Someone is sneaking around my bedroom.
My eyes snap open and I'm alert in the dark. Hot under my duvet. No one's allowed in my room without permission, not even Mum.
***
The Blurb
It’s supposed to be a treat for Kit, a winter holiday by the coast with her sister Libby and their mum. But when Libby vanishes into thin air, and no one else remembers her, Kit is faced with a new reality – one in which her sister never existed.
Then she meets Story, a local boy who remembers Libby perfectly. Together they embark on a journey beyond their wildest imagination into a world steeped in ancient folklore. Can Kit and Story uncover the secret of the Twelve and rescue Libby before Time runs out?
My Review
This was such a beautiful book to read. It is aimed at a young adult readership but as a reader whose youth was many moons ago, I thought this was a great book to read.
The main character, Kit, was well realised and easy to identify with. She is brave, courageous and determined to help her younger sister Libby. The book is written from Kit's perspective and so we see how the plot plays out through her eyes.
Kit's new friend, Story is an equalling engaging character and is highly likable. I really enjoyed seeing their friendship develop. They are both very introverted characters and they worked extremely well as a pair.
Although this is marketed as a fantasy novel it is so much more besides. The story is actually rooted in the real world but with fantastical elements, some time slip and a little romance thrown in. I found all of the characters, both the young and old, to be highly believable.
There is a strong theme of nature running through it, and the effect that climate change is having on the natural world. However, it never feels as though the author is preaching. The story just highlights how as humans we are causing havoc to the world around us. I absolutely did not anticipate the conclusion of the book, but I was very happy with the outcome.
I loved the story mixed in with folklore and myth. The author's writing was lovely and she describes the world in which her characters live beautifully. I almost felt I was there with Kit at times. This is a super book, and I highly recommend it.
Book Details:
ISBN: 978 1782693987
Publisher: Pushkin Children's Books
Formats: e-book and hardback
No. of Pages: 256 (hardback)
Purchase Links
About the Author
Liz Hyder has been making up stories ever since she can remember. She has a BA in drama from the University of Bristol and, in early 2018, won the Bridge Award/MoniackMhor’s Emerging Writer Award. Her first novel, Bearmouth, won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for Older Readers, the Branford Boase Award, and was TheTimes’s Children’s Book of The Year.
Liz can also be found at:
About the Illustrator
Tom De Freston is an artist based in Oxford with his wife, Kiran Millwood Hargrave. His practice is dedicated to the construction of multimedia worlds, combining paintings, film and performance into immersive visceral narratives.
Tom can also be found at
(media courtesy of the publisher)
(author/illustrator photos courtesy of their websites liz.hyder.co.uk / tomdefreston.co.uk)
(all opinions are my own)
(bookshop.com affiliated)
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