The House With a Dragon in it

By Author / Illustrator

Nick Lake, Emily Gravett

Genre

Family & Home

Age range(s)

Publisher

Simon & Schuster Ltd

ISBN

9781471194863

Format

Hardback

Published

22-06-2023

Synopsis

An adventure to treasure from two multi award-winning creators, discover a classic story of family, friendship and believing in your own magic.

When Summer and her foster family are having lunch one day, a hole appears in the middle of the living room. That hole leads to a dragon and the promise of three wishes, granted by a very unusual witch. Summer wishes for popularity and plenty of money, and things are looking up . . . until she realizes that the hole in the floor is getting bigger and the witch is getting more sinister. As things begin to unravel, will Summer get her dearest, most secret wish?

Nick Lake's classic story of dragons, witches and wish-fulfilment is beautifully illustrated by Emily Gravett.

Download Extract

Reviews

A completely , captivating , magical and mesmerizing tale. The pairing of author Nick Lake and illustrator Emily Gravett is just superb. As with the book, Locked Out Lily, in The House With a Dragon in it the duo have created an eerie, moodily atmospheric and authentically timeless aura with the rich layers of vocabulary and evocative, shadowy illustrations.

Summer is a foster child - a guarded , prickly and obviously emotionally vulnerable young girl. When a row in which she shouts at her foster father precedes the sudden appearance of a huge sinkhole in the very room she screams out in temper in, Summer feels as if she is blame. More than that, she feels inexplicably drawn to the unwanted, disruptive gaping hole in the heart of the family's home. When the cavernous pit calls to her and reveals a wonderous , unimaginable creature - a quite terrifying dragon, Summer is promised treasure that she cannot yet comprehend the power of.

Her need and longing for people/connections/relationships (that she has been bereft of so far in her young life) makes the promise of three wishes far too tempting to resist. Releasing malevolent magic is never a good thing, however, and Summer must balance her wants and desires against a witch's increasing dangerous and insidious presence in her town. Will fulfilling these dreams of popularity and riches really bring Summer happiness and a sense of belonging ? Will putting all she actually has in her life now at risk cause Summer to suddenly realise the treasures she already holds - and more importantly, realise how treasured she herself actually already is to those in her life.

This is deliciously dark and yet full of empowerment and love. It is a story so cleverly crafted to build the tension and peril, stacking up the risks and tightening the pace. Relationships, friendships and love hold the key to unlocking the real treasure and the ending of the story is powerfully moving. Just perfect.

240 pages / Reviewed b Jennifer Caddick, teacher