of fantasy and myth. Christopher and Mal are from separate, parallel worlds, brought together by a combination of fate and chance. Together they set off to save Mal’s world – the magical creatures are dying out at an alarming rate, and no one seems to be paying any attention. As the answer to the mystery becomes clearer, Christopher and Mal will learn just how much will need to be sacrificed to save both their worlds, and their lives will never be the same again.

A slow build at first, this novel races to a climax that had me crying on the bus and thinking about it for weeks after. It is as heartbreaking as it is hopeful, and I am left shaken and amazed. Katherine Rundell is truly a genius of storytelling, a legend in the making.