There was Tolkien there is Pullman and now there is Katherine Rundell. Wondrous invention marvellous writing. Michael MorpurgoRundells first foray into fantasy is both a deft rich homage to the greats of childrens literature and an absorbing profoundly poignant quest story for those aged 9 quite possibly her best yet The GuardianA book stuffed full of fantastical magical delight and a world of richly imagined wonder Cressida Cowell WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR WINNER BOOKS ARE MY BAG READERS AWARD WINNER FOYLES CHILDRENS BOOK OF THE YEAR SHORTLISTED FOR AMAZON KIDS AND YA BOOK OF THE YEAR THE TIMES CHILDRENS BOOK OF THE WEEK THE INDEPENDENT CHILDRENS BOOK OF THE WEEK THE DAILY TELEGRAPH CHILDRENS BOOK OF THE WEEK SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER IN SEPTEMBER 2023Theres a place where all the wildest stories began ... From Katherine Rundell winner of the Costa Childrens Book Award the Blue Peter Book Award and the Waterstones Childrens Book Prize comes the first novel in a landmark trilogy for 9 fans of His Dark MaterialsChristopher is stunned when he discovers a passage to the Archipelago a cluster of magical islands where all the creatures of myth still live and breed and thrive in their thousands. There he meets Mal a girl from the islands who is in possession of a flying coat and a baby griffin and who is being pursued by a killer. Together they embark on an urgent quest to discover why the creatures are suddenly perishing voyaging across the wild splendour of the Archipelago where sphinxes hold secrets and centaurs do murder in a bid to save both the islands and the world beyond them from a rising evil before its too late. Full of adventures wonderful side characters new lands and so many fantastic creatures. I heartily recommend it to readers of all ages Rick RiordanA marvellous imaginative fantasy told with great style and sparkle a book to race through in a day and keep for a lifetime Jacqueline WilsonThe world of this new book is so intriguing and so wel