Into the Faerie Hill

By Author / Illustrator

H.S. Norup

Genre

Fantasy

Age range(s)

Publisher

Pushkin Children's Books

ISBN

9781782693864

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

02-03-2023

Synopsis

The moment Alfred arrives at his granny's cottage, he feels like he's being watched. The surrounding forests teem with unfamiliar life - even odd little faerie creatures only Alfred can see. It's only when free-spirited Saga bursts into his life that he learns to appreciate the strange beauty around him. But this special world is under threat: Alfred's dad is working on a project to dig a giant motorway tunnel through the landscape. As he joins Saga in the protests against this project, Alfred draws ever closer to the perilous world of the faerie creatures, following a thread that will lead him deep into mysteries from his family's past.

'A gorgeous book... Full of magic, charm and wonder.' Hannah Gold, author of The Last Bear.

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Reviews

Alfred moves with his father to stay with his grandmother, while his dad works on a building project. Alfred can't help feeling that there is something different about him that means he doesn't really fit in. Then he meets Saga, a local girl who is passionately opposed to the building project and also believes in the faerie kingdom that is lurking close to the real world. Saga and Alfred try to stop the building project, which threatens this faerie world, and Alfred begins to discover things about himself that he never knew, as well as that faeries are not all the sweet, kind creatures he supposed they were. In fact, some fairies are just plain scary.

This is fantasy and eco activism all rolled into one story with an added dollop of adventure. It is also about friendship and finding where you belong in the world. There is something dark at the core of the story, spine-tinglingly scary, but also a huge dash of optimism and hope. The land of faerie is a forbidding place but even there, a bit of humour creeps in. Children who enjoy high fantasy and slightly terrifying adventure will love this book. I was overjoyed find that there will be another book following on from this adventure.

256 pages / Reviewed by Jacqueline Harris, teacher